Bryce Mitchell closed the show late at UFC Fight Night 278, submitting Santiago Luna by arm-triangle choke in the final minute of their bantamweight bout at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Mitchell secured the finish at 4:52 of Round 3 after banking more than nine minutes of control time in the fight, continuing his successful run since dropping to the 135-pound division. The win moves him to 2-0 at bantamweight nearly a year after making the move.
Despite the submission loss, Luna pushed through on short notice against the more experienced Mitchell. After the fight, Mitchell made a point to praise his opponent, saying, "It's a much closer fight than what it looks like, but small transitions and he would've got on top," and adding, "Do not hold your head down, Santiago. You're a young champion, a young warrior."
Mitchell entered the matchup with a 19-3 MMA record and a 10-3 mark in the UFC, while Luna came in at 8-1 in MMA and 2-1 in the UFC.
