Chiesa, Ponzinibbio, Graves win big in UFC on FOX 19 prelims

Lightweight Bout: Michael Chiesa def. Beneil Dariush via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)

For the first five minutes of the featured UFC on FOX 19 preliminary fight, Michael Chiesa looked overwhelmed.

A minute into the second round, he looked like a contender.

Chiesa aggressively searched for a takedown against Beneil Dariush, and when he got it, the budding lightweight aggressively attacked his fellow grappler's back. Dariush fought off the initial choke attempt only to find his jaw being crushed by Chiesa. The ensuing tap-out probably saved Dariush's face:

The gritty Chiesa had to tough it out in the opening round as he struggled to close the distance. Dariush showed great takedown defense and he punished Chiesa with overhand rights and leg kicks. It wasn't until the second that Chiesa found a way to impose his will.

With his fifth rear-naked choke in the UFC, Chiesa moved into a tie with Demian Maia for second-most all time. More importantly, he won his third straight and likely leaped into the top 10 by defeating the No. 7-ranked Dariush.

Dariush snapped a five-fight win streak, his first setback since a TKO loss to Ramey Nijem two years ago.

Post-match, Chiesa called for a main-event fight with lightweight contender Tony Ferguson.

Women's Bantamweight Bout: Raquel Pennington def. Bethe Correia via split decision

A back-and-forth fight between two of the UFC's best female fighters ended with Raquel Pennington scraping out a spot for herself in the top 10.

Pennington took a split decision from one-time women's bantamweight title challenger Bethe Correia on the back of some sharp clinch work and an effective jab. Correia didn't back down, but she seemed aware that she didn't do enough for the win when the scorecards were read:

The fight could have been scored differently were it not for Pennington landing key strikes to close out each round. That may have been all it took to impress the judges, with neither fighter able to manufacture much sustained offense. At times, the action resembled an aggressive sparring match more than a cage fight.

Pennington won her second straight for the first time in six UFC appearances, while Correia is now on the first losing streak of her 11-fight career.

Welterweight Bout: Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Court McGee via first-round TKO

Santiago Ponzinibbio put on the most complete striking performance of his career to become the first fighter to finish Court McGee.

Landing with jabs, straight rights, and nasty leg kicks, Ponzinibbio gave McGee everything he had in the first round of their contest, and it almost wasn't enough. The famously tough-as-nails McGee fired back as best he could until a devastating straight right rocked him:

Ponzinibbio followed up with even harder punches and kicks to the body, causing the referee to jump in for the save at 4:15 of the opening frame.

The stunning finish gives Ponzinibbio his fourth win in five fights, and he improved to 22-3 for his career.

McGee lost by stoppage for the first time, a bittersweet moment for him as he celebrated 10 years of sobriety on Saturday after a well-documented struggle with substance abuse in the past.

Welterweight Bout: Michael Graves def. Randy Brown via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)

Michael Graves stuck to his wrestling to keep his undefeated record intact.

Someone's "O" had to go as the 6-0 Graves faced off with the 7-0 Randy Brown in the UFC on FOX 19 preliminary opener. Both prospects showed plenty of promise, but it was the grinding Graves who wore Brown down enough to force the tap with a rear-naked choke in the second round:

Graves earned his second win in the UFC after starring for American Top Team on season 21 of "The Ultimate Fighter." He won a unanimous decision over Vicente Luque last July.

A product of Dana White's "Lookin' for a Fight" series, the 25-year-old Brown suffered the first loss of his career.