LONDON – An accidental headbutt led to the fight-ending sequence for Joel Alvarez.
After a back-and-forth first round on the feet, Alvarez (20-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Marc Diakiese (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) hit the mat in Round 2. However, with less than a minute left in the round, Alvarez capitalized on an accidental clash of heads by moving in for the kill. Diakiese was visibly hurt, and couldn’t fend off Alvarez’s D’Arce choke which came at the 4:26 mark of Round 2 Saturday at The O2.
Check out the replay of Alvarez’s finish below (via Twitter):
Joel Alvarez gets his 17th submission win of his career 💪 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/xkpNg5kxFk
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 22, 2023
Alvarez returned to the win column after seeing his four-fight winning streak snapped by Arman Tsarukyan in his past outing. 17 of the Spanish fighter’s 20 professional wins have come by submission.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 224 results include:
- Joel Alvarez def. Marc Diakiese via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 4:26
- Mick Parkin def. Jamal Pogues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Makhmud Muradov def. Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ketlen Vieira def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Bruna Brasil def. Shauna Bannon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jafel Filho def. Daniel Barez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:34
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
