Ultimate Fighting Championship

TUF 24's Brandon Moreno pulls off huge upset with submission over Louis Smolka

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:12 p.m. ET

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Damon Martin

Two months ago, Brandon Moreno was ranked as the No. 16 seed in "The Ultimate Fighter" tournament of champions to find a new flyweight contender to face champion Demetrious Johnson.

Moreno was eliminated in the opening round against top seed Alexandre Pantoja, but when the call came to face No. 9-ranked Louis Smolka on short notice, he didn't hesitate for a minute.

Now Moreno has a victory in the UFC after pulling off a massive upset in his debut Saturday night in Portland.

Despite walking into the fight as a 5-to-1 underdog, Moreno showed a lot of confidence stepping into the fight with Smolka and didn't back down during the initial exchanges with his more experienced opponent.

Moreno landed a quick takedown early in the fight, and after a scramble on the mat, the young Mexican flyweight saw an opening to grab onto a guillotine choke that left Smolka scrambling for air.

Smolka did his best to make an adjustment but Moreno kept a tight lock on the submission and once he fell to his back while wrapping his legs around his opponent, it was clear there was no escape.

Smolka (11-2) was forced to tap out and Moreno jumped up in celebration as he picked up a very impressive victory in his UFC debut.

Moreno had a very tough test on "The Ultimate Fighter" and things didn't get any easier on Saturday night, but with a victory over Smolka, this is one flyweight prospect with a very bright future in the UFC.

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