10 memorable moments from TUF 24 Finale, including Tim Elliott proving he belongs

Early in the first round of The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale’s main event, the MMA world looked like it was about to see a deluge of stories reranking the biggest upsets in MMA history. But try as he might, Tim Elliott could not force the tap from UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who battled through two deep choke attempts.

Elliott, who earned the shot at Johnson after winning Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” proved to be a game opponent for the champion, defying the oddsmakers to make the five-round fight an entertaining one. And though Elliott lost the fight, he likely performed well enough to maintain a spot on the UFC roster.

The co-main event of the night, also a flyweight bout, was a matchup between top-ranked contenders Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo. After three fast-paced rounds, Benavidez walked away with his hand raised in victory, possibly earning him a third shot at Johnson and his UFC title.

The TUF 24 Finale aired on FS1 from The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Here are 10 memorable moments from the event.

The first and biggest question Elliott had for Johnson came quickly. That question was, how would the flyweight champ deal with a couple tight chokes? Like any good student, Johnson (25-2-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC) considered Elliott’s (13-7-1 MMA, 2-5 UFC) question; he then relaxed, controlled his breathing and came up with an answer. With that puzzle solved, Johnson cruised through the rest of the test, retaining his belt with a unanimous-decision win.

Johnson’s performance reminded us why he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA: He never panics, he works through adversity, and he emerges as a better and more knowledgeable fighter.

Now it’s on to the next test for Johnson: tying Anderson Silva’s record of 10 consecutive title defenses.

Elliott’s UFC record now stands 2-5 after losing to Johnson, but you know what? Over the course of the 25 minutes he spent battling Johnson, Elliott earned a spot on the UFC roster.

Elliott put Johnson in danger in the first round with a guillotine and D’Arce chokes, and despite getting shut out in the remaining four rounds, he stayed competitive – something we can’t say about all the other fighters Johnson defeated during his current 12-fight UFC unbeaten streak.

Equally impressive was Elliott’s attitude after the fight.

“If they don’t want me here (in the UFC), then I can get fired here, and I’ll go fight somewhere else,” Elliott said. “I’m going to fight no matter what. It doesn’t matter if it’s for the UFC or anywhere else. I’m going to go out on my shield and give it everything I’ve got.”

In what might have been the best flyweight fight of the year, Benavidez solidified his spot as the top 125-pound fighter not named Demetrious Johnson with his split-decision win over Cejudo.

But the real winner, as far as overall progression went, was Cejudo.

Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist best known for his wrestling, brought his striking to another level, touching up Benavidez (25-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) more than any other fighter has done in a three-round UFC fight. Cejudo (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) showed a huge jump in his overall fight game, and though he’s now lost two in a row, it’s hard to see anyone usurping him as the third-best fighter in the division.

As commentator Brian Stann noted during the broadcast, Cejudo didn’t have much time to work with new coach Kirian Fitzgibbons ahead of this fight, but the progress they made was noticeable.

Henry Cejudo and Joseph Benavidez

A weird thing happened during the Benavidez and Cejudo fight. Referee Yves Lavigne warned Cejudo after a groin kick at the 1:14 mark of Round 1, and then, after he landed a second groin kick two minutes into the round, Lavigne deducted a point.

The result? A shocked look from Cejudo and a smattering of boos from the crowd.

The fact that Lavigne had the gumption to enforce the rules isn’t something to bemoan; it’s something to applaud. Too often referees, afraid they’ll influence the outcome of the fight or face criticism, are reluctant to do what their job description calls for, and that’s enforce those rules.

Jorge Masvidal was putting together one of the best performances of his career, using aggressive and accurate striking to hurt his opponent, Jake Ellenberger. Unfortunately, the fight ended early after Ellenberger (31-12 MMA, 10-8 UFC) got his toe caught in the cage, and referee Herb Dean paused the fight as Masvidal (31-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) rained down strikes on Ellenberger.

Dean, hoping that a time out for a cage malfunction could be called, conferred with cageside officials, but when that option was ruled out, Masvidal was awarded the TKO win.

After the welterweight contest, Masvidal said he knew the strange ending would detract from the win, and his hope was to get back to action as soon as possible.

After defeating Ion Cutelaba by decision, Jared Cannonier said his goal during the three-round slugfest was not to get hit. That plan didn’t work too well, and the fans and Cannonier’s pocket were thankful for that as the light-heavyweight sluggers won “Fight of the Night” bonus honors.

Cutelaba (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Cannonier (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) are relatively new to the UFC and have a lot of room to grow, but as they continue to develop, they’ll be worth keeping an eye on in the somewhat shallow division. It’s unlikely either of them will contend for UFC gold, but they could play the role of spoiler to other up-and-coming fighters.

Sara McMann started her women’s bantamweight fight against Alexis Davis with a nice display of striking, but instead of keeping the fight upright, she used her wrestling to take the fight to the mat, where she was on the receiving end of a fair amount of elbows from Davis (17-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC). The strikes led McMann (10-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) to say after the first round, “I can’t feel half my face. I’m taking her down.”

After another brief striking exchange, McMann did just that early in the second round. Once on the ground, McMann secured an arm-triangle choke, handing Davis her first career submission loss.

McMann didn’t strike that much during the fight, but when she did, she displayed powerful hands. If her coaches can develop her confidence in her striking, McMann’s chances of threatening the top fighters in the division will increase exponentially.

Brandon Moreno lost in the opening round of the “TUF 24” tournament. That loss might be the best thing that ever happened to him. Out of the mix on the reality show, the UFC recruited him as a late replacement to face Louis Smolka at UFC Fight Night 96. Moreno shocked Smolka that night, winning by first-round submission.

At the TUF 24 Finale, he proved that win wasn’t a fluke, and he defeated Ryan Benoit by split decision and extended his unbeaten streak to 10.

Moreno (13-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is incredibly aggressive and sometimes hittable and sloppy, and he got dropped in the second round by Benoit (9-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC), but at just 22, he has time and room to grow.

In a division desperate for new contenders, the UFC might be tempted to push Moreno, but he remains a work in progress, and he needs time to develop.

You either loved the featherweight fight between Ryan Hall and Gray Maynard, or you hated it.

The jiu-jitsu ace did his best to engage Maynard on the ground, and when that wasn’t successful, Hall (6-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) landed multiple kicks to Maynard’s (12-6-1 MMA, 10-6-1 UFC) face while avoiding almost every strike Maynard attempted.

After Hall’s decision win, many detractors took to social media to say they wouldn’t watch another Hall fight, but I’m not sure that’ll hold true. If the UFC decides to match up Hall with another striker, you can bet Hall’s haters will tune in to see if that fighter can solve the puzzle of Hall’s style.

After defeating Josh Neer to win the Victory FC middleweight title in January, Anthony Smith wore a baseball cap that said, “Call Me Dana.” If that message wasn’t clear enough, he also made the same request to UFC President Dana White during his post-fight interview.

Smith’s initial tenure with the UFC was brief, a 2013 first-round submission loss to Antonio Braga Neto.

The UFC gave Smith that second shot, and he’s now 2-1 since his return after earning a second-round TKO win over Elvis Mutapcic in a “Performance of the Night” bonus earning victory.

After a slow start, Smith opened up with his striking in the second round, using his reach to pick apart Mutapcic. After hurting Mutapcic (15-5-1 MMA, 0-2-1 UFC), Smith (26-12 MMA, 2-2 UFC) remained calm, keeping his opponent at distance, wearing him down with a nice mix of strikes, eventually ending things with a brutal elbow.

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.