SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Ellsworth native Tim Sylvia kept his Ultimate Fighter Championship Heavyweight Championship belt with a five-round, 50-45 unanimous decision over Jeff Monson over the weekend.

Sylvia dominated the first two rounds but in the third Monson recorded a takedown when it appeared Sylvia was pulling away.

As the pace slowed in the fifth round, referee John McCarthy halted the bout 1:15 left to tell the competitors to pick up the action.

Monson became more aggressive, but Sylvia fended off his opponent and started scoring points again.