UFC 172 Prelims: Joseph Benavidez Guillotine Choke Submits Tim Elliott

Joseph Benavidez pulled off an amazing submission at UFC 172. | Patrick Smith/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Team Alpha Male’s Benavidez submitted Elliott with a mounted guillotine choke at UFC 172 “Jones vs. Teixeira” on Saturday at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore. Trapped underneath the flyweight powerhouse, Elliott (10-5-1, 2-3 UFC) was forced to tapout with his feet 4:08 into round one.

Benavidez (20-4, 7-2 UFC) weathered a furious initial surge from the Grindhouse MMA product, who scored with two takedowns and had him bottled up with a rolling crucifix at one point. After the second takedown, Elliott’s aggression worked against him. Benavidez slid into top position, set up the guillotine and moved to a mounted position for the stoppage.

“It was a wild fight because that’s a wild man right there,” Benavidez said. “He brought out the best in me. He made me fight. I had no choice. He’s a super tough guy. I’ve been working on my top control so much. All my last fights, I felt like I haven’t gotten to show that much grappling. I used to be known for submitting guys. It was awesome that Tim brought the fight and made me pull out where I think I’m the best, there on the ground.”

Resurgent Gomi Outpoints Vallie-Flagg

Leg kicks and sharp, straight punching combinations spurred Vallie-Flagg (14-5-1, 1-2 UFC) during the initial exchanges, but success proved fleeting. Gomi gained momentum in the second round, where he backed up the Jackson-Wink MMA representative with a wicked left hook to the body and left him with serious damage to his right eye.

Gomi picked up where he left off in the third, as he tagged his foe with winging rights and lefts. Vallie-Flagg secured a late takedown, only to see “The Fireball Kid” reverse into top position and smother his chances for a Hail Mary finish. Gomi has won three of his last four fights.

Unbeaten Correia Outduels Duke

Duke (3-1, 1-1 UFC) had her moments, especially with the jab, but she failed to match her counterpart’s intensity and volume. Correia succumbed to a few takedowns but scrambled out of danger and answered every punch with three or four of her own, all while keeping the tall, lanky American off-balance with repeated kicks to her lead leg.

Castillo Hook Flattens Brenneman

Brenneman (19-7, 4-6 UFC) enjoyed significant success through the first five minutes. “The Spaniard” struck for two first-round takedowns, threatened Castillo with an armbar and later scrambled to his back. The 34-year-old Californian did not waste time answering in the second round, where he changed levels and detonated a right hook on Brenneman’s chin.

Beal Flying Knee KOs Williams

Williams (7-4, 0-1 UFC) sprinted to an early advantage behind a pair of takedowns and a handful of unorthodox strikes in the first round. However, Beal turned the tide with his hands late in the frame, cracking the fatigued Floridian with power punches and opening a small cut on the top of his head. Less than two minutes into round two, he launched himself skyward, delivered the decisive blow and sent an unconscious Williams crashing to the canvas.