The first submission finish under the UFC banner in 2025 was nothing short of beautiful, and it came courtesy of Felipe Bunes at UFC Fight Night 249 . With his back on the mat early in the flyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Bunes (14-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) quickly transitioned into an armbar attack on Jose Johnson (16-10 MMA, 1-3 UFC), who valiantly attempted to escape, but was forced to tap out at the 2:04 mark of Round 1. Check out the replay of the slick finish from Bunes below (via X ): WHAT A SCRAMBLE! @BunesFelipinho takes home the first round submission! [ #UFCVegas101 main card is up next on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/mq2wb3ec6n — UFC (@ufc) January 11, 2025 Felipe Bunes with the Kamehameha celly after his submission victory at #UFCVegas101 pic.twitter.com/dWI7adCurE — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 11, 2025 After falling short in his octagon debut in January 2024, Bunes returned after a nearly full-year layoff and got the win. He was emotional afterward, but collected himself to make a callout of a former title challenger at 125 pounds. “Believe in your dreams,” Bunes said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
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UFC Fight Night 249 video: Felipe Bunes’ relentless armbar taps Jose Johnson – MMA Junkie