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Moreno submits Ortiz in 2nd round to highlight UFC Nashville prelims

Christopher Hanewinckel / USA TODAY Sports

Flyweight Bout: Brandon Moreno def. Dustin Ortiz via 2nd-round submission (rear-naked choke)

"The Assassin Baby" is rapidly becoming one of the deadliest fighters at 125 pounds.

Flyweight prospect Brandon Moreno, 23, picked up the biggest win of his career with a second-round rear-naked choke of top-10 contender Dustin Ortiz.

The finish was set up by a switch kick to the head that momentarily left Ortiz face down on the canvas:

Making the finish even more impressive is that it was the first time Ortiz has ever lost by knockout or submission in 23 professional fights.

Moreno has won 11 straight fights, including his first three UFC contests. That puts him into a tie with Sergio Pettis for the third-longest active flyweight win streak inside the Octagon, behind Joseph Benavidez (6) and Demetrious Johnson (12).

The more experienced Ortiz took the fight to Moreno from the opening bell, pressing The Assassin Baby against the cage and testing his takedown defense. Ortiz was able to drag Moreno to the mat, but Moreno was able to sweep and briefly gain full mount.

In Round 2, Moreno's speed gave him an advantage in the striking department, prompting Ortiz to once again drive in for a takedown. He couldn't hold Moreno down, and when the bout became a stand-up affair once more, it wasn't long before Moreno landed the fateful head kick.

The loss dropped Ortiz's UFC record to an even 5-5, as he failed to capitalize on a December split-decision win over Zach Makovsky. Ortiz is now 2-4 in his past six contests.

Middleweight Bout: Thales Leites def. Sam Alvey via unanimous decision

A vaunted grappler earned a much-needed win over a KO artist with - of all things - his striking.

Thales Leites chopped away at Sam Alvey's legs from first bell to last en route to a unanimous decision in the feature preliminary bout. The Brazilian atoned for his November loss to Krzysztof Jotko and brought a bitter end to Alvey's four-fight win streak with the victory.

Alvey was as good as doomed from the jump, as Leites hobbled him with a leg kick within the fight's opening seconds. The technique accounted for the bulk of Leites' offense, but it proved to be enough, with Alvey appearing reluctant to throw hands until the second round.

The late-round flurry would be all Alvey could muster, as Leites responded with a takedown to put himself ahead by two rounds before replicating his trusty formula in the final stanza.

After going 4-1 and cracking the middleweight top 15 in just a seven-month span, the 30-year-old Alvey sees his UFC record drop to 7-4.

Lightweight Bout: Scott Holtzman def. Michael McBride via unanimous decision

He didn't record the KO he was seeking, but Holtzman pleased his fellow Tennesseans with the next best thing.

"Hot Sauce" exploited McBride's glaring striking deficiencies to take a lopsided decision, get back in the win column, and move to 3-2 in the UFC.

Holtzman threw everything he had at the hittable - yet surprisingly durable - McBride, and nearly secured a finish in the opening round, as he sent him crashing to the canvas with a left hand.

McBride would recover from the blow, and just about every haymaker Holtzman unleashed on him, only to see his hopes of keeping Holtzman in his crafty guard repeatedly dashed.

The 33-year-old Holtzman kept his grappling exchanges with the crafty McBride short and sweet, returning the fight to the feet as soon as he'd rewarded his foe's efforts with some ground-and-pound. McBride has his chin and Holtzman's suspect conditioning to thank, as he mounted little in the way of offense and exited the Octagon with a nasty welt on the back of his left leg, courtesy of the steady diet of kicks Holtzman fed it.

Now winless in his pair of UFC bouts, McBride's professional slate stands at 8-3.

Strawweight Bout: Danielle Taylor def. Jessica Penne via unanimous decision

Taylor bobbed and weaved for 15 minutes, en route to her first unanimous decision win in the UFC.

At a considerable reach disadvantage, "Dynamite" stuck to her gameplan and narrowly out-struck Penne to earn a trio of 29-28 scores. The outcome was in doubt to the very end, which was evident by Penne's reaction when the verdict was announced:

The UFC's shortest fighter at just five feet, Taylor has won back-to-back fights inside the Octagon and her professional record improves to 9-2.

Penne and Taylor were nearly deadlocked in the striking department, with Taylor having a slight advantage through the first round-and-a-half as she deftly ducked in and out, landing punches while avoiding Penne's counters:

Where Penne had the advantage was in the clinch. She consistently landed knees to Taylor's body whenever they were tangled up, and later she was able to use her grappling advantage to score a key takedown:

Taylor's early volume advantage and a closing flurry in Round 2 appeared to be enough to carry her through a rough final frame.

The unanimous decision loss is Penne's third straight setback, which includes TKO losses to UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and No. 1 contender Jessica Andrade. She has not seen her hand raised since December 2014.

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