Court (The Crusher) McGee.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

LAS VEGAS -- Middleweight Court (The Crusher) McGee, who battled drug and alcohol abuse before taking up mixed martial arts, defeated Kris (Savage) McCray to win Season 11 of "The Ultimate Fighter" on Saturday night.

The 25-year-old from Orem, Utah, dominated the fight, finishing it in the second round with a rear naked choke. The victory earned McGee a UFC contract and gave Season 11 bragging rights to coach Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell over the team led first by Tito Ortiz, and then Rich Franklin.

"Congratulations, you are the Ultimate Fighter," UFC president Dana White said in handing McGee his trophy.

"I want to dedicate this fight to anyone who's struggling today," said an emotional McGee. "I love you all."

McGee (11-1) almost died in 2005 from a heroin overdose. He went to rehab on Sept. 9, 2005, and says he has been sober since April 16, 2006.

McGee, whose first name is short for Courtney, also dedicated the win to Liddell.

McGee took his opponent down three times in the first before McCray (6-1) rallied with some strikes late in the round. McGee mounted McCray in the second but couldn't take advantage. He dumped McCray again, cutting him in the process before he sunk in the choke at 3:41 of the round.

McGee joins a list of TUF winners that includes Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, Nate Diaz and Amir Sadollah.

Franklin was in McCray's corner while Liddell was in McGee's. Franklin knocked Liddell out in their meeting earlier this month at UFC 115 in Vancouver.

In the co-main event at the Palms, light-heavyweight Matt (The Hammer) Hamill rallied to win a majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28) over a bloody Keith (The Dean of Mean) Jardine.

A crisp-looking Jardine had the best of the first round and started the second well, scoring with punches and leg kicks. But the fight turned with less than two minutes remaining when Hamill caught Jardine with a head kick. Seconds later, referee Herb Dean deducted a point from Jardine for a poke in the eye.

Hamill came out swinging after the delay and Jardine got the worst of a wild exchange as the round ended.

Both men went to their corner bloody, with Jardine leaking more. Hamill used his wrestling in the third and Dean halted the fight briefly to look at Jardine's face -- which was bleeding from a slash over the nose and a cut below the left eye.

Jardine (14-9-1) had called the Hamill fight a "rebirth" -- but he instead left on his shield. He has now lost four fights in a row and five of his last six.

Meanwhile, Hamill (10-2) has won four straight, including a victory by disqualification last time out over highly touted 205-pounder Jon (Bones) Jones.

Jones was having his way with Hamill in December but was disqualified for an illegal downward elbow. Hamill suffered a separated shoulder during the bout.

Earlier, German lightweight Dennis Siver won a 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 decision over Spencer (The King) Fisher in a close fight that could have gone the other way. Some in the audience thought so, booing the decision.

Siver (16-7) suffered a nasty gash over the left eye in the first round after the two fighters banged heads. But he kept busy, throwing punches and kicks.

Fisher (24-6) has now dropped two straight, following a UFC 104 submission loss to Stevenson.

Veteran middleweight Chris (The Crippler) Leben handed Aaron (A-Train) Simpson his first loss, stopping the former NCAA all-American wrestler via TKO in the second round.

The 35-year-old Simpson (7-1) had won his four previous fights in the UFC -- three by knockout.

Simpson took Leben down twice in the first round but was warned by his corner after the round to stay off the cage and not get into a slugfest.

He ignored the advice and Leben, fighting off takedowns, hurt him with a left at the fence. A dazed Simpson was on the defensive after that and referee Josh Rosenthal stepped in at 4:17.

"That's what I do. I punch people in the face," the orange-haired Leben said.

Leben (20-6, including 10-5 in the UFC) was a cast member of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

Earlier in a battle of Season 11 alumni, middleweight Rich (The Raging Bull) Attonito pounded out a second-round TKO over Jamie (Chosyn-1) Yager. The first round belonged to Yager (2-2) but he ran out of steam in the second. Attonito (8-3) mounted Yager's back and swung away until referee Steve Mazzagatti stepped in at 4:25.

Attonito had scored two wins on the reality TV show but was forced to step aside because of a broken hand.

"I'm the happiest guy on the planet right now," he said Saturday night.

In other fights:

-- Lightweight John (Guns) Gunderson won a unanimous decision over Mark Holst.

-- Heavyweight Travis Browne stopped James McSweeney via TKO at 4:32 of the first round.

-- Middleweight Brad Tavares claimed a unanimous decision over Seth Baczynski in a matchup of Season 11 fighters.

-- Kyle Noke stopped fellow TUF 11 fighter Josh Bryant by TKO at 3:12 of the second round.

-- Chris Camozzi won a unanimous decision over James Hammortree in another Season 11 matchup.

McGree and McCray both made it to the Season 11 finale the hard way.

The 28-year-old McCray had five fights in the six-week filming schedule. After dispatching Cleburn Walker in just 15 seconds to make the final cast, McCray lost a unanimous decision to Bryant on Episode 5.

He got back into the game via the wild-card fight, submitting Kyacey Uscola before earning a decision over highly touted Noke, Liddell's first pick. He then beat Bryant in the semifinal.

McGee won a decision over Baczynski to crack the final cast but then lost a majority decision to Calgary's Nick (The Promise) Ring. He was thrown back into the action as a replacement for the injured Attonito and beat Hammortree and then Tavares.

White called McGee the dark horse of the season.