3 Phenomenal Submissions From The ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Stars

The ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix brings together eight of the planet’s best flyweight martial artists, and whoever wins this prestigious tournament will earn a shot at reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes.

The quarter-finals all take place at ONE: A NEW ERA in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, 31 March, and the tournament will form an integral part of ONE Championship’s biggest card in history.

Fans will bear witness to a diverse array of skills from the eight flyweight participants, and the submission specialists among them will try to find a route to victory on the canvas.

Ahead of the promotion’s inaugural Japan event at the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan, here are three of the best submission victories from the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix entrants.

Kingad Grounds The Filipino Knockout Artist

Team Lakay’s Danny “The King” Kingad opened up his ONE career with a TKO victory in April 2016, and then he secured a submission finish to showcase his well-rounded attributes in his sophomore appearance at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION just eight months later.

Eugene Toquero caught one of the Team Lakay product’s kicks early in the contest, but Kingad landed some punches and then flipped his opponent onto the canvas to counter a potentially awkward situation.

Once he was on top, he was relentless, and Toquero never looked close to escaping. Kingad threatened with a guillotine choke, but mostly used his dominance to attack with punches and elbows on his countryman.

Toquero desperately tried to find a way out. He turned to get up to his knees, but “The King” was a step ahead. He had underhook control of the Muay Thai stylist’s right arm, and as his adversary turned, it opened up an opportunity to attack for an armbar.

He deftly stepped over Toquero’s head, span across to the opposite side of his body, isolated the limb, and secured the armbar submission.

The former ONE World Title challenger is riding a four-bout win streak, and he hopes to extend it to five by defeating Andrew Leone in Tokyo.

“Lightning” Strikes Fast Against Subba

In March 2018, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Reece “Lightning” McLaren met powerful striker Gianni Subba at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY in the Malaysian’s home city of Kuala Lumpur, and silenced the crowd with a stunning submission win.

“Lightning” had success on the ground in round one, but could not put his rival away. However, in round two, he proved that he only needs the smallest window of opportunity to find a finish.

Three minutes into the stanza, the Aussie dropped for a double-leg takedown, and then tumbled Subba to the mat. He immediately landed in the mount position with his head in the Malaysian’s left armpit.

McLaren wrapped his left arm tightly around his opponent’s neck to set up an arm-triangle, and then passed to side control so he could initiate a tighter squeeze. With his palms locked together and all of his weight bearing down on the choke, Subba had no choice but to tap.

The Australian meets former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov on 31 March.

Wada Chokes Toquero In 52 Seconds

Two-time DEEP Flyweight World Champion Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada went back-and-forth with McLaren in a phenomenal grappling display in his ONE debut last July.

Despite coming up short via split decision, the Japanese athlete showed that he has the ground skills to hang with the elite.

When he returned to face Toquero at ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM in November, he utilized his grappling acumen to take his first promotional victory in style.

The Filipino knockout artist swung at “The Sweeper” with all his might, but when a left hook missed the mark, his power was his undoing as he over-rotated and offered the Tokyo native access to his back.

Wada did not waste the opportunity. He instantly saw the opening, jumped on Toquero with a seatbelt grip, and wrapped his legs around his opponent to secure the position.

The entangled pair fell to the canvas, and the Japanese competitor slid his right arm underneath his foe’s chin. In the speed of the exchange, the Filipino had no time to defend, and the submission was locked in.

Toquero tapped after just 52 seconds, giving “The Sweeper” a swift, decisive victory.

Wada would like to engineer a similar situation when he welcomes debuting Brazilian Ivanildo Delfino to the world’s largest martial arts organization.