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Mousasi submits Munoz at UFC Fight Night

Gegard Mousasi, right, faced little opposition while dispatching Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night 41 © Getty Images

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Gegard Mousasi's second go in the UFC middleweight division went much better than his first.

Mousasi (35-4-2) was dominant in a first-round submission over Mark Munoz in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card at 02 World Berlin on Saturday. The event marked the promotion's first trip to Germany since 2010 and first ever to its capital.

The fight didn't last long, as referee Marc Goddard stopped the bout 3:57 in, after Munoz tapped to a rear-naked choke.

It was an impressive performance for Mousasi, who was outclassed in his UFC 185-pound debut in February. A former light heavyweight, he offered little resistance in a unanimous decision loss to Lyoto Machida. After the fight, Mousasi, 28, asked to face a ranked opponent next.

"I think I'm going to get [Luke] Rockhold or [Tim] Kennedy," Mousasi said. "I'm not challenging anyone, but of course, I'm going to get a winner. Whoever will get me closer to a title shot, I'm ready."

Rockhold (12-2) is fresh off a first-round submission over Tim Boetsch last month, while Kennedy (18-4) is currently on a four-fight win streak.

A former Strikeforce 205-pound champion, Mousasi was in complete control of Munoz. He anticipated takedown attempts well from his opponent and steadily picked him apart with the jab.

He did allow Munoz (13-5) to slam him to the mat in the first minute of the fight, but calmly got back to his feet when Munoz failed to control him on the ground. Munoz grew more desperate with takedown attempts as the round progressed, which Mousasi took advantage of.

He hurt Munoz with hammerfists and elbows to the temple while defending a single leg and briefly threatened to finish him with a tight neck crank near the fence. He moved to full mount later in the round, at which point Munoz gave up his back.

"He's a wrestler, so he always comes forward," Mousasi said. "I wanted to pick up angles, move sideways and slowly pick up the pressure.

"I worked a lot on the rear-naked choke and guillotine. I was able to set it up with punches."

It marked the 12th submission of Mousasi's career, which began in 2003. Prior to his loss to Machida in February, Mousasi hadn't fought in the weight class since 2008.

Munoz dropped consecutive fights for the first time in his career. The middleweight suffered a first-round knockout loss to Machida in October.

Dollaway upsets Carmont in decision win

CB Dollaway is turning into must-see material in the UFC middleweight division.

Dollaway (15-5) earned perhaps the biggest win of his career in an upset unanimous decision over Francis Carmont. All three judges scored the fight for Dollaway: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

"I feel amazing," Dollaway said. "I'm finally in the Top 10, I believe. I've done it."

Strickland stays unbeaten after defeating Barnatt

Middleweight Sean Strickland managed to maintain his perfect pro record, despite an injury to his right hand that clearly affected his aggressiveness in the fight.

Strickland (14-0) narrowly defeated Luke Barnatt via split decision even though cage-side stats had Barnatt ahead on strikes landed, 73-55.

This article originally appeared on ESPN.com

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