John Dodson vs. TJ Dillashaw

We get a video profile on TJ Dillashaw, showing him training at Team Alpha Male, carrying his girlfriend down the street, and calling John Dodson creepy. Dodson says beeing short is a strength because he can get in an out of tight places. He gives Dillashaw some flack for ducking him in the TUF house. Dodson’s familiar grin is gone before the fight, standing across the cage from T-Dill. For once, he’s deadly serious. Shit, as they say, just got real.

Round 1: Dillashaw misses a leg kick wide. Dodson tags Dillashaw with a left, stumbling him backwards. Dillashaw tries a kick to the body. Body kick Dodson. Dillashaw throws a leg kick. Hook and head kick from Dodson. Dodson lands a monster left hand as Dillashaw moves forward, then another left to put Dillashaw on the mat. Dodson gets to hammer-fisting, and Herb Dean stops the fight right away. Dillashaw was struggling for a leg as Dean pulled Dodson off. Dillashaw is upset, maybe rightly so.

The crowd boos the stoppage. John Dodson def. TJ Dillashaw via TKO, 1:54 of round 1. John Dodson is TUF’s first-ever bantamweight champ. He giggles like a psychopath after the decision is read. “You can hate me if you want; just watch me,” he says. Bit of an attention-whore, this guy. But astounding power for his size, and his celebratory off-the-cage acrobatics are always entertaining.

And now the $25,000 TUF 14 bonuses…

Submission of the Season: Dennis Bermudez for his guillatine choke of Akira Corassani in the semi-finals

Knockout of the Season: John Dodson for starching Johnny Bedford in the semis.

Fight of the Season: Dustin Pague vs. Louis Gaudinot in the quarters.

Diego tells us he doesn’t even look at Facebook. No games, no girls, just crazy. He’s surrounded with a lot of good people at Greg Jackson’s. This will be the first time that his family watches him compete. Bermudez is fighting out of Long Island, and has taken “losing” out of his vocabulary. He doesn’t need his English subtitled, which is much less fun.

Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez

Round 1: Hard leg kick from Brandao to start. Bermudez grabs Brandao and pushes him to the cage, but Brandao escapes. Bermudez throws a flying knee that misses. Bermudez takes Brandao down but takes a savage upkick. Brandao is up, taking a knee on the way. Brandao lands a punch combo. They trade kicks. Overhand right from Diego. Bermudez brushes Brandao back with punches then lands a flying body kick. Brandao drops Bermudez with a body/head combo. Bermudez is up. Leg kick Brandao. Brandao again lands a big punch, but Bermudez keeps his legs this time. Brandao launches a flying knee and his momentum takes Bermudez to the mat. Bermudez stands, but Brandao slams him. Bermudez up and Brandao just misses with a head kick. Knee from Brandao. Brandao walks into a right hand and gets dropped. Bermudez rushes in to finish it. Brandao grabs a leg to defend himself. Bermudez still slugging from the top. Brandao snatches an armbar out of nowhere. Fedor/Coleman 1 comes to mind. Bermudez’s arm might be broken. Christ, Brandao has ground skills too? Featherweights beware.

In what may earn Fight of the Night honors for this card, Diego Brandao def. Dennis Bermudez via submission (armbar), 4:51 of round 1. Diego actually does a good job taking us through the replay. He gonna buy a house for his mom, yeehaa.

On the next page: The main event between the TUF 14 coaches, Michael Bisping vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

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