Appearing to be just seconds away from losing in upset fashion, Adriano Moraes pulled off a sudden finish, getting to the back of Phumi Nkuta and scoring a legitimate last-second submission victory.
Nkuta brought it to Moraes early, working over the former ONE flyweight champion with boxing combinations and pressure. Nkuta dropped Moraes late in the first round, nearly scoring a submission. Moraes’ grappling pressure then started to take over, securing strong positioning in the backpack position and on the ground.
Nkuta continued to get the upper hand in the third round; however, a late knee attempt from Moraes got Nkuta off balance, resulting in Moraes jumping on the back and locking up the choke.
The time expired; however, Nkuta did not move for several seconds, resulting in a technical submission being called — and upheld by the California State Athletic Commission.
Adriano Moraes Scores Final-Second Technical Submission Of Phumi Nkuta At MVP MMA
Multiple MMA media members, however, took issue with the fact that Moraes still held onto the choke when the bell sounded.
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Moraes, the former ONE flyweight champion, entered this fight with three losses in his last four fights. He was finished in the first round by Yuya Wakamatsu in their March 2025 ONE flyweight title fight.
Nkuta, who took this fight on short notice to fill in for Muhammad Mokaev, entered this fight 11-0.