The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Fight Night 20, broadcast live last night on Spike from Fairfax, Va., showcased a couple of amazing come-from-behind victories and a lackluster main event that had the crowd booing.

The first fight broadcast featured crowd-favorite and The Ultimate Fighter reality show winner Amir Sadollah (3-1-0) versus hard-hitting Brad “Bad” Blackburn in a welterweight bout. Sadollah won a unanimous decision victory over Blackburn, but neither fighter really looked that great. Both seemed slow and neither was able to muster enough power to get a stoppage.

In the first round, Sadollah got Blackburn to the ground and had the chance to do some serious damage, but instead of capitalizing on a side-control position he made an amateurish attempt to get a full mount, which resulted in him losing position. Sadollah controlled more of the fight and landed more strikes. He was the clear winner, so the decision was fair, but the fight itself was not inspirational in the least.

Fortunately, the next broadcast fight, a middleweight between Aaron “A-Train” Simpson (6-0-0) and Tom “The Filthy Mauler” Lawlor (6-1-0), was much more exciting. Simpson has a background as a successful slugger, and Lawlor has proven himself as an accomplished submission specialist. Both fighters have distinguished backgrounds as All-American collegiate wrestlers.

Lawlor surprised everyone by standing and slugging with Simpson, and actually getting the better of his in the first round. Lawlor landed a series of very heavy punches that had Simpson badly hurt. Simpson could barely stand, and Lawlor could have finished it by taking Simpson down and landing just one or two more good punches. Instead, he backed off and allowed Simpson to recover until the round ended.

The second round was much more even, with both fighters landing good shots, and neither dominating. In the third round, Simpson put on the pressure and had his best round of the fight. After basically being out on his feet in the first round, Simpson came back and won a split decision. If I were Lawlor, I’d be kicking myself in the ass repeatedly right now. The fight was his in the first round, and he just gave it away.

The third broadcast fight also featured a surprise victory, this time in a lightweight contest. Evan Dunham (10-0-0) survived getting his ass kicked in the first round and kept his pristine record intact as he put the first blemish on the record of Ultimate Fighter reality show winner Efrain Escudero (12-1-0). Escudero beat up Dunham in the first round, landing some heavy shots and grounding and pounding him, but he couldn’t finish him.

Dunham came on strong in the second round. He got Escudero to the ground and dominated him there. The grappling continued into the third round until Dunham caught Escudero in the armbar. Escudero waited too long to tap, and it looked like his arm may have broken or been badly damaged.

The final broadcast fight of the night was the main event between Gray “The Bully” Maynard (9-0-0) and Nate Diaz (11-5-0). Diaz had submitted Gray when they were both contestants on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, and Gray was looking for payback.

Gray’s strategy was to stand and strike, and he hoped to knock Diaz out. For his part, Diaz undoubtedly wanted to take the fight to the ground where he could use his long limbs and apply his outstanding submission skills. Neither fighter was successful.

Gray landed the harder strikes throughout, but he didn’t land any that did enough damage to ever really threaten Diaz. For his part, Diaz continuously peppered Maynard with jabs and light hooks. Each time Diaz closed the distance and clinched, Maynard was able to shrug him off.

The crowd was not happy with the fight, and neither were the fighters. By the third round, they were egging each other on, each trying to get the other to stop fighting so cautiously and to engage. Neither fighter obliged. When all was said and done, Gray was awarded a split decision, ostensibly for landing the harder shots and for his ability to dictate where the fight would take place.

I must confess I was disappointed not only with the fight, but also with the outcome. I don’t like Gray Maynard. He is utterly humorless, with all the personality of a Styrofoam cup. For me, there’s nothing inspiring or admirable about him. He’s just a meathead jock who likes to beat people up.

On the other hand, I do like Diaz. I grew to like him when he was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, and I’ve liked him since. Though I’m generally not a fan of thuggishness, I find Diaz’s brand of street style more charming than anything. I love his high-pitched, reedy voice and slight lisp. I love his earnestness. I think he’s a great fighter with a lot of heart. I also like his brother Nick Diaz a lot.

If Nate can continue to grow as a fighter, sharpening his striking skills to make maximum use of his long reach and increasing his power, he’ll truly be a force to contend with at 155 pounds.

As for Maynard, I don’t think he yet deserves a title shot, which is what the UFC commentators were saying. Before he gets that, I’d like to see him deal with getting bullied by the likes of Joe Stevenson, Sean Sherk and Clay Guida. If he can get past them, then maybe he deserves a go at B.J. Penn.

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