Watch Luana Santos choke the mouthpiece out of Mariya Agapova at UFC Denver
Luana Santos predicted a finish and got it.
The Brazilian grappler told MMA Fighting that she sensed a submission win coming, and Santos achieved just that with a perfectly executed rear-naked choke in the first round of her fight with Mariya Agapova at UFC Denver on Saturday.
Watch the finishing sequence below, which had Agapova spitting out her mouthpiece as she tapped out.
SHE GETS THE FIRST ROUND SUBMISSION @LuanaSantosMMA1 makes it 5 in a row! #UFCDenver pic.twitter.com/QgVlxXsDDm
— UFC (@ufc) July 14, 2024
Santos showed off her judo with an impressive throw that brought the fight to the mat, where Agapova proved to be at a major disadvantage. After an arm-triangle choke attempt failed, Santos transitioned to take Agapova’s back where she wrapped up the fight-ending choke on her flailing opponent.
The official time of the stoppage was 3:27 into Round 1.
That’s five straight wins now for Santos (8-1), including a perfect 3-0 mark in the UFC. Santos made a successful return to the flyweight division after coming in over the bantamweight limit for her previous fight, an error she attributed to a rare disease.
Agapova (10-5) was returning from a lengthy 665-day layoff. She has now lost three straight fights and four of her past five.