UFC 214 results: Brian Ortega earns record 4th straight win by 3rd-round finish vs. Renato Moicano

Brian Ortega and Renato Moicano were nearly two-and-a-half rounds into a striking war that fans at cageside could hear as well as they could see. Then Moicano made the questionable decision to take Ortega down,

It played right into Ortega’s submission strengths as Moicano (11-1-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) inadvertently stuck his neck into a guillotine choke that Ortega (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) squeezed for the finish, forcing the tap at the 2:59 mark of Round 3.

The featherweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 214 event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. It aired on FXX following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

Ortega and Moicano wasted no time squaring up and trading punches in the center of the cage, making for a blistering pace in the opening round as the two men hammered each other with sharp, technical combinations, and neither man willing to back down.

But after that close first frame, it was Moicano who seemed to make the better adjustments heading into the second. He began to land with greater frequency, kicking Ortega to the head and body and frustrating him at times, leaving Ortega lunging at air as Moicano stayed tight and composed.

Ortega appeared to catch up in those exchanges by the final round, but the turning point came when Moicano went for a takedown with his head stuck under Ortega’s armpit midway through the third. Moicano succeeded in getting Ortega to the mat, but as soon as they hit the canvas Ortega latched onto the choke and squeezed, prompting Moicano to tap when he could find no escape.

The win maintains Ortega’s perfect professional record, giving him a record fourth consecutive third-round finish in the UFC. Moicano’s loss is the first of his pro career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 214 results include:

• Brian Ortega def. Renato Moicano via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 2:59
• Calvin Kattar def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Alexandra Albu def. Kailin Curran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jarred Brooks def. Eric Shelton via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Drew Dober def. Josh Burkman via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:04

For complete coverage of UFC 214, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Dann Stupp, John Morgan, Ben Fowlkes, Mike Bohn and Ken Hathaway contributed to this report on site in Anaheim.)