UFC on FUEL TV: Outcome & Highlights

Jake Ellenberger won over Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision, 29-28, Wednesday night at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska, in the final bout of the main card of UFC on FUEL TV 1.

It was an excitingly close fight between the two welterweight contenders. Ellenberger was ahead in the judges’ score cards for the first two rounds but Sanchez towards the closing minutes of Round 3 nearly pulled off an upset. With about two minutes left in the fight, he caught the tiring Ellenberger with a left body kick followed by a jarring left straight and then several hammers. The veteran Ellenberger however was wily enough to wiggle and squeeze away from his bad position to keep from being finished off by Sanchez. At the end of the round, the judges ruled that he had done enough to win the fight.

About the last minute rally of Sanchez, Ellenberger said, “Diego’s known for that, he’s the toughest guy I ever fought, but he’s a true warrior. No matter what he’s in there every minute of the fight. It’s an honor to fight him, it really is.”

His win could get him a shot at a rematch with Carlos Condit, who is now UFC interim welterweight champion. Condit gave him his first and only career defeat. He demurred though from calling out a challenge saying, “That’s up to the UFC.”

The Ellenberger vs. Sanchez bout won UFC’s ‘Fight of the Night’ award. The two fighters will each receive $ 50,000 bonus on top of their guaranteed fight purse fot their outstanding performance.

The ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus went to Croatian heavyweight Stipe Miocic who put Philip De Fries out at 0:43 of the first round through a straight followed by a barrage of punches.

Bantamweight Ivan Menjivar got the ‘Submission of the Night’ award for his rear-naked choke on John Albert at 3:45 of Round 1.

Here are the complete fight results for UFC on FUEL TV 1:

Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger

Ellenberger defeated Sanchez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Stefan Struve vs. Dave Herman

Struve defeated Herman by technical knockout (punches) at of the second round.

Aaron Simpson vs. Ronny Markes

Markes defeated Simpson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Stipe Miocic vs. Philip De Fries

Miocic defeated De Fries by knockout (punches) at 0:43 of the first round.

T.J. Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson

Dillashaw defeated Watson by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26).