UFC on ESPN 7 Prelims: Tim Means Guillotine Vanquishes Thiago Alves in Washington, D.C.

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Tim Means created an opening and exploited it.

The former multi-division King of the Cage titleholder submitted Thiago Alves with a guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC on ESPN 7 prelim on Saturday at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. Means (29-11-1, 11-8 UFC) sealed the deal 2:38 into Round 1, authoring his first submission victory since April 2015.

Alves (23-15, 15-12 UFC) enjoyed some early success with a right cross-left hook combination and a wicked body kick that left a footprint on the ribcage of his counterpart. Means was undeterred. “The Dirty Bird” marched forward, floored Alves with a straight left, swarmed him with follow-up punches and snatched the guillotine with the Brazilian in a seated position.

Quarantillo Smashes Replacement Kilburn

Billy Quarantillo obliterated Jacob Kilburn in a legitimate contender for “Beatdown of the Year,” as he submitted the 24-year-old organizational newcomer with a triangle choke in the second round of their featherweight confrontation. A short-notice fill-in for Chris Fishgold, Kilburn (8-3, 0-1 UFC) raised the white flag 3:18 into Round 2 but not before he absorbed a horrendous beating.

A former King of the Cage champion, Quarantillo (13-2, 1-0 UFC) bit down on a guillotine choke early in the first round, settled in top position and achieved full mount before he uncorked a sustained burst of punches and elbows. He hunted a rear-naked choke at times but returned to battering Kilburn when an opportunity to finish did not present itself. Quarantillo delivered a takedown to start the middle stanza, applied ferocious ground-and-pound once more and then transitioned from an arm-triangle choke to an armbar before cinching the triangle.

Quarantillo has rattled off six straight victories, the last five via stoppage.

Mitchell Twister Taps Sayles

Former V3 Fights champion Bryce Mitchell submitted Alliance MMA export Matt Sayles with a rarely seen twister in the first round of their featherweight scrap. Mitchell (12-0, 3-0 UFC) closed the door 4:20 into Round 1, executing the second successful twister in UFC history. Chan Sung Jung performed the first at Leonard Garcia’s expense in 2011.

Once Sayles (8-3, 1-2 UFC) hit the deck, the conclusion became a formality. Mitchell floated from one dominant position to the next, as the Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt moved from side control to mount to the back before he triangled his counterpart’s legs, isolated an arm and cranked on the neck for a quick tapout.

Sayles, 25, has lost two of his last three bouts.

Solecki Routs Fading Wiman

Takedowns, ground-and-pound and suffocating positional control carried Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Joe Solecki to a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 quarterfinalist Matt Wiman in a three-round lightweight tilt. All three cageside judges scored it for Solecki (9-2, 1-0 UFC): 30-26, 30-26 and 30-27.

Wiman (16-9, 10-7 UFC) never factored into the equation. Solecki secured takedowns in all three rounds, took dominant positions and unleashed punches and elbows. He advanced to Wiman’s back on multiple occasions and threatened with rear-naked chokes before returning to half guard or full guard and resuming his onslaught.

The 36-year-old Wiman has not posted a victory since Nov. 22, 2014.

Jandiroba Throttles Debuting Martin

Former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Virna Jandiroba submitted promotional newcomer Mallory Martin with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their women’s strawweight affair. A late replacement for Livinha Souza, Martin (6-3, 0-1 UFC) bowed out 1:16 into Round 2.

Jandiroba (15-1, 1-1 UFC) controlled much of the first round with superior grappling, then stepped up her attack in the second. There, she struck for a takedown, transitioned to the back and sealed Martin’s fate with the rear-naked choke.

The defeat halted Martin’s run of consecutive victories at five.

Surging Muradov KOs Smith

Makhmud Muradov knocked out Trevor Smith in the third round of their middleweight pairing. A short-notice substitution for Alonzo Menifield, Muradov (24-6, 2-0 UFC) brought it to a close 4:09 into Round 3, as he extended his winning streak to 13 fights.

Smith (15-10, 5-7 UFC) had issues in all three rounds. Muradov nearly submitted him in the second, where he advanced to the back and cinched a rear-naked choke in the waning moments. Only the bell prevented the finish. Late in Round 3, Muradov wrecked Smith with body shots, forced him to lower his and connected with a crushing overhand right that sent the mouthpiece flying and the onetime NCAA All-American wrestler crashing to the canvas.

The 38-year-old Smith has lost three fights in a row.