5 best finishes from UFC 266

Jonathan Pearce submits Omar Morales at UFC 266 [Image Credits: @ufc on Instagram]

UFC 266 was one of the most anticipated cards of the year, and it did not disappoint. The event saw the return of Nick Diaz in a rematch against Robbie Lawler. Valentina Shevchenko retained her belt against Lauren Murphy in the co-main.

The main event of UFC 266 provided a befitting end to a stacked card. The five-round war between featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega won the 'Fight of the Night' award.

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UFC 266 hosted thirteen fights over three card divisions: early prelims, prelims and the main card. Out of the thirteen fights, eight fights ended in finishes, with two wins coming via submissions and six via KO/TKO.

On that note, let's take a look at the five best finishes from UFC 266:

#5. Jonathan Pearce kicks off UFC 266 with submission victory over Omar Morales

Jonathan Pearce and Omar Morales squared off in the first fight of the early preliminary card at UFC 266. The fight saw Jonathan Pearce establish early octagon control.

He threw swift strikes, keeping his opponent on the backfoot. He then brought his exceptional wrestling skills into the mix.

By the end of the first round, Pearce had taken Morales down several times. He tried his best to finish the Venezuelan but failed. His attempts bore fruit in the second round, however.

Jonathan Pearce le gana a Omar Morales por sumisión en el 2do. Asalto #ufc266 en la primera de las preliminares todo por @StarPlusLA https://t.co/WJ4iAqE5Fb

Pearce took Morales down and scrambled until he took his opponent's back. Pearce slid an arm underneath Morales' neck and caught him in a rear-naked choke. He maintained a tight grip and kept squeezing, diffusing any escape attempts by the Venezuelan. Morales soon tapped, and Pearce sailed to a submission victory at 3:31 of the second round.

Speaking about the fight, Pearce said:

"Man, it seems like a dream to me. I can't remember much of it. We were slanging and banging, and the next thing you know I was on top of him and choking him... When I put the submission on, he was hesitant to tap. So I just put the squeeze on."

Jonathan Pearce truly started the stacked UFC 266 card in style.