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Nikita Krylov more than made up for a two week delay in his fight against Ryan Spann after he wrapped up a triangle choke submission at UFC Las Vegas.

After dealing with an illness that cancelled their main event matchup on Feb. 25, Krylov returned in a catchweight fight on Saturday with something to prove. Some wild grappling exchanges eventually led to Krylov slipping off Spann’s back but then immediately moving into the triangle choke.

As soon as Krylov locked his foot under his own leg, Spann had no choice but to tap out with the end coming at 3:38 in the opening round.

“I hope everyone enjoyed the fight,” Krylov said afterwards. “I didn’t know what to think, I just knew I had to keep going forward. I realized that I was sick only two weeks ago so it might not be enough for the entire fight so I figured I should press forward and finish it quick.

“Now, I need to service on my body. Now I need rest. If UFC likes the way I fight, iw ant a contender fight, I’m ready for anyone.”

In a fight billed as two sluggers looking for the knockout, Spann and Krylov ended up locked in a grappling battle through much of the opening round. While there was some heavy leather being thrown early, Spann ended up grabbing onto a D’arce choke and then transitioned into a guillotine choke that looked like Krylov was in serious trouble.

Despite the submission being locked in, Krylov refused to give up as he just continued moving until he finally broke free of Spann’s submission.

From there, Krylov and Spann continued to battle for position while scrambling in some truly crazy exchanges on the canvas. Krylov eventually positioned himself to take the back as Spann was standing up again but “The Miner” didn’t quite have himself locked on.

A moment later, Krylov slipped off the back and fell forwards as Spann dropped down into his guard but a split second later the triangle choke was applied. Krylov wasted no time tightening the hold and Spann was forced to tap to end the fight.

Krylov has now won three fights in a row as he continues to prove he’s one of the toughest outs in the light heavyweight division, especially after dispatching Spann at UFC Las Vegas.