Because sometimes an event comes along that is perfect for a liveblog on our unique platform we will be here covering Ultimate Chaos: Bob Sapp vs. Bobby Lashley starting with the PPV broadcast at 9:00pm ET.  So stop by and partake in the discussion during this unique MMA event.

Our one rule for tonight's event is this: DO NOT SHARE OR REQUEST ILLEGAL STREAMS!  I am not here to pass judgment on anyone for using a stream to watch the event but for liability reasons we can not allow sharing of illegal streams to happen on the site.  Any request for, or sharing of a stream will be met with a no questions asked ban.

With that said, get "cised" (as Luke would say) for what should be one of the more "interesting" events of the year.

The PPV broadcast has started!

Danny Abbadi vs. James Orso - Round 1 - This is a rematch of a fight Orso won by unanimous decision.  Some against the cage grappling and a low kick by Abbadi.  Orso with a nice right hand that lands flush.  Right hand by Orso and he follows behind into a double leg.  Danny has full guard.  Just a slow body attack on the ground by Orso.  Orso is able to posture up now and he lands a couple punches before standing up.  Orso dives right back into the guard.  The round ends and it was a boring 10-9 round for Orso.  Round 2 -High kick lands by Danny.  Some ugly striking and Orso gets a takedown into side control with a half-assed shot.  Abbadi has half guard and Orso lands an elbow to the back of the head.  Now as Abbadi moves up Orso tries to pull a guillotine but wasn't in a good position and Danny is able to get out.  This fight is...ugly.  They're back to standing and the round ends with Abbadi getting a takedown and laying on top.  10-9 Orso I guess.  Round 3 - Big right hand counter to a kick by Orso and Abbadi tries to say it didn't hurt him.  Orso with another attempt at a shot from his knees and Danny has a standing guillotine and he pulls guard.  It's a deep choke.  Orso survives and pops out.  Now Orso is just sitting on top delivering shots to the body while Abbadi sits with a closed guard presenting no threat.  Orso is trying to throw some shots as the fight ends and the announcers are really selling this fight as a gem (it wasn't).  10-9 Orso again for a 30-27 card.  Official Scorecards:  30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.  James Orso wins by unanimous decision.

John Harris vs. Brandon Harder - Round 1 -THey charge in and Harris lands some nice shots but gets a little too wild and Harder is able to clinch with him.  Harris is pumping the right hand and landing often.  Harder with a takedown attempt and Harris avoids.  Harder finally gets the takedown by Harris is able to stand back up. Harris with some more solid strikes and some knees from the clinch.  Now a big right by Harder and this is entertaining but REALLY ugly.  Flurry by Harder and Harris is buzzed (and gassed).  Harder is landing at will now and Harris is gassed and running around.  Now Harris with more knees from the clinch that land solid.  Takedown by Harris and Harder has a deep guillotine with an arm in.  Harris gets his head free. Harris with some huge shots from the top and then gets sloppy and Harder takes his back as the round ends.  10-9 Harris.  Ugly as hell but a blast to watch.  Round 2- Harder with a quick takedown.  Harris goes for an armbar but Harder gets out, they stand and Harris gets the takedown.  Harris gains full mount and is landing some shots from the top.  Clean elbows from the top by Harris now.  Harris has been on top for over a minute landing shots but gets sloppy and Harder escapes and gains a full mount of his own. Harder landing big shots now.  Sloppy blocking byt Harris and Harder grabs an arm triangle and Harris has to tap out.  Brandon Harder wins by submission (arm triangle), round 2.

Tom Atencio vs. Randy Hedderick - Round 1 - Low kicks by Hedderick and Atencio throws punches to close the distance and has Randy pushed against the cage.  Big shots by Hedderick and Atencio is down!  Tom stands back up though.  Big shots by Randy again and Atencio is surviving and pushes Randy against the cage.  They separate and Tom is fully alert.  Low kick knocks Randy down but they're still standing.  Low kick as Atencio is throwing a spinning backfist and he is dropped.  Hedderick is in side control but Atencio gets to his knees and then stands up.  Atencio is landing punches but Randy doesn't even bother putting his hands up as he isn't getting hurt.  10-9 Hedderick. Round 2 -They're both throwing early here and now Atencio pushes him up against the cage and they're talking and laughing against the cage.  The ref separates them and Tom lands a leg kick.  High kick by Hedderick and Atencio catches it and sweeps the other leg.  Lands a few shots but Hedderick stands back up. Hedderick throwing bombs against and Atencio throwing leg kicks and landing a right of his own.  Takedown attempt by Randy and Tom sprawls.  Now Atencio has Randy's back and is landing shots to the body.  Tom tries to take the back and doesn't get his hooks in so he ends up on bottom.  Back to standing and Atencio takes his back standing and takes him down.  Hedderick is bleeding from the nose badly.  Big shots by Atencio as the round ends.  10-9 Atencio to even it up on my card.  Round 3- The fight is stopped prior to the start of the third round.  It looks like Hedderick may have a broken nose.  Tom Atencio wins by TKO (corner stoppage).

Brett Cooper vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf - Round 1- Not a ton of action early.  Cooper landing a few low kicks now.  Spiritwolf with a charge forward and they're locked up against the cage.  left hand by Spiritwolf and a right hand counter by Cooper.  Right hand lands for Waachiim now.  Huge right hand by Spiritwolf and Cooper is OUT COLD!  A few more shots for good measure and it's all over.  Cooper is up and stumbling around the cage.  Yikes, big KO.  Waachiim Spiritwolf wins by KO, round 1.

Chris Horodecki vs. William Sriyapai - Round 1 -Low kick by Sriyapai early.  Right hand by Horodecki and he gets behind and takes Sriyapai down.  Chris gets his hooks in and is working for the rear naked choke.  Chris still working strikes from the back and occasionally working for the choke.  Finally Horodecki is able to get the arm under the chin and Sriyapai has to tap out.  Chris Horodecki wins by submission (rear naked choke), round 1.

Mark Kergosien vs. Javier Vazquez - Round 1 - Vazquez grabs a quick guillotine,rolls to on top and Kergosien has to tap out.  That...was quick.  Real shame Din Thomas didn't make weight.  Javier Vazquez wins by submission (guillotine choke), round 1.

Colin Mckee vs. Lance Thompson - Round 1 -Takedown by Mckee but Thompson is able to stand back up with ease.  Finally Mckee gets the takedown and has back control but Thompson gets up and is on top.  Armbar attempt by Colin and Thompson passes to side control but Mckee stands up. Attempt to pull a guillotine by Mckee but he ends up on bottom.  Thompson tries to throw some shots but they stand up.  Now takedown by Mckee and he has the back.  Strikes by Colin and it looks like Thompson tapped out.  Colin Mckee wins by submission (strikes), round 1.

Gilbert Yvel vs. Pedro Rizzo- Round 1 -Yvel with a high kick early but it doesn't land.  Another kick attempt and Rizzo catches it and sweeps him down.  Rizzo is on top in Yvel's guard now.  Elbows by Rizzo are landing now.  Back to standing and big high kick by Yvel.  Rizzo drops and Yvel lands a flurry of HUGE shots on the prone Rizzo. YIKES!  Rizzo is in bad shape on the mat.  Yvel asks the crowd to be quiet while he checks on Rizzo.  Pedro is on the ground just kind of rolling around as they try and keep him still.  Scary stuff.  Gilbert Yvel wins by KO, round 1.

Bobby Lashley vs. Bob Sapp - Round 1 - Heeere we go.  Let's see what happens.  Lashley with an immediate shot and into Sapp's half guard.  Lashley is throwing big shots now.  Sapp with a shin across chest from the bottom to defend.  Lashley is still landing shots and Sapp is defending somewhat decently.  The crowd is booing and now Lashley is throwing bombs again and Sapp taps out.  Okay then...Bobby Lashley wins by submission (strikes), round 1.

Per MMAWeekly:

MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS

-Diego Sanchez $90,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus) def. Clay Guida $23,000 (win bonus would have been $23,000)
*Sanchez and Guida each earned an additional $25,000 for Fight of the Night

 

MAIN CARD FIGHTERS

-James Wilks $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. DaMarques Johnson $8,000 (win bonus would have been $8,000)

-Chris Lytle $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus) def. Kevin Burns $9,000 (win bonus would have been $9,000)
*Lytle and Burns each earned an additional $25,000 for Fight of the Night

-Ross Pearson $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Andre Winner $8,000 (win bonus would have been $8,000)

-Joe Stevenson $70,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus) def. Nate Diaz $20,000 (win bonus would have been $20,000)
*Stevenson and Diaz each earned an additional $25,000 for Fight of the Night

 

PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS

-Melvin Guillard $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Gleison Tibau $17,000 (win bonus would have been $17,000)

-Brad Blackburn $18,000 (includes $9,000 win bonus) def. Edgar Garcia $5,000 (win bonus would have been $5,000)

-Tomasz Drwal $15,600 (includes $7,000 win bonus) def. Mike Ciesnoleviscz $6,400 (win bonus would have been $8,000)
*Ciesnoleviscz had to give 20% of his show money or $1,600 to Drwal for failing to make weight, which is reflected in the amounts here.

-Nick Osipczak $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Frank Lester $8,000 (win bonus would have been $8,000)

-Jason Dent $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Cameron Dollar $8,000 (win bonus would have been $8,000)


ULTIMATE FIGHTER 9 FINALE DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $430,000
*Disclosed Payroll Does Not Include Bonuses

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale coverage

In a fight that will rank with the best in UFC history, Diego Sanchez took a controversial split decision over Clay Guida.

The rare free TV bout with real title picture implications saw former TUF winner Diego Sanchez faced Clay Guida, a fighter on a three fight winning streak against TUF winners.  Both men came into the match with reputations for intensity, conditioning and relentlessness.  From the moment of the stare-down it was clear this would be an intense match. But few could have imagined just how intense the fight would be.

Diego Sanchez charged across the ring and immediately battered Guida with punches. The smaller man tried to fire back, but his punches were missing and Sanchez' was connecting again and again. A bloodied Guida responded by getting a double leg takedown, landing in Sanchez' full guard. After bloodying Sanchez' nose, Guida lost control of the position and they were back on their feet. Sanchez immediately renewed the beating, scoring with a high kick that dropped Guida. Guida bravely fought back, but took more punishement before Sanchez got a takedown.

In the second, Guida quickly shot in and got top position. Sanchez fired off elbows from the bottom while Guida worked to score from the top. Guida evaded a kimura attempt before managing to drive Sanchez into the fence and unleashing some ground and pound. The crowd chanted GUIDA GUIDA to show their support for the valiant underdog. Sanchez renewed his elbows from the back and seemed to score. Guida answered with punches from the top while Diego went for an arm bar. Sanchez was covered with blood at the end of the round. Guida was the likely source.

Going into the third round, the announcers said it was likely tied one round each. Guida scored the first clean punch as Sanchez seemed reluctant to blitz in for fear of being taken down. The crowd continued to cheer GUIDA GUIDA even as Sanchez landed a mean uppercut. Guida began to score on the feet, but Sanchez was scoring more. A missed shot by Guida resulted in Sanchez getting Guida's back. As Diego worked for an arm triangle choke, Guida go top position. Sanchez immediately went for a kimura but time was running down as the fighters struggled and Sanchez went for an arm bar only to allow Guida to escape and end the fight scoring with punches from the top.

[UPDATE] by Nick Thomas - From Dana's Twitter:

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale coverage

As with every major show, Bloodyelbow.com will be here to bring you live results and commentary for The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale. The live blog will start with the beginning of the Spike broadcast (9pm ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

As always we have our one rule: NO SPOILERS! In the interest of not ruining anything from the undercard that may make the broadcast we ask that you do not discuss the results of the undercard in the comments until either the broadcast ends or the fight makes the air.

So again, join us for the show and share your thoughts as the event unfolds.

The broadcast is live...so here we go.

Nate Diaz vs. Joe Stevenson - Round 1 - Joe with a quick takedown and Diaz with a tight guillotine but Joe gets out.  Joe is stacking him up and Landing some punches to the face.  A couple elbows by Joe now.  This is the strategy we need to see from Joe, just get on top and go to work.  Back crucifix position by Stevenson.  Stevenson rolls and is hammering Nate with punches.  Diaz turns and gets on top.  Stevenson locks in his trademark guillotine deep.  Joe rolls him and ends up on top and Nate gets out which is amazing because that was deep.  Nate stands up and is caught by Joe who lands some solid knees and Nate has to go down to 3 points to avoid the knees and so Stevenson works the body.  ROund ends and it was 10-9 Stevenson.  Round 2 - Stevenson with a quick takedown and Nate with a guillotine attempt again but he can't finish it.  Side control now but Joe scrables and gets to his feet.  Joe is kneeing to the legs now and Nate has to stand up.  Takedown by Joe into side control and he is absolutely dominating.  Now Nate gets half guard back.  Full guard and Stevenson lands some shots.  They're back to standing and Joe has him pressed against the cage.  Takedown again into half guard.  Joe postures up and lands some nice shots.  The round ends and it was another clear Stevenson round 10-9.  Round 3 - Diaz won't touch hands to start the final round (just like the first round).  Joe with a takedown again.  Nate with a takedown when they stand back up and Nate is trying to get on top but Joe is fighting him.  Finally Joe gets full guard and Nate pushes him to the fence.  Nate throws some punches and then trys to get side control and then goes for a guillotine but can't finish.  Now they stand up and Joe is landing knees to Nate who has 3 points down.  Nate says "come on get to work bitch" and Joe says "get off your knee" and then Joe lands a strike again.  They separate and there is a minute left.  Failed takedown by nate. Right hand lands for Stevenson.  The round ends and it was probably a 10-9 Diaz round to make it 29-28 Stevenson on my card.  Official scorecards: 29-28 across the board.  Joe Stevenson wins by unanimous decision.

Andre Winner vs. Ross Pearson - Round 1 - Right hand by Pearson.  Leg kick from Winner and now counter shots from Ross.  Winner presses him against the cage.  Knees to the body by both men.  USA chant by the crowd...which is lame.  Pearson now has Winner against the fence and was looking for a takedown.  Short elbow by Andre and then they exchange knees to the body.  Knee to the body by Winner and it lands square to Pearson's cup so the action is briefly stopped.  They start it up again and both men land some punches in a good exchange.  Winner lands some nice knees and punches to close the round and that should win it for him.  10-9 Winner.  Round 2 - Leg kick by Pearson.  Right hand by Ross now lands solid.  Knees by Pearson now and he is turning up the heat.  Winner now has Pearson pressed against the fence.  Hard fight to write about as it is all small movements with guys pushed against the cage.  Winner keeps him pushed against the cage and finally they separate.  Head kick by Pearson is blocked.  Right hand by Pearson and a knee to the body.  The round ends with a Winner flurry but I think Pearson tied it up with a 10-9 round.  Round 3 -  Pearson now has Winner pushed against the cage and lands a short uppercut.  More uppercuts by Pearson who is trying to muscle out the round.  WInner is able to turn though  and they have distance.  Punch scores for Winner and now both men land hooks.  Winner can't get a takedown and again has Pearson pressed against the cage.  Body shot by Pearson and now Winner pushes him right back against the cage.  Winner still has him against the cage and lands a few shots.  Pearson now turns and almost gets a takedown but can't quite finish.  Pearson with a few nice elbows and now a few punches.  Now Winner with a few punches.  Hard jab by Pearson and now Winner is throwing back.  Thirty seconds left.  FIght ends with both guys flurrying and a nice knee and elbow by Pearson and Winner is bleeding as we await the decision.  10-9 Pearson gives him the 29-28 win on my card.  Official Scorecards: 29-28 across the board.  Ross Pearson wins by unanimous decision.

Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns - Round 1 - They're slugging to start out.  RIght hand lands for Lytle and Burns is landing leg kicks now.  Good to see Burns isn't gunshy after the big KO in his last fight.  Right hand by Lytle now.  A lot of strikes being thrown now.  Nice shot by Burns lands and Lytle is just a bit too wild now.  Right hand by Chris lands hard.  Body kick by Burns lands and now a low kick.  Right hand by Burns now and he's starting to take over the round by being calm and picking shots rather than Lytle just winging power.  Burns lands a big power shot and Lytle's legs buckle and a few more punches force Chris to shoot in.  Elbow by Burns and now some BIG shots and Lytle is getting stung badly.  The round ends and saves Lytle.  10-9 Burns easy.  Round 2- Lytle still looks a little wobbly.  Big RIght by Lytle and Burns is hurt!  Now Burns is unloading again.  Burns with a takedown into half guard now but Lytle stands right back up.  Body shot by Lytle and a right hand and Burns is gassing a little and looks like he is folding under the power of Chris.  Big body shots by Lytle now.  Chris just keeps going to the body and it is paying off big time.  Low kick by Burns again.  They restart and Lytle keeps working the body and power shots.  Knee lands to Chris' cup and they stop again.  The round ends with both guys throwing but Lytle won it easy 10-9  Round 3 - Lytle catches a kick and lands a big counter punch that has Burns bleeding badly.  Body shot lands for Lytle and then a return body shot by Burns.  Superman punch from Burns misses.  Right hand lands by Lytle now.  Right hand by Lytle stumbles Burns a little.  Good left hook by Lytle.  Burns is firing back but he's just losing the fight ever since the bell saved Lytle in the first.  Big shots by Lytle.  Burns still throwing kicks.  Head kick misses for Burns.  Lytle with a jab and right hand.  The fight ends and I had it 29-28 Lytle.  Official Scorecards:  29-28 across the board.  Chris Lytle wins by unanimous decision.

James Wilks vs. Damarques Johnson - Round 1 -Right left combo by Wilks lands hard and now some knees from the clinch. Johnson with a right hand. Big three punch combo by Wilks and some knees from the clinch.  Now Johnson responds with big shots.  Johnson tries for a takedown and Wilks reverses to get on top in Johnson's guard.  Wilks sits into a heel hook and now is on bottom eating elbows.  USA chants ringing out.  Wilks locks a deep triangle and is .landing elbows.  Johnson gets out and goes into an omoplata which is deep.  Johnson gets out but now has his back taken standing.  Trip takedown and Wilks looking for the rear naked choke.  With 10 seconds left Johnson has to tap out!  Wilks looked like a beast!  WOW!  James Wilks wins by submission (rear naked choke), round 1.

Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez - Round 1 - Diego runs across and is throwing big shots.  Clay is firing back.  This is nuts!  Guda is hurt.  It's just 30 seconds of insane action.  Diego is jus going and going and now Guida with a double leg into Diego's guard.  Diego is moving his hips and controling Guida's wrist looking for an armbar.  Clay with some elbows now.  Diego stands up and they're banging again.  Clay has had his mouthpiece out for most of the round and they put it back in.  Clay's nose is looking like it is broken.  High kick by Sanchez and Guida goes down but he gets up and is still coming forward.  Flying knee by Diego.  Right hand landed for Clay.  Diego is throwing BOMBS!  SIngle leg attempt by Diego and he cant finish but he gets him down with a trip.  Diego in half guard.  They stand back up and the round ends 10-9 Diego.  That was INSANE!  Round 2 - Clay with the takedown early here.  Elbows from Clay now.  Diego trying to get his feet on the hips and create space to either stand up or maybe get his hips moving for an armbar.  Guida throwing some ground and pound elbows and punches.  Big Guida chants through the building.  Elbows from the bottom by Diego now and he is going nuts.  More and more elbows from Diego and i think Clay is bleeding from the top of his head.  The round ends and it could go either way.  I'm going to go Clay 10-9 to even it up.  Round 3 - Clay landing a good shot in the opening seconds.  Diego slips and Clay charges forward.  Head kick from Diego misses.  Uppercut by Diego and he defends a takedown.  Guida is spending too much time striking here and not working for takedowns.  Right hand by Clay lands solid.  Right hand counter by Clay again.  A few more right hand counters.  Clay shoots and Diego takes his back as he slips.  Diego tries to lock in an arm triangle but ends up on bottom.  Clay defending a kimura now.  Thirty seconds left and I have Clay winning this fight through the counterpunches this round.  Big shots as it ends by Guida and I gave it to him 10-9 and I actually have Clay Guida winning 29-28.  What a GREAT fight.  I mean GREAT!  Official Scorecards: 29-28 Guida, 29-27 Sanchez, 29-28 Sanchez.  Diego Sanchez wins by split decision.  No possible bad decision there.  It could have reasonably been a Guida, Sanchez or Draw card and it was fair.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale coverage

Going into tonight's TUF 9 Finale, DaMarques Johnson was the only American fighter still in the hunt to win The Ultimate Fighter honors. Brit James Wilks was fighting for a shut out of Dan Henderson's Team USA.

Johnson's hopes of getting the win for his coach and country went unfulfilled as the British fighter outclassed him in a very one sided fight. Wilks dominated every aspect of the bout: striking at a distance, striking in the clinch, takedowns, scrambles, and ultimately submissions.

James Wilks is the welterweight Ultimate Fighter for season 9.

Wilks came out quick, landing shots and hurting his American opponent before closing in and firing with knees. Wilks made a questionable decision to drop back for a heel hook, allowing Johnson to get top position. Wilks then transitioned to a calf slicer, but lost the hold and gave up top position again. That didn't phase Wilks as he quickly attempted a triangle, then an armbar and ultimately reversed position with an omaplata. Announcer Joe Rogan declared that "Wilks is throwing a beating here." Shortly before Wilks took Johnson's back and locked in a rear naked choke with only seconds left in the first round.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale coverage

He started a little slow, but by the end of the fight, UFC veteran Chris Lytle had taught a painful lesson to Kevin Burns and announcer Joe Rogan was predicting Lytle had earned another Fight of the Night bonus.

It was the battle of the complimentary nicknames as Chris "the Fireman" Lytle took on Kevin "the Fire" Burns at the TUF 9 Finale. Lytle, a popular UFC veteran with a reputation for looking to get the Fight of the Night bonus every time out, came out swinging. Burns used his length to fire kicks and stymie Lytle early. Burns then tagged Lytle with a right punch as Lytle swung wildly. In the final minute, after Lytle recuperated from a groin kick, Burns dropped Lytle with a punch but wasn't able to finish the veteran despite battering him until the bell rang.

Lytle came out firing to open the second round and stunned Burns briefly. Burns shot in and got top position briefly, but the fight quickly returned to the feet. Lytle scored to the body repeatedly as Burns seemed to fade a bit from the pace he maintained in the first. Another kick to the groin got Burns a warning from referee Herb Dean. As the final minute of the round faded, Lytle was wearing down Burns when he ate another groin shot. Dean didn't deduct a point.

Lytle came out firing in the final round and opened up a big cut on Burns' head and continued to work shots to the body. Lytle staggered Burns with a big right around the 2:30 mark and continued to stalk Burns thereafter.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale coverage

All three judges agreed that Ross Pearson beat Andre Winner in a very close fight to be named the 9th Ultimate Fighter winner.

The two good friends and former teammates faced off to be the Season 9 The Ultimate Fighter lightweight winner. Both men put friendship aside and fought to win.

The first round was dominated by a fairly ugly stalemate against the cage, with Winner mostly forcing Pearson's back against the cage. Many knees were exchanged before Pearson complained of a groin shot that Joe Rogan questioned. After the breather, both men came out firing in the dirty boxing range before finding their way back to the clinch against the fence. Winner ended the round with a flurry of punches.

In the second, they fought at a distance, with Pearson scoring with leg kicks before clinching up to throw knees. The stalemate resumed after Winner fended off a single-leg takedown attempt from Pearson. After Winner dominated position against the fence, Pearson tried to answer with a flurry when they briefly returned to the center of the cage.

Pearson's corner sent their fighter out in the third round telling him he was behind. Winner's corner reassured their man that he was ahead on the judges cards.  They traded shots in the center of the ring before returning to the stalemate against the fence. The announcers speculated that Winner was fading as the round continued but Pearson still wasn't able to get Winner to the ground. In the last minute of the fight, some dramatic punching exchanges enlivened the fight with both men putting their all into it to the end. Ross Pearson hurt Andre Winner with the final shot as the bell rang and climbed atop the cage to celebrate even before the judges cards were read.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale coverage