Cirkunov manhandles Krylov to close out UFC 206 prelims

Light Heavyweight Bout: Misha Cirkunov def. Nikita Krylov via 1st-round submission (guillotine choke)

Misha Cirkunov earned himself a spot in the light heavyweight top 10 on Saturday.

The 29-year-old regaled his adopted hometown and improved his UFC record to 4-0 with a quick victory over the ever-lethal Nikita Krylov, submitting the Ukrainian with an arm-in guillotine choke in the dying seconds of the first round.

Krylov attempted to find his groove with a variety of kicks from range in the bout's early goings, but was drawn into an ill-fated grappling match by a more technically proficient submission artist in Cirkunov. After a frenetic few minutes during which neither fighter could buy a dominant position, Cirkunov cracked Krylov with a straight left before trapping him in the vise-like choke to extend his win streak to eight.

Each of Cirkunov's last three victories have come by way of submission.

"The Miner," who ranked eighth heading into Saturday's fight, saw a five-fight win streak snapped with the stoppage. He's tapped out in four of five career losses.

Lightweight Bout: Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Drew Dober via 2nd-round submission (rear-naked choke)

Olivier Aubin-Mercier needed every wrinkle in his arsenal to put Drew Dober away.

After tuning Dober up on the feet in the first round, "The Quebec Kid" recovered from a second-round knockdown to take his foe's back and sink in a rear-naked choke at the 2:57 mark. The victory, Aubin-Mercier's second straight, improves his UFC record to 5-2. Seven of his eight submission wins have come by rear-naked choke.

Aubin-Mercier flashed improved striking in Round 1, tagging Dober with a left hand in short order. The Montrealer's mitts continued to bloody his opponent from there, as he consistently pumped his jab and countered cleanly to secure the frame.

Dober scored a knockdown before descending into Aubin-Mercier's guard early in the second, but the tide would turn just as quickly, as "The Quebec Kid" recovered while in guard before sweeping Dober's top position, taking his back and calmly locking in the choke.

The tapout snaps Dober's two-fight win streak, dropping his UFC record to 3-4.

Catchweight (117.5 lbs) Bout: Viviane Pereira def. Valerie Letourneau via split decision

Her performance didn't produce much in the way of fireworks, but it was enough to earn Viviane Pereira her first UFC victory.

The newcomer engaged Valerie Letourneau just enough on the feet and landed a well-timed takedown midway through their bout to remain undefeated in 12 pro contests. Letourneau, who weighed in 1.5 pounds above the strawweight limit, handily outstruck the Brazilian in the opening round, but her passivity allowed Pereira to steal the last two frames.

"Trouble" wasted little time taking the fight to the diminutive Pereira, throwing a hefty volume of strikes from range before catching one of the Brazilian's kicks and bullying her into full mount. Letourneau peppered Pereira with strikes from her dominant position and made her pay with a few more as the pair made it back to their feet in the waning moments of the round.

The newcomer briefly mounted some offense in the form of a takedown late in Round 2, but not before Letourneau handily outstruck her from range and even when backed against the cage.

The pair remained upright for the final frame's entirety, each showing a little too much respect for the other's striking. As in the previous round, neither fighter produced a telling blow in the standoff, prompting Pereira to engage in a last-minute clinch in an effort to swing the round in her favor. The last-ditch effort and second-round takedown ultimately earned her the nod on two of three scorecards.

While Letourneau's striking output and strong first round were enough to sway one judge, she sealed her own fate by taking her foot off the gas pedal in the last pair of frames.

The Montreal native, who challenged Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the division title just 13 months ago, has dropped her last three contests.

Bantamweight Bout: Matthew Lopez def. Mitch Gagnon via unanimous decision

Matthew Lopez flashed an otherworldly chin and some first-rate grappling in his first successful trip to the Octagon.

The 29-year-old fought back from an early knockdown to all but cripple Mitch Gagnon with takedowns and back control, and earn his first UFC victory. Lopez's coming-out party spoiled Gagnon's return from an injury-riddled two-year layoff and improved his promotional record to 1-1.

The opening round was a wild affair, as Gagnon dropped Lopez with a counter left before raining fists on his head in pursuit of a quick stoppage. Lopez miraculously recovered from the onslaught, then raised even more eyebrows when he regained top position, after which each fighter angled for a submission to close out Round 1.

The 29-year-old Lopez would maintain control of the action in the middle frame, taking Gagnon to the mat and landing some strikes during their transitions before taking his back with more than a minute left in the round to fully turn the tables.

Round 3 echoed its predecessor, as Lopez continued to impose his will by putting Gagnon on his back and taking it with ease before angling for a submission. The Windsor, Ontario, native made it to the final horn with some crafty defense, only for all three judges to hand him the short end of the decision.

Gagnon's second straight loss drops his UFC record to 4-3. He'd notched four straight victories - three of them by submission - prior to the skid.