UFC Fight Night 80 results: Michael Chiesa submits Jim Miller with second-round choke

LAS VEGAS – Michael Chiesa’s clash with Jim Miller didn’t take long to turn into a ground battle, and when it did it quickly became an interesting contest of give and take.

But with Miller (25-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC) rolling for a kneebar midway through the second round, Chiesa (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) took the opportunity to unload with punches before sinking in a rear-naked choke to force the tap, bringing an end to the bout at the 2:57 mark of Round 2.

The lightweight bout co-headlined today’s UFC Fight Night 80 event at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Chiesa was the one to first initiate a grappling battle, using a bodylock trip to haul Miller to the mat early in the opening frame. Once he found himself on the floor with Miller, however, he quickly discovered how quickly things can go wrong. Miller took Chiesa’s back late in the round, then latched on a body triangle and threatened with a choke.

But Chiesa apparently hadn’t had enough of matching his jiu-jitsu against Miller’s, as the two went right back to work on the ground in the second frame. This time, Chiesa managed to control the top position and land several damaging elbows. As he stood over a downed Miller, that’s when Miller tried for a risky finish by rolling for a kneebar.

The submission attempt initially looked threatening, but after Chiesa had rolled his way to relative safety he leaned forward and began battering the unguarded head of Miller, who held onto the leg just a little too long for his own good. With Miller seemingly hurt by the punches, Chiesa took his back and slipped in the rear-naked choke. With Chiesa squeezing for all he was worth and no escape in sight, Miller had no choice but to submit.

The win makes it two in a row for Chiesa, who took the mic in his post-fight interview to demand a UFC main event spot in his next fight. Miller has now lost three of his last four.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 80 results include:

• Michael Chiesa def. Jim Miller via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:57
• Sage Northcutt def. Cody Pfister via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 0:41
• Thiago “Marreta” Santos def. Elias Theodorou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
• Tim Means def. John Howard via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:21
• Sergio Moraes def. Omari Akhmedov via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:18
• Kevin Casey vs. Antonio Carlos Junior – no-contest (unintentional eye poke) – Round 1, 0:11
• Aljamain Sterling def. Johnny Eduardo via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:18
• Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Andreas Stahl via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:25
• Danny Roberts def. Nathan Coy via technical submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:46
• Zubaira Tukhugov def. Phillipe Nover via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
• Kailin Curran def. Emily Kagan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:13

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 80, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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