With losses in three of his previous four Octagon appearances, the hype had cooled considerably on Misha Cirkunov heading into UFC Fight Night 158.
The 32-year-old Latvian fighter earned a significant victory in Vancouver on Saturday, submitting highly-regarded Contender Series alum Jim Crute with a Peruvian necktie at the 3:38 mark of Round 1 in a featured light heavyweight tilt. The submission, which was just the second of its kind in UFC history, came just moments after Cirkunov appeared to be on his way to being stopped by a barrage of Crute ground-and-pound.