UFC 204 results: Leon Edwards rallies, chokes out Albert Tumenov in third round

MANCHESTER, England – In the first round, Leon Edwards proved he could control Albert Tumenov on the mat. In the third, he showed he could finish him.

With a late takedown and a deft move to take the back of Tumenov (17-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Edwards (12-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) put himself in the perfect position to lock up a rear-naked choke and force the tap at the 3:01 mark of Round 3.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 204 event at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Edwards got a chance to show off his ground game early in this fight, as he took Tumenov down in the first and spent almost the entire round swarming him on the mat. Edwards passed Tumenov’s guard almost at will, moving from side control to full mount at one point, but without doing much damage or coming close to a submission.

The energy he expended to keep Tumenov down seemed like it might cost Edwards in the second. His pace slowed noticeably as Tumenov pressed him in the stand-up game.

But after several failed attempts to haul Tumenov back to the floor, Edwards finally got his opportunity midway through the third, moving to Tumenov’s back and dragging him down as he sank his hooks and his choke almost simultaneously.

Tumenov tried to tough his way through it as he looked for an escape, but once Edwards slipped the forearm under his chin there was no way out, and finally Tumenov was forced to tap.

Edwards’ victory is his second in a row in the UFC. Tumenov has now lost two straight.

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(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in Manchester.)