Kendall Grove of Maui earned a split-decision victory over Evan Tanner of Texas in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale mixed martial arts card tonight at Las Vegas.

Grove took control in the second round of the three-round bout with knees and elbows from the clinch, bloodying and battering Tanner. The judges scored it 30-26, 30-26, 28-29.

Grove, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3 reality television show, has a professional record of 11-5, but was coming off two knockout losses.

Tanner is 34-9, and is a former UFC middleweight world champion.

SADOLLAH WINS ULTIMATE FIGHTER 7

Middleweight Amir Sadollah beat C.B. Dollaway to win "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 7 finale with a first-round submission.

The two traded punches before Dollaway, a former All-America wrestler at Arizona State, took Sadollah down and started controlling him.

Sadollah (2-0) weathered the storm and eventually caught an arm, slapping on an armbar from below with a standing Dollaway straining to escape.

Dollaway (7-2) raised his arms in disbelief when referee Herb Dean stopped the fight 3:02 in. Dean mouthed "He tapped" and TV replays seemed to prove him right.