TUF 25 Finale results: James Krause sweeps gritty 'TUF' roommate Tom Gallicchio

In the opening moments of the fight Tom Gallicchio found himself exactly where he wanted to be, which was glued to James Krause’s back and looking for a choke.

It would prove to be his last good moment in the fight, as Krause (24-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) scrambled to his feet and then took control of the fight, battering a game but outmatched Gallicchio (19-10 MMA, 0-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision victory.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card for today’s UFC event, The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Gallicchio had his best opportunity right off the bat, when he caught a Krause leg kick and used it to seal an early takedown. When Krause attempted to scramble up, that gave Gallicchio the chance to take his back, which would prove to be the last moment of the fight when Krause wasn’t in complete control.

Because once Krause escaped to his feet, his superior striking almost immediately took over, hammering Gallicchio with with head kicks and straight punches as Gallicchio fired and came up short again and again.

It didn’t take long for Krause to bloody Gallicchio, smashing his nose and sticking him every time he took a forward step, but Gallicchio simply wouldn’t go away. Even in the final round, with Krause’s lead on the scorecards obvious to all, Gallicchio kept attacking, even when it meant eating a jumping knee from Krause in the final minute.

By the time it went to the scorecards, all three judges had it 30-27 for Krause.

“It’s tough,” Krause said. “There were four of us in the same room while we were in the (‘Ultimate Fighter’) house. I fought Ramsey (Nijem), who slept right above me; Jesse (Taylor), who slept across from me; and I fought Tom, who was in the top bunk. I got three out of the three that were in my room, so it was a little bit awkward. In 50-something fights, Tom is the first friend I’ve ever fought – and it was tough.

“Honestly, I was doing some tactics in the octagon. I was talking to him. I was kind of talking (expletive) to him, and I felt bad afterward. I know he’s a guy who thrives off the underdog thing, and I couldn’t let him into the UFC nicely. At this level, every advantage counts, so I did everything I could to make it a little harder on him. I’m going to talk to my coaches and my team about whether or not I’m going to stay at 170. That’s a big question right now.”

The win makes it three in a row in the UFC for Krause, who came up short in the semifinals of the “TUF 25” tournament. Gallicchio has now lost two straight.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 25 Finale results include:

• James Krause def. Tom Gallicchio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• C.B. Dollaway def. Ed Herman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
• Tecia Torres def. Juliana Lima via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 0:53
• Gray Maynard def. Teruto Ishihara via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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