Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

Amir Sadollah was among the least known of The Ultimate Fighter’s season seven cast members.

He leaves it as the champ.

The mixed martial arts rookie beat pre-show favorite C.B. Dollaway for a second time – this one coming in the finals – to win a UFC contract and The Ultimate Fighter championship.

“I always wanted to hear those words but I tried not to let myself think about it. Now that I hear it, I like it,” he said after forcing Dollaway to tap out to an arm bar at 3:10 of the first round.

Dollaway, an All-American wrestler who had been unbeaten before entering TUF, controlled the early fight, scoring a quick takedown and grinding away with punches from the top. But Sadollah showed an active guard and continued to scramble for positioning or submission attempts, and three minutes in, he found his opening, popping his hips while extending Dollaway’s arm for an arm bar. Dollaway tapped only once and seemed as though he was reconsidering his submission, but referee Herb Dean immediately stepped in and called an end to the action, giving Sadollah the win.

Dollaway immediately protested the stoppage, but upon replays, there seemed to be no mistaking his intent to submit.

It was the second time Sadollah beat Dollaway, also catching him with an arm bar in the TUF semifinals. Dollaway received a second chance to make the finals when finalist Jesse Taylor was kicked off the show, and Dollaway defeated Tim Credeur in a one-fight playoff.

In the time since the show aired, Sadollah spent time training with Forrest Griffin at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, and has said he intends to make the gym his home, adding to their stable of champions.

Saturday night marked Evan Tanner’s 17^th match in the UFC, and it might have been his last time in the octagon, as Tanner dropped a second straight fight during his comeback, this time losing a split decision to Kendall Grove.

Grove controlled the standup with his marked reach advantage and was able to defend most of Tanner’s takedown attempts, often delivering elbows and knees from the clinch that bloodied the former UFC middleweight champ’s face.

By the third, Tanner was behind on two scorecards and needed a knockout, but the two spent most of the round working the clinch around the cage’s perimeter as Grove stayed out of harm’s way.

Grove snapped a two-fight losing streak in the process, earning the victory after a pair of TKO losses to Jorge Rivera and Patrick Cote.

Diego Sanchez continued on the comeback trail with his second straight win, scoring a third-round TKO over a game Luigi Fioravanti.

Sanchez showed improvement in his standup, with fast, accurate strikes while mixing in kicks to keep his opponent off-balance. For most of the fight, Fioravanti took everything Sanchez had to offer, escaping from several troublesome situations in an action-packed bout.

The end came near the end of the third round, when Sanchez caught Fioravanti with a head kick. Fioravanti staggered backwards and Sanchez followed with a flying knee that floored his opponent before finishing with ground and pound with just 53 seconds left in the bout. Sanchez moves to 19-2 with the victory.

In a middleweight contest between two TUF 7 alumni, Matt Riddle bested Dante Rivera by unanimous decision.

Riddle used a series of takedowns over the course of the 15-minute fight in controlling the action, and got the better of Rivera (10-3) when the pair were standing as well. Twice, the 22-year-old Riddle, who was making his pro debut, was able to earn full mount, but once he went for an armbar, allowing Rivera to slip away, and the second time, he was still in the dominant position as the fight came to an end. Still, it was a solid if not spectacular debut.

In a close lightweight fight, Spencer Fisher won a unanimous decision over Jeremy Stephens with scores of 29-28 across the board.

Fisher likely won the first two rounds, the first by controlling the positioning of the fight and the second by accumulated damage. Stephens had his moments, bloodying Fisher with an elbow from the top but was unable to finish his opponent despite several submission tries.

Prelim fight scrapped
A scheduled bout between Tim Credeur and Cale Yarbrough was canceled when Credeur tested positive for Adderall. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Credeur informed the commission beforehand that he had been taking the medication, and a test revealed he was still over the legal limit. The drug is commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, and is banned primarily because of cardiac danger during athletic competition. Credeur will not be disciplined since he informed the NSAC of his usage prior to his test.

Full Results
Rob Kimmons def. Rob Yundt via guillotine choke, Rd. 1
Dean Lister def. Jeremy Horn via guillotine choke, Rd. 1
Matt Brown def. Matt Arroya via TKO, Rd. 2
Drew McFedries def. Marvin Eastman via TKO, Rd. 1
Dustin Hazelett def. Josh Burkman via armbar, Rd. 2
Matt Riddle def. Dante Rivera via unanimous decision
Spencer Fisher def. Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision
Diego Sanchez def. Luigi Fioravanit via TKO, Rd. 3
Amir Sadollah def. C.B. Dollaway via arm bar, Rd. 1
Kendall Grove def. Evan Tanner via split decision

MORE FROM MMA

MMA Section Front

EliteXC champ Silva tests positive for steroids UFC 90 tickets fly as card begins to take shape   UFC rookie Jones makes big impression Couture's next time in the cage is set ... sort of   Gilbert Melendez: 'I am a Fighter' Fletcher happy for shot in the limelight Babalu to face Southworth at Strikeforce show B.J. Penn sets GSP in his crosshairs UFC 87: Seek & Destroy photo gallery St. Pierre routs Fitch in title match at UFC 87 MMA Section Front   Add MMA headlines to your news reader: