Munoz tops Leben in second round in UFC 138

Mark Munoz used his superior wrestling and ground-and-pound to stop Chris Leben after two rounds in the main event of UFC 138 on Saturday at Birmingham, England.

Munoz, the 2001 NCAA wrestling champion at Oklahoma State, scored several takedowns and battered Leben in a middleweight bout that was scheduled as the first five-round nontitle fight in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

After taking down Leben early in the second round, Munoz landed a right hand that opened a cut near Leben’s left eye. Leben told referee Marc Goddard before the third round that he could not see, and Goddard called an end to the bout.

Munoz, who has won four straight fights, could be in line to face UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

In the co-main event, Brazilian Renan Barao submitted Brad Pickett with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their bantamweight bout.

Barao knocked down Pickett with a knee and followed with a series of punches that forced Pickett to give up his back. Barao quickly applied the choke, and Pickett was forced to tap out with 51 seconds remaining in the round.

Also, Thiago Alves ruined the UFC debut of Papy Abedi, winning by rear-naked choke 3:32 into the first round of their welterweight fight.