Scotland’s Paul Craig was defeated by Brendan Allen in the main event bout at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.
Craig, 35, lost by submission in the third round of the middleweight clash after being held in a rear naked choke by the American.
It was a fourth straight win by rear naked choke for Allen, 27, who dominated the fight.
“I’m the best in the world and I’m here to prove it. I want the number one contender,” Allen said.
Craig had spoken of it being a “dream come true” to become the first Scottish fighter to headline a UFC event.
It was only his second bout at middleweight after moving down from light-heavyweight to beat Andre Muniz in July.
However, he was unable to match Allen, coming off the back of five straight wins, who landed 52 strikes to Craig’s 13.
The loss leaves Craig with a record of 17 wins, seven defeats and one draw, while Allen now has 23 victories to five losses.
“I’ve beat everyone they put in front of me. I’ve finished them,” Allen said.