Diego Brandao wins ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ with BJJ skills

Yahoo! Sports

Sat Dec 03 10:08pm EST

Diego Brandao wins ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ with BJJ skills

Though he showed knockout power over the course of the 14th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Diego Brandao won the season with submission prowess. He beat Dennis Bermudez with a first-round armbar.

Diego Brandao wins ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ with BJJ skills The featherweights came out winging punches, but it was Bermudez who got the advantage early, ducking from Brandao's punch, then taking him down and landing a huge ground shot before Brandao got back to his feet. Bermudez did not back down, but was knocked down by a Brandao punch three minutes in. Somehow, Bermudez survived and landed big strikes of his own. Brandao landed a flying knee, then tried to control Bermudez on the ground. Bermudez got back to his feet, narrowly avoiding a Brandao kick.

The fight took a turn in the final minute. Bermudez showed power of his own, knocking down Brandao late in the round with a short right. Bermudez threw punch after punch, and looked close to finishing the fight. Brandao avoided Bermudez's strikes, then grabbed on to Bermudez's arm. Brandao threw his legs over to secure a fast, perfect arm bar, and Bermudez tapped at 4:51 in the first round.

With that tap, Brandao won a six-figure contract with the UFC. The Brazilian who calls Wanderlei Silva his hero is looking forward to using his money to buy his mother a home in Brazil.