UFC 246 - Diego Ferreira stuns Anthony Pettis with dominant performance and submission

It was birthday celebrations galore for Diego Ferreira as the Brazilian got the biggest win of his MMA career against Anthony "Showtime" Pettis, finishing the veteran in the second round via submission in the UFC 246 opener.

Diego Ferreira taps Anthony Pettis in the 2nd round. #UFC246 pic.twitter.com/07KSr8tQzy

— SMH (@BTCballer1) January 19, 2020

The fight began with Ferreira charging at Pettis, lifting his leg in an unorthodox way. He shot for the takedown but Pettis hit the knee to the body to prevent it from happening.

They started exchanging shots, with Pettis landing a slick combination. Ferreira managed to get Pettis on the ground and pressured him from behind, but Showtime was able to spin out of it after multiple attempts.

The first round ended with Pettis nearly landing the kick to the head, but Ferreira was unleashing a ground-and-pound before the buzzer hit. The second-round began with Ferreira once again putting Pettis to the ground. Aware of the former Champion's attempts to spin out, the pressure of the Brazilian kept bringing him back to the back mount.

The persistent pressure paid off big for the Brazilian early in the second round as he managed to sink the hooks underneath Pettis' jaw. While it didn't look like it outright reached his neck, the chin crank from Ferreira was enough to finish the former Champion.

Ferreira backed his talk and did exactly what he set out to do. He's not lost in four years and just got the biggest win of his career against an elite Lightweight. Pettis was ranked at #11 and there's no denying that Ferreira deserves a spot in the Top 15 after a dominant performance like that.

Ferreira popped his leg during the fight, which was revealed when he limped after the victory. Congratulations to Ferreira!

LW's take notice! 📝6️⃣ straight wins for the surging @DiegoUFCTX! #UFC246 pic.twitter.com/O0ucnoYtgo

— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2020