For the seventh time in UFC history, Ultimate Fighter winners faced off and TUF: The Smashes winner Robert Whittaker defeated TUF 16 winner Colton Smith by TKO in the third round.
Whittaker opened up by having his left hand low and looked for an uppercut but the punched missed. Smith came forward looking for a takedown but Whittaker landed a punch that stopped a potential takedown.
Whittaker continued to hold his left hand low and looking for a potential knockout. Smith circled to the left hand of Whittaker and struggled to get his offense going. Whittaker continued to throw his jab but Smith started to come towards him.
Smith landed a right hand that had Whittaker on his heels and dropped him with another punch. While on the ground, Smith went for a kimura submission but Whittaker was able to escape the submission and the fight moved to the second round.
At the start of the second round, Whittaker landed a right hand that had Smith on his heels. He went on the attack but Smith was able to scramble and recover. Smith was able to land several right hands that connected to the face of Whittaker. Smith timed a punch of Whittaker’s to attempt a takedown but the attempt was unsuccessful.
During an exchange of strikes, Smith landed a knee to the groin of Whittaker and the fight was paused for a moment. Whittaker would be able to continue and they continued to have a kick boxing bout. Whittaker landed several big punches in the final 30 seconds of the round and rocked Smith before the round came to a close.
The final round opened with Whittaker continuing to land combinations and then landed a left hook that dropped Smith. Whittaker quickly jumped on Smith and landed several punches before the referee came in to stop the fight.
UFC 160 Results:
Robert Whittaker def. Colton Smith via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, :41
Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27. 30-27)
Stephen Thompson def. Nah-Shon Burrell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
George Roop def. Brian Bowles via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:43
Jeremy Stephens def. Estevan Payan via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)