Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

When Amir Sadollah walked into The Ultimate Fighter house for the first time, he’d never participated in a pro mixed martial arts match, a distinction that only four of the 16 housemates could claim.

Needless to say, the odds of getting through a series of fighters with more training and ring experience made it a long shot that Sadollah would make it to the finals.

But after a pair of impressive wins over former IFL fighter Gerald Harris and respected veteran Matt Brown, the former kickboxer found himself in the cage against the man considered the favorite.

From the day he walked into the house, most people drew a target on C.B. Dollaway's back. He was an All-American wrestler at Arizona State and considered one of the brightest prospects in the game.

And there they were in the semifinals, the rookie vs. the pedigree, with Sadollah struggling while Dollaway controlled the pace for most of the fight. But as the minutes wore on, Dollaway seemed to tire, until suddenly, Sadollah connected on an arm bar late in the third round, forcing Dollaway to tap and sealing his run to the finals.

With the win, it became the unlikeliest of journeys for a fighter who admittedly sometimes struggles with self-confidence.

“I can honestly say I never put any pressure on myself to make it to the finals,” Sadollah said. “The only pressure I put on myself was to do the best I could in the next fight coming up. Looking back at it, it’s a huge achievement and I’m proud of it, but at the time, I couldn’t bother myself thinking about four fights. I just had to think about the one next.”

Ironically, Sadollah, a 27-year-old from Virginia, will have to duplicate his semifinal feat and defeat Dollaway one more time in order to win The Ultimate Fighter contract. Jesse Taylor, the other fighter who earned a finals trip, was kicked off the show after a drunken rampage in a Las Vegas casino, and Dollaway and Tim Credeur faced off to replace him, with Dollaway winning a decision.

“This time, I get to go in knowing what kind of fighter he is,” Dolloway said. “He’s not going to give up. I’m probably going to have to fight him to the bitter end. I just have to be prepared for a 15-minute war.”

Dollaway went in to their first fight believing there was no way Sadollah could submit him, figuring a background as a standup fighter, Sadollah would be much more likely to catch him with his striking. Though Dollaway used more standup than usual in an attempt to diversify his offense, he felt the effects as the fight went into its final minutes.

“I was being sloppy,” he said. “The fight was at a pretty high pace. It was the first time I’d stood up and banged it out, so it was kind of a new experience for me. Fatigue was a factor.”

Meanwhile, Sadollah, who had shown great stamina in all his fights, continued looking for openings and submissions, and finally managed to trap his opponent’s arm in an arm bar.

When Dollaway tapped, the underdog exploded up from the canvas and ran around the cage in shock as his corners jumped in to celebrate with him.

Sadollah, who recently resigned from his job as a surgical technician to train full-time and is contemplating a move to Las Vegas to train with Xtreme Couture, said though he’s shown great resilience, he hopes to start faster in future fights.

Josh Hedges / Zuffa C.B. Dollaway was the favorite from the beginning, but needed a second chance to make it to the finals.

His methodical early pace is in some ways reminiscent of his TUF coach, Forrest Griffin, who has noted in the past that he seems to fight better after tasting his own blood.

“I hope I can start without getting hit,” Sadollah says. “But I do feel more comfortable as the fight goes on. But every fight is different. I try to be smart and not rush everything, but at the same time, you can’t be passive. You always got to roll with the other fight. It’s not my general gameplan to always lose the first two rounds.”

Doing so could prove more difficult for him this time around, with Dollaway having a better feel of what to expect. The Arizona State grad said working with UFC light-heavyweight champion Quintonn “Rampage” Jackson gave him more confidence in his standup game, but noted that it was difficult to stay focused as time went on and the eliminated fighters lost their motivation to train.

Dollaway didn’t blame the lack of focus for the loss, but notes the thrill of getting a second chance at the prize he coveted from the beginning.

“When I found out I had a second chance at the biggest opportunity of my life, it really wasn’t hard to get back in the groove,” he said.

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