Stephanie Luciano checked off a career-first on the prelims of UFC Fight Night 262.
Welcoming Ravena Oliveira to the strawweight division, Luciano (7-2-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) found a way to finish the fight early inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. That way was a method Luciano has never pulled off in professional competition – a rear-naked choke, which came at 2:50 of Round 3.
Luciano was up on the official scorecards going into the final round, with two judges seeing the first two frames in her favor, while another saw the opening round for Oliveira. Nevertheless, Luciano didn’t need the judges’ input. She managed to gett Oliveira down and take the back. The body triangle came next, and then the arm slid under the neck, and the squeeze was on until the tap came.
Check out video of the finish below (via Instagram):
With the win, Luciano bounces back from a split decision loss to Sam Huhges in March. Oliveira, a former bantamweight who fought at 115 pounds for the first time, had not competed since October 2023 and is now on a two-fight skid.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 262 results:
- Stephanie Luciano def. Ravena Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:50
- Yousri Belgaroui def. Azamat Bekoev via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:55
- Melissa Croden def. Tainara Lisboa via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:32
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vancouver: Stephanie Luciano pulls off first career submission
