RFA 18 highlights with a nasty broken leg and three submissions

Alexandre Pantoja took a big step toward his goal of reaching the UFC when he took Matt Manzanares‘ flyweight title on Friday.

Pantoja choked Manzanares unconscious in the main event of RFA 18, which took place at Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico. The main card aired live on AXS TV.

Pantoja (15-2) won for the eighth straight time with his win over Manzanares (7-3), and the UFC very well may be calling soon – which would make the Brazilian the 27th RFA fighter to advance to the promotion.

In the co-main event, Abel Cullum (19-6) made it look like he’s been anything but out of it, even though he hadn’t fought in three years. In less than 90 seconds, he submitted UFC veteran Ulysses Gomez (9-5).

Also on the card, Chidi Njokuani (11-4) made easy work of Steve Hanna (4-2); Mehdi Baghdad (10-3) tore through Evan DeLong (13-8) for a first-round TKO; and Justin Linn (7-1) topped Adrian Cruz (5-2-1) when Cruz viciously broke his leg checking a kick.

Check out the video highlights above.

Official RFA 18 results included:

• Alexandre Pantoja def. Matt Manzanares via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:38 – to win flyweight title
• Abel Cullum def. Ulysses Gomez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:29
• Chidi Njokuani def. Steve Hanna via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
• Brenda Gonzales def. Heather Bassett via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:48
• Mehdi Baghdad def. Evan DeLong via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:55
• Justin Linn def. Adrian Cruz via TKO (injury, punches) – Round 1, 0:22

For more coverage of RFA 18, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.