UFC Fight Night 59 results: Sean O'Connell survives beating, finishes Matt Van Buren

BOSTON – Sean O’Connell walked through a firestorm of punishing strikes from the taller and longer Matt Van Buren to exact revenge in the third and final round.

O’Connell (16-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) picked up his first UFC win by fighting his way inside, where he landed a punch on Van Buren’s (6-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) jaw that changed the course of the fight.

The light heavyweight bout took place at today’s UFC Fight Night 59 event at Boston’s TD Garden. It was the second of two preliminary bouts streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of preliminary and main-card bouts on FOX Sports 1.

The fight came to a crashing halt at the 2:11 mark of the third as Van Buren wobbled on his feet after an overhand right and left hook sent him to the mat. The referee stepped in to save “The Ultimate Fighter 19? finalist from taking further punishment.

Van Buren remains winless in the UFC’s octagon since his turn on the reality show.

Initially, the “TUF” veteran used his range to great effect, outstretching his hand and fingers and thrusting a knee into O’Connell’s midsection at every charge. When O’Connell pushed his way into the clinch, more knees found their target and noticeably slowed him in the second round.

O’Connell, though, refused to be deterred. He caught Van Buren standing too upright, landing an overhand right that rotated his jaw and looked to briefly remove him from consciousness. A finishing blow wasn’t found, but momentum clearly shifted.

Van Buren continued to land knees and straight punches at the advancing O’Connell, but once again was caught with an overhand right and left hook that led to his demise.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 59 results include:

For more on UFC Fight Night 59, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(Matt Erickson contributed to this report on-site in Boston.)