It may have taken longer than Jussier Formiga expected, but the flyweight veteran captured a big win earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 10, 2018) at UFC 221 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Perth Arena in Perth, Australia, when he choked out rising contender Ben Nguyen with a rear-naked choke in the third round.
Formiga had to deal with Nguyen’s pressure over the first two rounds, but his level changing, pressure on the ground, and evolved striking game allowed him to stay afloat. In Round 3, after Nguyen rushed in for another attack, Formiga landed a crushing spinning back fist that put “Ben 10” on his back. Formiga wasted no time jumping on Nguyen’s and securing the submission.
Check out the memorable stoppage above courtesy of UFC.
With this performance, Formiga captures his second-straight submission victory at 125 pounds and once again proves that he’s a viable title threat in the depleted flyweight division. Current flyweight king Demetrious Johnson may have his hands full with bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw this summer, but Formiga would have to be considered next in line after this finish.
For complete UFC 221 results and coverage click here.