Rose Namajunas Throttles Paige VanZant in Lopsided UFC Fight Night Main Event

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20 finalist Rose Namajunas gave Paige VanZant the what-when-how treatment. She did what she wanted when she wanted and how she wanted to do it.

A short-notice replacement for the injured Joanne Calderwood, Namajunas submitted VanZant with a fifth-round rear-naked choke in the UFC Fight Night “Namajunas vs. VanZant” headliner on Thursday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. The tapout came 2:25 into round five.

VanZant (6-2, 3-1) had no answers for an opponent who was superior to her in every phase. Namajunas (4-2, 2-1 UFC) secured repeated takedowns, unleashed ferocious elbow-laden ground-and-pound and forced the Team Alpha Male prospect to operate under the constant threat of submission. Bloodied by a cut under the eye, VanZant showed her resolve, as she withstood a rear-naked choke in the third round and two armbars in the fourth. Namajunas was not dissuaded. Midway through round five, she scrambled to VanZant’s back and took a choke from which there was no escape.

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Chiesa Chokes Submits Miller

In the lightweight co-main event, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner Michael Chiesa joined Nate Diaz as the only fighters to submit Jim Miller, as he dispatched the New Jersey native with a second-round rear-naked choke. Miller (25-7, 14-6 UFC) met his end 2:57 into round two.

A back-and-forth first round concluded with Miller scrambling to the back, threading a body triangle and fishing for a choke. Chiesa (13-2, 6-2 UFC) remained calm and waited for the bell to sound his escape. He executed a takedown inside the first minute of round two, rolled out of heel hook and kneebar attempts from Miller and tenderized the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with punches. Miller covered up and left his neck exposed, as Chiesa scrambled to his back and set the palm-to-palm choke.

Chiesa, 28, has won four of his past five bouts.

Northcutt Guillotine Taps Pfister

Hyped prospect Sage Northcutt submitted Cody Pfister with a second-round guillotine choke in a featured confrontation at 155 pounds. Pfister (12-5-1, 1-2 UFC) tapped out 41 seconds into round two.

Northcutt (7-0, 2-0 UFC) kept his composure after yielding a takedown and eating some ground-and-pound early in the first round. The 19-year-old turned the tables, struck for a takedown of his own, delivered some elbows from top position and threatened with an arm-triangle choke. Pfister survived, but the complexion of the fight had changed. Inside the first minute of round two, Northcutt set off a scramble with another takedown, snared his counterpart in the guillotine and wrapped him in full guard for the finish.

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Santos Hands Theodorou First Loss

A punishing defensive clinch and savage kicks to the legs and midsection carried Thiago Santos to a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” winner Elias Theodorou in a three-round middleweight showcase. All three judges scored it for Santos (12-3, 4-2 UFC): 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27.

Theodorou (11-1, 3-1 UFC) kept the Brazilian on his heels with output and variety -- he delivered kicks with both legs -- throughout the first round. The tide turned in the second, where Santos made the Canadian pay for diving into the clinch. Knees, elbows and punches all found their mark. Theodorou’s situation did not improve in round three, where Santos opened a massive upside-down V-shaped cut above his right eye brow and continued to batter him with knees to the body, punches upstairs and some brutal kicks.

Santos has rattled off four straight wins.