Luque taps out Chiesa in pivotal welterweight bout

Vicente Luque emerged from his marquee welterweight bout against Michael Chiesa as a potential future title challenger.

Luque submitted Chiesa with a D'arce choke at 3:25 of the first round at UFC 265 on Saturday in Houston.

The Brazilian contender said postfight he wants to face Kamaru Usman after the 170-pound champion defends his title against Colby Covington in November.

Usman quickly responded to Luque on social media, expressing interest in a potential bout:

Luque has the second-most finishes in UFC welterweight history (13), according to ESPN Stats & Info. Only Matt Brown owns more with 14.

"The Silent Assassin" scored solid leg kicks against Chiesa early in the opening round. He tagged "Maverick" with a punch before being taken to the ground, where Chiesa immediately took his back and attempted a rear-naked choke.

Luque escaped and got on top of Chiesa, locking in a D'arce choke moments later and forcing his opponent to tap.

Luque has now won four straight bouts. The 29-year-old entered as the No. 6-ranked welterweight - Chiesa was No. 5 - and could be one victory from a title shot.

Chiesa, 33, saw his four-fight winning streak come to an end in his first loss as a welterweight.