Joel Alvarez returned to the win column in somewhat controversial fashion at UFC London.
The Spanish lightweight met Marc Diakiese at The O2 Arena on Saturday and engaged on a fun back-and-forth bout for nearly 10 minutes. But then Alvarez and Diakiese clashed heads with a minute left on the clock in the second stanza. “Bonecrusher” immediately protested, but referee Dan Movahedi saw no issue, telling both fighters to continue fighting. Alvarez took advantage of the situation and attacked Diakiese on the feet before going to the ground and locking a tight D’arce choke to force the tap.
Watch the finishing sequence below.
Joel Alvarez submits Marc Diakiese in the second round at #UFCLondon
(via @espnmma) pic.twitter.com/r6dJlW4O3f
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) July 22, 2023
Alvarez (20-3) is now 5-2 under the UFC banner with a 100 percent finishing rate inside the octagon, a run that includes first-round wins over Joe Duffy and Thiago Moises.
Diakiese (16-7) suffered his first setback in English soil as a MMA fighter, snapping a perfect 12-fight run dating back to his professional debut in 2013. Diakiese now holds a 7-7 record in the UFC.