UFC 204 results: Iuri Alcantara taps out England's own Brad Pickett with first-round triangle choke

MANCHESTER, England – He may have been fighting on Brad Pickett’s home turf, but Iuri Alcantara fought like he was intent on spoiling the party before it could even start.

Alcantara (34-7 MMA, 8-4 UFC) hurt Pickett (25-12 MMA, 5-7 UFC) early with a spinning back elbow, then blitzed him with punches on the mat before ultimately locking up a triangle choke to force the submission at the 1:59 mark of Round 1.

The bantamweight bout closed out the preliminary card of today’s UFC 204 event at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Alcantara wasted no time going on the attack in this one. He backed Pickett up with a jumping double knee in the opening minute. Moments later he timed the spinning back elbow perfectly, catching Pickett as he ducked directly into it.

The blow dazed Pickett, and Alcantara pounced. With Pickett laid out on his back, Alcantara poured on the punishment, bouncing Pickett’s head off the mat with a brutal series of punches and elbows.

The fight could have easily been stopped there, but referee Marc Goddard let the bout go on just long enough for Alcantara to move to full mount and lock up a mounted triangle. Pickett initially escaped, only to get caught in an armbar, which he defended well. But Alcantara deftly transitioned back to the triangle choke off his back, and this time Pickett had no choice but to tap.

Alcantara’s victory gets him back in the win column for the first time since his unanimous decision loss to Jimmie Rivera in January. Pickett has now lost four of his last five.

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(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in Manchester.)