The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Finale Results

Prior to Saturday's live finale of "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest," Kendall Grove (9-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) expected the loser of his headline bout with Evan Tanner (32-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) to "leave town."

Grove won't be buying a bus ticket anytime soon.

In front of a soldout crowd at The Pearl at The Palms Las Vegas, Grove defeated his former UFC middleweight champion opponent via split decision.

Grove, who had suffered first-round knockouts to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera in his previous two fights, was punished throughout the three-round fight, though he was never in serious trouble.

The same couldn't be said for Tanner.

The 37-year-old MMA trailblazer was cut early in the first round, and in the second, the bout was nearly stopped when he suffered a barrage of elbows and punches. Tanner, though, continually recovered and survived until the final bell. However, his blood-stained beard and shorts showed the effects of Grove's dangerous knee and elbow strikes.

However, what should have been a clear-cut and obvious victory for Grove was slightly tainted when the official decision was read. Two judges gave Grove winning scores of 30-26 (meaning he earned one 10-8 round), but judge Al Lefkowitz strangely had it 29-28 in favor of Tanner.

Grove, the middleweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 3," shook off the peculiar score and instead focused on the victory.

"My last two fights, everyone here had seen, I was embarrassed, he said. "But I grew up as a fighter during those losses. I didn't know to lose in the UFC. Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera, I thank you guys even though you guys kicked my ass. I thank you. You made me mature as a fighter."

In a fight to crown this year's champion of "The Ultimate Fighter," Amir Sadollah (1-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) again upset C.B. Dollaway (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) -- and he again did it again via arm-bar.

Sadollah and Dollaway originally met in the show's semifinals, and after dominating the first two rounds, Dollaway was forced to tap-out in the third after Sadollah sneaked in and secured an arm-bar.

When fellow finalist Jesse Taylor was kicked off the show after a drunken night on the town, Dollaway defeated Tim Credeur and earned a shot at redemption.

During Saturday's live finale, Dollaway again gained the early edge. After scoring a double-leg takedown, Dollaway worked his trademark ground and pound. However, Sadollah remained patient, and when the opportunity arose, he again secured the arm-bar. Dollaway tapped once on his opponent's thigh, which forced the referee to step in and stop the fight. Dollaway protested the stoppage and denied the tap-out to no avail.

Sadollah's victory capped off a remarkable and unimaginable run through the UFC's reality series. Despite entering the competition with no professional record of which to speak, and despite being one of the rare hopefuls to make the cast via an open tryout, the Muay Thai fighter posted five stoppages (four via submission) to earn the "TUF" title.

For his efforts, he was awarded a six-figure contract -- and instant stardom.

"I'm trying to think of funny stuff to say, but it won't come out, so I'll just say I'm blown away by the fact that that just happened," Sadollah said after the fight.

After back-to-back losses -- the first of his career -- "The Ultimate Fighter" 1 winner Diego Sanchez scored a first-round TKO over David Bielkheden in March. On Saturday Sanchez (19-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) returned with his trademark aggression, reestablished himself as a legitimate welterweight contender, and picked up another victory with a third-round TKO of Luigi Fioravanti (12-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC).

He was expected to take the fight to the ground, but Sanchez quickly established himself as the better striker early in the fight. A barrage of combinations forced Fioravanti to counter-strike, and Sanchez's head kicks narrowly missed their mark through the first two rounds.

Sanchez took those first two rounds, but he wasn't content with a decision victory. As the fight entered its final minute, Sanchez finally connected clean on a head kick, and when Fioravanti staggered in retreat, he followed with a flying knee that caught flush. Sanchez quickly pounced on his opponent and delivered a flurry of punches before the referee stepped in for the TKO stoppage at the 4:07 mark.

"I'm back, baby," Sanchez said. "I did boxing for two years in a row, and I started working with [my boxing coach] working on those kicks again. He said, 'You know, you've got a nasty kick that no one expects,' so I threw it."

In other action, when the matchup was first announced, it quickly became the early favorite for Fight of the Night honors. And the lightweight bout between Spencer Fisher and Jeremy Stephens lived up to the hype.

The former training partners used aggressive striking and busy ground work to set a frantic pace through the fight's first two rounds, both of which went to Fisher, who did damage with elbows from the mount.

Stephens rebounded in the third and took control with his striking, but a late-round guillotine choke attempt was interrupted by the final bell. Stephens (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) won the round but lost the fight.

All three judges had it 29-28 for the veteran Fisher (21-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC).

"He's tough," Fisher said. "I knew I better be in shape because he's a tough guy."

After a friendly rivalry was sparked during their early days together on "TUF," Team Rampage youngster Matthew Riddle (1-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) awaited a chance to fight Team Forrest veteran Dante Rivera (10-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC). And when Rivera said he would retire if he were ever beaten by his charmingly cocky rival, Riddle vowed to send him into retirement.

The fight never happened on the show, but the matchup was booked for Saturday's finale. Rivera, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter, rarely got the fight to the ground, and though improved, his striking just couldn't connect with much frequency. Riddle simply overpowered the veteran and cruised to a unanimous-decision victory via scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

On the night's preliminary card, a fight between Tim Credeur and Cale Yarbrough was a late scratch. Credeur had tested positive for Adderall, a psychostimulant traditionally prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. Traces of the banned substance were detected in a pre-fight drug test, though Credeur faces no disciplinary action because he alerted officials of the drug usage beforehand.

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Dustin Hazelett def. Josh Burkman via submission (arm bar) -- Round 2, 4:46
* Drew McFedries def. Marvin Eastman via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 1:08
* Matt Brown def. Matt Arroyo via TKO (strikes) -- Round 2, 3:40
* Tim Credeur vs. Cale Yarbrough - canceled due to Credeur's failed drug test
* Dean Lister def. Jeremy Horn via submission (guillotine choke) -- Round 1, 3:52
* Matt Brown def. Matt Arroyo via TKO (strikes) -- Round 2, 3:40
* Rob Kimmons def. Rob Yundt via submission (guillotine choke) -- Round 1, 3:58