UFC on FOX 17 results: Vicente Luque chokes out Hayder Hassan with brutal anaconda

Vincente Luque

ORLANDO, Fla. – Vicente Luque used a stiff right hand to put Hayder Hassan in trouble, then sealed the deal with an anaconda choke from which there was no escape.

When forced with a choice between submitting and going to sleep, Hassan (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) chose the latter, resulting in a victory via technical submission for Luque (8-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at the 2:13 mark of Round 1.

The welterweight bout was part of today’s UFC on FOX 17 preliminary card at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FOX Sports 1 and the FOX-televised main card.

Luque began the bout by seizing control of the center of the cage and attempting to trap Hassan against the fence, but Hassan proved difficult to pin down in the early going. Hassan moved around the perimeter, firing off an array of kicks to keep Luque at bay, and hammering back with counter hooks when Luque got too aggressive.

Roughly two minutes into the fight, however, Luque landed clean with a right hand to the jaw as Hassan left his defenses open while exiting an exchange. The punch appeared to hurt Hassan, prompting him to reach for a desperation takedown that allowed Luque to lock up his left arm and drop for the anaconda choke.

Luque used the choke to roll Hassan onto his back, but Hassan would give up easily. As he struggled to free himself, Luque calmly applied pressed, trapping Hassan’s left arm with his body and squeezing until Hassan lost consciousness.

The victory is Luque’s first in the UFC, putting him back in the win column after a decision loss to Michael Graves in his debut. Hassan has now lost two straight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 17 results include:

• Vincente Luque def. Hayder Hassan via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 2:13
• Francis Ngannou def. Luiz Henrique via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 2:53

For more on UFC on FOX 17, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this report on site in Orlando.)