UFC Fight Night 58 results: Leandro Issa chokes out Yuta Sasaki in second for upset

Leandro Issa and Yuta Sasaki

BARUERI, Brazil – The way Leandro Issa and Yuta Sasaki went at it on the mat, this one seemed destined to end with someone tapping frantically while under extreme duress.

It wasn’t until Issa (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) seized mount and then took the back of Sasaki (18-2-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) that it started to become clear just who that person would be, as Issa locked on a rear-naked choke and used it to crank Sasaki’s neck until he was forced to submit at 4:13 of Round 2.

The lightweight bout was part of today’s UFC Fight Night 58 preliminary card at Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following earlier prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

This bout saw no shortage of grappling exchanges and submission attempts from both men, as the action moved to the mat early in the first and returned there in the second. Twice Sasaki attempted head-and-arm throws to get Issa to the mat, with the second one ending in near disaster as he gave up his own back to grappling specialist Issa.

Issa wasn’t always safe even when he was on top of Sasaki, however. He nearly got himself caught in a d’arce choke while attempting to solidify top position earlier in the second round, but managed to fight out of it and move to mount, which when things really started to go downhill for Sasaki.

As Sasaki rolled to his side in search of a mount escape, Issa moved quickly to take his back and dig for the choke. Sasaki did a good job of keeping his chin down to protect his throat, but in so doing he left himself open for the neck crank, which Issa was all too happy to go for in brutal fashion, eventually forcing Sasaki to tap.

“I got some good punches and noticed he felt them and tried to knock me down,” Issa said. “He tried the submission, and he has the advantage of the reach, but he doesn’t have the strength.”

Issa has now won two in a row in the UFC after getting choked out by Russel Doane in his debut. Sasaki loses for the first time since September of 2011.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 58 results include:

For more on UFC Fight Night 58, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report from on-site in Barueri.)