Carlos Diego Ferreira Beats Anthony Pettis by 2nd-Round Submission at UFC 246

Carlos Diego Ferreira kicked off the UFC 246 main card with a second-round submission win over Anthony Pettis in Las Vegas on Saturday. 

Ferreira established a lead early with his aggression, and it paid off with a second-round rear-naked choke against an overmatched Pettis. 

Ferreira took the center of the cage first, looking to establish himself as the aggressor. Pettis calmly answered the Brazilian's forward movement with a good array of body kicks and punches which led to Ferreira looking to take things to the ground. 

He wasn't able to keep it on the ground for long but he clearly had an advantage. The cat-and-mouse game was on and Ferreira took the early lead the way many of Pettis' past opponents have. 

It was that advantage that Ferreira looked to expose in the second frame. He was able to drive Showtime to the mat and lock in a choke to end Pettis' night early and pick up the biggest win of his career.

The performance left many pundits lauding the recent streak Ferreira's been on. 

Meanwhile Pettis' losing ways were also a big storyline.  

Pettis is easily the most accomplished fighter on Ferreira's resume. The Brazilian is on a six-fight win streak, but none of those previous opponents were former UFC and WEC champions with Showtime's name recognition. 

Add that to the fact that the bout kicked off a Conor McGregor card that will assuredly have a healthy buyrate, and the Brazilian is hoping this performance can send him to the lightweight division's Top 10.

"I'm the one who has everything to gain. If I can finish Anthony Pettis the way I want to, I deserve to be in the conversation of the top 10," Ferreira told Gavin Porter of UFC.com. "I think this big event has the potential for me to get more exposure, especially since I'm the first fight of the PPV card and it will be a real opportunity to show people who I am."

Given the success he's had and the momentum from his win over Pettis, it's likely this isn't the last fans will see of Ferreira on a pay-per-view card. 

The result generates more questions for Pettis, though. 

The former champion has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since 2016. He had a checkered trip to welterweight in which he knocked out Stephen Thompson and lost a lopsided decision to Nate Diaz. 

Ferreira ruined Pettis' return to lightweight. The 32-year-old will need to find a way to gain traction soon, or the sun may set on his accomplished career.