Luque hands Woodley 4th straight loss with submission

Vicente Luque earned the biggest win of his career in the UFC 260 co-main event.

Luque submitted former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley with a D'arce choke at 3:56 of the first round Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Woodley, 38, recorded his fourth straight loss. He fell to Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington in 2020 and suffered a title defeat to Kamaru Usman in 2019.

Luque stunned Woodley with a right punch and a big left hand three minutes into the fight. He followed up with a barrage of strikes that left Woodley barely able to stand on his feet. Woodley went in for a desperate takedown attempt but Luque sunk in the D'arce choke, forcing Woodley to tap out a few moments later.

Woodley went for a big punch at the very beginning of the fight but didn't connect. He and Luque traded shots on the feet for the first few minutes of the bout. Woodley landed his fair share of strikes and was less tentative than in his last two outings. But it was only a matter of time before Luque would finish him when the Brazilian attacked Woodley with the onslaught of punches.

Luque has now extended his winning streak to three. The 29-year-old is 9-1 in his past 10 contests.

Woodley hasn't been victorious in the Octagon since a title defense against Darren Till in September 2018.