UFC 173 results, photos: Mitch Clarke chokes Al Iaquinta to sleep

LAS VEGAS – After getting dropped by a hard right hand from Al Iaquinta in the opening moments of the bout, Mitch Clarke seemed lucky to make it out of the round.

But as Clarke (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) locked up a D’arce choke from the bottom in the second, suddenly it was Iaquinta (8-3-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) who was in need of an escape — and he didn’t find one before losing consciousness just 57 seconds into round two.

The lightweight fight was part of today’s UFC 173 preliminary card at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FOX Sports 1 prior to the pay-per-view main card.

The trouble for Clarke started when Iaquinta caught his attempt at a body kick and responded with a right that sat Clarke down in the center of the cage. He would stay there for most of the round, doing all he could to regain his bearings and get back in the fight.

At first it seemed like he’d spend the second frame in roughly the same position, but as he locked up a D’arce choke during a transition, Iaquinta was slow to react in his own defense. With Iaquinta trapped against the fence, Clarke squeezed the choke until his opponent’s limbs went limb and his eyes went flat. With that, the ref intervened and the victory was Clarke’s. And he hardly needed to get off his back to do it.

Clarke has now won two straight in the UFC. Iaquinta snaps a three-fight winning streak with the loss.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 173 results include:

• Mitch Clarke def. Al Iaquinta via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 4:57
• Vinc Pichel def. Anthony Njokuani via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Sam Sicilia def. Aaron Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Jingliang Li def. David Michaud via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

For full coverage of UFC 173, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Matt Erickson and John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Las Vegas.)