Mar 12, 2020

Top 5 Submissions Of 2020’s 1st Quarter

The Philippines' own Lito Adiwang battles Thailand's Pongsiri Mitsatit

ONE Championship’s elite mixed martial artists have delivered some incredible submissions in the first quarter of 2020.

Some of the athletes with top-drawer ground games overcame some stiff opposition to work their wrestling, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills and bring fans to their feet with an early finish on the canvas.

Here are the five best tapout victories on the global stage from the first three months of the year.

#1 Adiwang’s Opportunistic Armlock

Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang almost finished Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit with punches in the first minute of their match at ONE: FIRE & FURY, but though the durable Thai survived, he could not stop the explosive Filipino from getting the finish with his improved grappling game.

Adiwang first tried to attack on the ground with a scarf-hold Americana, but “The Smiling Assassin” escaped and moved out to his rival’s back. However, even that was not a safe haven as Adiwang locked up a figure-four grip on Mitsatit’s right arm and dived back onto the mat.

From there, he rolled on top into half-guard position and set to work on isolating his foe’s limb. “Thunder Kid” stepped his right leg over Mitsatit’s head and then cranked the Tiger Muay Thai athlete’s arm up his back to get the tap.

#2 Lapicus Stuns A Former Champ In A Flash

With a record that boasts six consecutive rear-naked choke wins in The Home Of Martial Arts, Marat “Cobra” Gafurov was seen as the submission specialist in his match at ONE: WARRIOR’S CODE, but Iuri Lapicus did not stick to that script.

The Moldovan hit the former ONE Featherweight World Champion with hard strikes almost as soon as the bout started, which prompted the Russian to shoot for a takedown.

The Team Petrosyan athlete was ready to respond and he countered with a slick harai goshi that smashed “Cobra” onto the canvas. Lapicus then quickly moved to Gafurov’s back, sunk in a rear-naked choke, and submitted him with his own signature move after just 67 seconds.

#3 Another Trademark Miura Submission

Ayaka Miura clinched her third consecutive win with her trademark finish when she took on Brazilian striker Maira Mazar at ONE: A NEW TOMORROW.

Though Mazar managed to fend off her rival’s scarf-hold Americana and arm-triangle choke attempts in round one, it was only a matter of time before the Japanese judoka got the result she wanted.

She took the Evolve athlete down again in round two and got back to the scarf-hold position. This time, Miura managed to wedge Mazar’s left arm between her legs and she drove her hips forward to force the tap from the painful shoulder lock.

#4 Eto Chokes Khan Quick In Singapore

ONE Warrior Series graduate Kimihiro Eto earned his first victory in the big leagues before elite contender Amir Khan even had a chance to unleash his feared striking game at ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE.

The Japanese athlete clinched up with his foe quickly, pushed him to the fence to secure a takedown, and landed straight into full mount from an outside trip. Khan turned to try to escape, but he gave up his back.

Eto immediately slid his left arm under the Evolve representative’s neck and put on a tight squeeze to finish the contest after just 99 seconds.

#5 Sato Defuses And Finishes Kwon

Shoko Sato knew he would have his hands full on the feet against “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il at ONE: FIRE & FURY, so he nullified the South Korean’s knockout threat and earned a first-round submission finish.

Sato slipped Kwon’s concussive punches and drove him to the fence before he dragged his rival to the mat. As “Pretty Boy” tried to stand back up, he opened up the gap for the Shooto World Champion to put his hooks in and secure back control.

Sato landed a couple of hard shots and then locked in a body triangle to trap Kwon before he threaded his left arm under his chin and forced a quick tap via rear-naked choke.