Will Brooks watched his rival Eddie Alvarez make history last night, and tonight he started the next chapter in his hopeful journey.
The former Bellator Lightweight Champion Brooks (19-1) made his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale on Friday night, taking on longtime UFC lightweight Ross Pearson (19-11, 1 NC) as a late replacement. Pearson was originally scheduled to take on James Krause on the show before he was forced to withdraw.
Brooks' performance certainly left plenty to be desired, but was ultimately enough to take two of three rounds from Pearson. Brooks even looked like the employed the rope-a-dope technique against the former Ultimate Fighter winner. Brooks handled Pearson on the mat and delivered some solid punches after weathering the storm in which Pearson tried to uncork against the cage.
After the fight, Brooks called out new champion Alvarez, citing the fact that the two weren't able to fight during their time in Bellator MMA. Brooks announced his desire to take the newly-won crown away from Alvarez.
"Eddie Alvarez — hold onto that belt for a little bit," Brooks said. "You got away from me in the other organization. I'm here now, I want to take that."
The victory marked Brooks' ninth victory in a row. Pearson has alternated wins and losses four times in a row, and has went to decision five straight times.
You can check out our full coverage of The Ultimate FIghter 23 Finale at this link.
