UFC Fight Night 239 Prelims: Mike Davis Arm-Triangle Silences Natan Levy

Mike Davis re-introduced himself to the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division after a 17-month layoff, and the statement he made could not have been much more profound.

The impressive Fusion X-Cel standout showcased his all-terrain skills before he subdued Natan Levy with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their featured UFC Fight Night 239 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Levy (8-2, 2-2 UFC), who missed weight for the bout by one pound, conceded defeat 1:43 into Round 2.

Davis decked the Syndicate MMA product with a right hand—the impact appeared to break Levy’s nose—inside the first 30 seconds, moved to the back and controlled position for most of the opening stanza. The narrative did not shift much in the second round. There, Davis tripped the Israeli to the floor, set off a scramble and again transitioned to the back. He then floated to full mount, framed the arm-triangle and let his squeeze do the rest.

The 31-year-old Davis will enter his next assignment on the strength of a four-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, onetime Shooto Brazil champion Jafel Filho took care of Ode Osbourne with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their flyweight confrontation. Osbourne (12-7, 4-5 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 4:27 into Round 1.

Filho (16-3, 2-1 UFC) secured an early takedown, got busy with ground-and-pound and transitioned to the back. He threatened with a face crank, then floated to full mount and unleashed his hands yet again. Osbourne turned over in a last-ditch attempt to shake the Brazilian, to no avail. Filho forced him to expose his neck, snaked his arms in place and closed the deal.

The 30-year-old Filho has rattled off seven victories in eight appearances.

Further down the undercard, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Danny Silva planted his flag at 145 pounds with a split decision over former Hex Fight Series titleholder Joshua Culibao in a competitive three-round featherweight scrap. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28, two of them for Silva.

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Silva (9-1, 1-0 UFC)—who missed weight for the match by two and a half pounds—dazed the Aussie with a right uppercut and made a pass at a guillotine in the first round, setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle between two promising young martial artists. Culibao called upon lateral movement, deft footwork and multi-punch bursts in his retort, often doubling and tripling up on his jab. It was not enough. Silva backed relentless pressure with volleys of his own, lured his opponent into repeated clinches, completed four takedowns and racked up more than five minutes of control time.

Culibao has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time as a pro.

Elsewhere, ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Jaqueline Amorim disposed of Cory McKenna with an armbar in the first round of their women’s strawweight affair. Amorim (8-1, 2-1 UFC) brought it to a close 1:38 into Round 1.

McKenna (8-3, 3-2 UFC) caught a kick from the Brazilian, dumped her to the canvas and immediately wandered into danger. Amorim trapped her in a triangle, transitioned to an armbar and appeared to complete the submission with a verbale cue from referee Mike Beltran despite the lack of a visible tapout. Recognizing his mistake, Beltran beckoned the combatants to continue. Amorim picked up where she left off, isolated the Team Alpha Male export’s right arm and hyperextended the elbow for the finish.

Amorim, 28, has secured six of her eight career victories by submission.

Finally, American Top Team’s Thiago Moises rebounded from his Sept. 2 technical knockout loss to Benoit St. Denis and put away promotional newcomer Mitch Ramirez with leg kicks in the third round of their lightweight clash. A late-notice substitution for Brad Riddell, Ramirez (8-2, 0-1 UFC) bowed out 15 seconds into Round 3.

Moises (18-7, 7-5 UFC) was measured and methodical. The former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion nearly finished it in the first round, where he executed a takedown, scrambled to Ramirez’s back and threatened with rear-naked chokes and face cranks. Ramirez withstood those advances but had no answer for the Brazilian’s attack on the feet. Moises battered his counterpart’s lower lead leg with a sustained barrage of accurate kicks, a grotesque discoloration and swelling on the Syndicate MMA rep’s shin providing visible evidence of his work. He dropped Ramirez with one final kick at the start of the third round, moved in for the kill and prompted the stoppage.

The 28-year-old Moises has won three of his past four bouts.

In other action, Chelsea Chandler (6-2, 2-1 UFC) overcame a one-pound weight miss and laid claim to a unanimous decision over Josiane Nunes in a three-round women’s bantamweight scrap, sweeping the scorecards with 29-28 marks across the board; and Chad Anheliger (13-7, 2-2 UFC) stepped in as a short-notice replacement for Toshiomi Kazama and took a unanimous decision from Charalampos Grigoriou (8-4, 0-1 UFC) in a three-round bantamweight tilt, drawing 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 scores from the judges.