Deiveson Figueiredo opens UFC 300 by finishing Cody Garbrandt in Round 2 [Full Video]

UFC 300 has finally begun and opened with a bang.

The high-profile event kicked off with former champions Deiveson Figueiredo and Cody Garbrandt in a fight that many expected to end early. Figueiredo entered the bout ranked No.8 in the division after beating Rob Font in his last outing. Garbrandt did not enter the fight ranked but came into the night riding a two-fight win streak with victories over Brian Kelleher and Trevin Jones.

After a slow start to Round 1, Figueiredo was quick to implement his grappling in the second frame, taking Garbrandt down and hunting for an arm triangle choke. Though the submission nearly finished the fight, 'No Love' would escape and attempt to stand only to have the Brazilian scramble to his back.

Shortly after, directly in front of the broadcasting team, 'Deus da Guerra' snuck his arm beneath the chin of Garbrandt for a rear-naked choke. The attempt would get the tap and award Figueiredo a second-round submission win.

Check out the video of Deiveson Figueiredo's finish below:

The win is the ninth submission in Figueiredo's career and his first since 2020 when he beat Alex Perez with a guillotine choke. It is also the first submission loss on Garbrandt's record through 20 career fights.

With the victory, Figueiredo improved to 23-3-1 and called for a title fight in his next outing against UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley. Garbrandt dropped to 14-6 while picking up his fifth loss inside the distance since 2017.