UFC 191 results, highlights: John Lineker taps Francisco Rivera in first after crazy slugfest

John Lineker

LAS VEGAS – Those who were expecting a slugfest from John Lineker and Francisco Rivera had no reason to be disappointed, even if it was a submission that ultimately ended the bout.

Both fighters wasted little time before throwing strategy out the window and opting instead to tuck their chins and throw bombs, but it was Lineker (26-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) who held up better under fire, dropping Rivera (11-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) with a left hand before eventually forcing the tap with an arm-in guillotine choke at the 2:08 mark of Round 1.

The bantamweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 191 event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

With Lineker competing at bantamweight after a move up from 125 pounds, the size difference was evident as soon as the fighters squared off. Rivera seemed to tower over Lineker, though if he was expecting that to come with a significant advantage in power, he learned otherwise very quickly.

After backing Rivera up against the fence, Lineker let fly with a furious barrage of heavy, looping punches. Rivera hung tough at first, and even fired back a few blistering right hands of his own that appeared to land flush, though had seemingly no effect on Lineker.

The more the two men brawled, however, the more Rivera let his head drop until his chin was left wide open for a Lineker left hook. The punch planted Rivera on the mat early, though he would recover even under a barrage of short punches from Lineker.

But even after Rivera returned to his feet, he still seemed foggy. Lineker kept the pressure on, and when Rivera left his neck exposed during a takedown attempt, Lineker wasted no time jumping to guard and locking on the arm-in guillotine choke, which ultimately forced Rivera to tap.

The victory brings Lineker’s current winning streak to three. Rivera has lost three of his last four.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 191 results include:

• John Lineker def. Francisco Rivera via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:08
• Raquel Pennington def. Jessica Andrade via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:58
• Tiago Trator def. Clay Collard via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Joe Riggs def. Ron Stallings via disqualification (illegal upkick) – Round 2, 2:28
• Joaquim Silva def. Nazareno Malegarie via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC 191, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)