Brian Ortega remains undefeated with UFC Fight Night 123 win

UFC featherweight contender Brian Ortega headlined his first card for the organization Saturday in Fresno, California.

He delivered the kind of performance that should have him serving as a featured attraction for years to come, submitting Cub Swanson in the second round of UFC Fight Night 123.

Ortega locked in a standing guillotine and then somehow readjusted his grip to force Swanson to tap out at the 3:22 mark.

“This was a huge win, but I’m just happy it’s over,” Ortega said after improving to 13-0 overall and 5-0 in the UFC. “The fighting game does bring a lot of nerve, especially this being my first main event. I’m glad it’s over and I was successful. Just glad I get to go home and relax.”

Swanson had been working on a four-fight winning streak and was disappointed he didn’t get the call to fill in for an injured Frankie Edgar when Edgar had to pull out of a featherweight title bout earlier this month.

Now Swanson will move even further back in the pecking order.

Ortega placed himself in the mix of the title picture, but deferred to Edgar and said he can wait his turn until after Edgar is healthy and gets his shot against Max Holloway.

The belt is meaningful to Ortega, but just part of his ultimate goal.

“I really love to help kids that are struggling and going through a tough time, and I want to be a positive light on them,” he said. “I want to use this platform to not be selfish, but I want to use the light to help people.”

Fellow featherweight Gabriel Benitez also scored a big win on the card, controlling Jason Knight for three rounds to hand him his second straight loss.

“I feel that I proved that I’m learning and improving,” said Benitez, who won 30-26 on all three cards after a point deduction against Knight for biting. “I just stuck to my game plan, and it showed in the result. I showed the fans that I’m the future champion. Jason bit my thumb, but I give respect to the ref for seeing it.

“I’m pretty sure that I will be in the top 15 now, but it doesn’t matter to me, it’s only a number. I just want to show the fans that I am the best.”

Former World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes delivered his best performance in the UFC with a 67-second knockout of Aljamain Sterling in a matchup of bantamweight contenders.

Moraes delivered a crushing knee that left Sterling out cold on the mat.

“It’s so unbelievable when you train so hard for a fight and when you keep repeating the same thing over 10, 20, 30 times a day and it works in the fight,” he said. “In practice, we were always looking for the knees and the kicks. He is one of the best in the world, and I beat him in the first round and that shows how my level is.”

The first three fights on the main card went the distance.

Lightweight Scott Holtzman won all three rounds over Darrell Horcher, and Benito Lopez earned the nod from the judges after a wild fight against Albert Morales that saw both bantamweights dropped in the first round.

Former Alabama linebacker Eryk Anders remained unbeaten by handing Markus Perez the first loss of his career in a middleweight bout.

On the preliminary card, Alexis Davis won a split decision over Liz Carmouche in a matchup of former women’s bantamweight title challengers making their flyweight debuts

Trevin Giles and Andre Soukhamthath picked up knockout victories, and Davi Ramos and Alex Perez notched submission wins.

Frankie Saenz edged bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili in a split decision, and Alejandro Perez earned the favor of all three judges in a bantamweight bout against veteran Iuri Alcantara.

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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.