It’s felt like a while since Bryce Mitchell scored a finish, let alone one via submission, but that happened at UFC Vegas 118. With less than 10 seconds left, “Thug Nasty” scored a submission victory over Santiago Luna.
While Luna attempted to take control early with his striking, Mitchell took over and just about dominated the first round with his grappling, controlling the action on the ground. Mitchell, in fact, spent most of the first two rounds on top, working Luna over with his positioning and preventing Luna from using his striking skillset.
Luna appeared to take control in the grappling department with a takedown in the third round. Mitchell, however, quickly found a way to reverse the position and get back to business. Eventually, he locked up an arm-triangle choke on Luna, forcing a submission with under 10 seconds remaining.
Bryce Mitchell Submits Santiago Luna At UFC Vegas 118
Mitchell has now won two straight — making him 2-0 at bantamweight — and three of his last four in the Octagon. This was Mitchell’s first finish since defeating Kron Gracie at UFC 310. This also marks his first submission win in the UFC since his twister of Matt Sayles in 2019.
This marks the first loss of Luna’s MMA career, entering this fight 8-0. He is now 2-1 in the UFC after scoring a finish of Quang Le and a decision over Angel Pacheco.