5 best finishes from UFC 266

UFC 266 was one of the most anticipated cards of the year, and it did not disappoint. The event saw the return of Nick Diaz in a rematch against Robbie Lawler. Valentina Shevchenko retained her belt against Lauren Murphy in the co-main.

The main event of UFC 266 provided a befitting end to a stacked card. The five-round war between featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega won the 'Fight of the Night' award.

UFC 266 hosted thirteen fights over three card divisions: early prelims, prelims and the main card. Out of the thirteen fights, eight fights ended in finishes, with two wins coming via submissions and six via KO/TKO.

On that note, let's take a look at the five best finishes from UFC 266:

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#5. Jonathan Pearce kicks off UFC 266 with submission victory over Omar Morales

Jonathan Pearce and Omar Morales squared off in the first fight of the early preliminary card at UFC 266. The fight saw Jonathan Pearce establish early octagon control.

He threw swift strikes, keeping his opponent on the backfoot. He then brought his exceptional wrestling skills into the mix.

By the end of the first round, Pearce had taken Morales down several times. He tried his best to finish the Venezuelan but failed. His attempts bore fruit in the second round, however.

Pearce took Morales down and scrambled until he took his opponent's back. Pearce slid an arm underneath Morales' neck and caught him in a rear-naked choke. He maintained a tight grip and kept squeezing, diffusing any escape attempts by the Venezuelan. Morales soon tapped, and Pearce sailed to a submission victory at 3:31 of the second round.

Speaking about the fight, Pearce said:

"Man, it seems like a dream to me. I can't remember much of it. We were slanging and banging, and the next thing you know I was on top of him and choking him... When I put the submission on, he was hesitant to tap. So I just put the squeeze on."

Jonathan Pearce truly started the stacked UFC 266 card in style.

#4. Jalin Turner submits Uros Medic at UFC 266

Jalin Turner added yet another finish to the early preliminary card at UFC 266.

Uros Medic v Jalin Turner at UFC 266

He fought the undefeated Uros Medic, who boasted a 7-0 record before UFC 266. A product of Dana White's Contender Series, Medic couldn't quite rile up his offense against Turner.

Entering the last minute of the first round, Turner had Medic backed up against the fence. He caught 'The Doctor' with a body shot and followed up with a flurry. Medic went to the ground and Turner locked in a rear-naked choke to finish the fight in round one.

'The Tarantula' is now on a three-fight winning streak. All three victories have come via finishes. His professional mixed martial arts record stands at 11-5.

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#3. Valentina Shevchenko continues her domination of the UFC women's flyweight division

'Bullet' Valentina Shevchenko has left no stone unturned in establishing her dominance over the UFC women's flyweight division. Shevchenko has constantly evolved her game. She now looks almost unbeatable in her weight class.

At UFC 266, she defended her title against Lauren Murphy. Throughout the fight, Valentina Shevchenko dominated with swift, crisp strikes and smooth movement.

She also mixed in elements of the ground game here and there, putting her splendid well-roundedness on display. Her sheer dominance and fight IQ negated Murphy's attempts at gaining offensive momentum.

In the fourth round, Shevchenko caught Murphy with a check right hook. The strike rocked Murphy, and Shevchenko rushed in for ground-and-pound. Although she could not finish the fight immediately, the 33-year-old continued her relentless pressure. She took Murphy down, transitioned and blasted her with elbows to the head.

The referee soon called a stop to the fight and Valentina Shevchenko cemented her win via TKO at the 4:00 mark of the fourth round.

#2. Chris Daukaus delivers thundering KO

Philadelphia police department officer and UFC heavyweight fighter Chris Daukaus picked up his second KO victory of the year over Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 266.

The two fighters clashed on the night's preliminary card. Both fighters went toe-to-toe at the beginning of the fight. Daukaus began dealing real damage in round two.

He caught Abdurakhimov with a brilliant strike and dropped him in the second round. He attempted to finish the fight on the ground but failed to follow up. Nonetheless, Daukaus dropped Abdurakhimov yet again with a powerful right hand.

Abdurakhimov fell to the canvas and, this time, Daukaus followed up with ground-and-pound. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

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#1. Matthew Semelsberger makes quick work of Martin Sano at UFC 266

The early prelims at UFC 266 were quite efficient in setting the stage for the magnificent event to follow.

While the night's opening fight ended in a submission win for Jonathan Pearce, the ensuing brawl featured welterweight fighters Matthew Semelsberger and Martin Sano.

The fight started with Semelsberger rushing to take octagon control. He threw a shot to the body to start the bout.

As Sano stepped in for his own strike, Semelsberger ducked and answered with a high-speed counter right hook that landed flush on Sano's button. Sano went limp and caught a strike on the ground before the fight was called off.

Semelsberger won the fight via KO at the 00:15 mark of the first round at UFC 266.