TUF 26 Finale results: Ryan Janes survives near finish, TKOs Andrew Sanchez in third

LAS VEGAS – In an early “Fight of the Night” contender, Ryan Janes (10-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) survived a vicious first-round assault from Andrew Sanchez (9-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) only to battle back and score his own third-round TKO.

The middleweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale event at Park Theater in Las Vegas. It aired on FS1 following an additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FS1.

While Janes pushed forward to start, it was Sanchez who stayed busiest on the feet, firing out big punches and landing a massive kick to the body. Sanchez followed with an easy takedown, but Janes popped quickly back to his feet. Sanchez showed little respect for his opponent’s striking, absorbing a few jabs for the opportunity to fire big counters. A huge right hand sent Janes to the floor, but he somehow crawled back to his feet amid a flurry of shots from his opponent. Sanchez continued to rifle off heavy shots that seemed destined to end the fight, but Janes refused to go away.

Sanchez had to pace himself a bit to avoid exhausting himself from constant punching, but he remained the one landing the heavier shots, slipping Janes’ attacks and landing powerful counters. Janes showed incredible resolve, always moving forward and pumping out a jab that did find its mark quite often. In fact, it seemed Janes was actually gaining momentum as the opening round came to a close on the feet.

Janes was again the aggressor to start the second, landing a nice knee inside and again popping out the jab. Sanchez eventually turned to his wrestling to take the fight to the floor, but Janes again just popped back to his feet with little resistance. Sanchez appeared to tire as the round wore on, and Janes seemed only to gain momentum in return. Sanchez still fired the bigger punches, but Janes began to overwhelm him with volume. An ill-timed Janes knee saw Sanchez get a takedown, but Janes again returned to his feet with no concern and continued his unlikely assault.

Sanchez looked for a takedown immediately to start the third but was unsuccessful. Visibly fatigued, another tired shot came shortly after. Janes had little trouble pushing him away and unleashing a barrage of blows that saw Sanchez cower against the cage until the fight was waved off, completing an epic comeback.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 26 Finale results include:

• Ryan Janes def. Andrew Sanchez via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:58
• Rachael Ostovich def. Karine Gevorgyan via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:40
• Shana Dobson def. Ariel Beck via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:53
• Gillian Robertson def. Emily Whitmire via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:12

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Ken Hathaway contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)