TUF 18 Finale results, gifs: Joshua Sampo taps out fellow newcomer Ryan Benoit in second round

LAS VEGAS – Josh Sampo’s first half-dozen or so submission attempts may have failed to force a tap from Ryan Benoit, but if “The Gremlin” was discouraged by it, you’d never have known.

After transitioning from omaplatas to kimuras to key locks, Sampo finally found the submission he was looking for with a rear-naked choke to finish the fight at 4:31 of Round 2.

The flyweight bout opened up the preliminary card of today’s TUF 18 Finale event at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It streamed on MMAjunkie ahead of additional prelims and a main card on FOX Sports 1.

Although both Sampo and Benoit were UFC newcomers, neither showed much in the way of jitters early on. Benoit opened the fight by tagging Sampo with several sharp punches and kicks, though it was Benoit who landed the first significant blow thanks to a right hand that wobbled Benoit early on.

Despite that success, Sampo clearly preferred the fight on the floor, which is exactly where he took it at every opportunity. After a spirited first round, Sampo wasted little time in taking Benoit to the mat again in the second, using a keylock to move from half-guard to full mount, which eventually enabled him to lock up the rear-naked choke for the finish.

“When I got the first couple submissions on him, I actually felt his arm pop when I had that keylock, so I knew he was susceptible to submissions,” Sampo said after the win.

Sampo (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) improves his winning streak to five with the victory in his UFC debut. Benoit (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has now lost two of his past three.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 18 Finale results include:

• Joshua Sampo def. Ryan Benoit via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:31

For complete coverage of the TUF 18 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Las Vegas.