Johnny Eduardo had Nathaniel Wood bloodied and backing up in the first round, but seemed to let him off the hook. He paid for it in the second.

Wood (14-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) squeezed a perfect D’Arce choke in the second round after Eduardo (28-12 MMA, 3-4 UFC) went for what proved to be an ill-advised takedown. The tap came at the 2:18 m ark of the middle frame.

The bantamweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 131 event at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, N.Y. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of the rest of the card on FS1.

Eduardo kicked low early, but Wood returned with the same and nearly tripped Eduardo off his feet. When Wood kicked low, Eduardo tried to counter with a right hand. Eduardo tried a spinning kick to go with his right hand, then worked his jab. Wood landed a left hook, but then was taken off his feet by an Eduardo punch.

He recovered quickly and went back to the center. With a minute left, Eduardo put together a big combination and had Wood covering up. Wood was bleeding from his nose, but Eduardo stayed patient and backed out with 40 seconds left. That let Wood surive the round to see the second and get a chance to recover – and Eduardo would go on to regret it.

The two traded kicks and punches in the second, and Wood’s face continued to wear the effects of Eduardo’s punches. But when Eduardo shot for a takedown, it wasn’t there. He tried to hop to half-guard, but Wood went to work on top. He worked for a D’Arce choke and sank it in, and soon after Eduardo was forced to tap.

“He pinged me with a little shot that rattled me a bit, but I was fine and still in the fight,” Wood said. “You’re going to have to put me out if you want to put me in my place. A lot of people think all I can do is strike, but I’ve got a good ground game. I started with jiu-jitsu and as soon as he went for that takedown, it gave me confidence that he didn’t want to stand with me anymore. I then could set up my D’Arce choke and get the submission.

“Now, I’d like to let my eye heal up and try and keep these good looks. As soon as my manager and the UFC want me back in there, I’m ready for negotiations. But I think I’ve got to take my miss on holiday first – so a good month or two off.”

Wood won for the sixth straight time after four straight knockout wins for Cage Warriors. Eduardo lost for the second straight time and third time in four fights.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 131 results include:

• Nathaniel Wood def. Johnny Eduardo via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 2:18
• Jose Torres def. Jarred Brooks via TKO (slam) – Round 2, 2:55

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 131, check out the UFC Events section of the site.