4 Phenomenal Finishes From ONE: HERO'S ASCENT's Submission Specialists

When ONE: HERO’S ASCENT takes place in Manila, Philippines this Friday, 25 January, 22 exciting martial artists will aim for victory by any means necessary inside the Mall Of Asia Arena.

Among them are some of ONE Championship’s most clinical submission specialists — athletes known for their ability to dismantle opponents on the mat.

There will also be those mixed martial artists that have evolved to a point where they are no longer just feared strikers, but also potent grapplers.

Here are four of the best submissions from the athletes set to compete on the card this Friday night.

Adriano Moraes‘ Awesome Arm Triangle

Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes has submitted six opponents in his ONE Championship career to date, and all six of those victories have come via choke.

Hailing from Constrictor Team in Brasilia, Brazil, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is a true master of attacking necks, and this domination of Kosuke “Rambo” Suzuki at ONE: ERA OF CHAMPIONS is a great example of his expertise.

Moraes controlled the Japanese athlete throughout and came close to a finish earlier in the bout, but in the final round, his rival could not escape.

“Mikinho” landed hard shots from inside Suzuki’s half guard, and “Rambo” tried to escape by posting against the fence to work his way back to a standing position. 

However, the Brazilian ducked his head under his opponent’s left armpit to shut off the escape, and then wrapped his left arm around the neck, which left Suzuki with two options – he could give up his back or defend the arm-triangle.

Moraes made his decision for him, as slid off to “Rambo’s” left side and used his left arm to compress the neck while Suzuki’s own left shoulder shut off the circulation on the other side. “Mikinho” used his feet to drive them away from the fence and make some space, and from there, he put the squeeze on to get the tap.

Moraes hopes to regain the ONE Flyweight World Title in The Home Of Martial Arts’ first trilogy bout against Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio on 25 January.

Honorio Banario‘s Slick Armbar

Honorio “The Rock” Banario showed his versatility against India’s Rajinder “Knockout” Singh Meena at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION.

The Team Lakay wushu stylist flexed his ground game by taking his foe down in the early stages of their contest, and clearly wanted to outgrapple the man from Delhi.

Meena foiled the Filipino’s first submission attempt by escaping a kimura, but the second time he was taken down, he would not be so fortunate.

Banario worked away from side control to land punches and elbows, before he looked for the shoulder lock once again. “The Rock” isolated “Knockout’s” left arm with his underhook, and turned him on to his side to attack. Meena defended, but this time Banario had a plan B.

He stepped around Meena’s head and right into a straight armbar position. With his full body weight in play to break the Indian’s defensive grip, the limb was quickly extended, while the other performed a hurried tap.

Banario will have his hands full against a ground specialist as he takes on Lowen Tynanes in the first ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final in Manila.

Tatsumitsu Wada‘s Opportunistic Choke

Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada showcased his high-level grappling ability in a technical three-round battle against BJJ black belt Reece “Lightning” McLaren in his ONE debut, and then he used it to cement his first promotional victory at ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM.

As Muay Thai stylist Eugene Toquero launched a big hook in his direction, Wada connected with a straight right hand, which spun his opponent around and exposed his back.

Straight away, the Japanese athlete jumped to grab a seatbelt grip and then put his hooks in to control Toquero as they tumbled to the mat. Within seconds, his right arm was deep under the chin, and the choke was locked in.

Toquero had no choice to tap, and it was all over within 52 seconds – a flawless victory. Wada will return to put Danny Kingad‘s grappling defense to the test at ONE: HERO’S ASCENT.

Danny Kingad‘s Tight Torque On Toquero

Danny “The King” Kingad landed an unorthodox takedown to take his bout with Eugene Toquero to the mat, as he used a caught kick to propel his Filipino countryman to the canvas, and show off his ever-improving offensive grappling.

Once the bout was down on the ground, “The King” moved through dominant positions while landing punches and elbows, and patiently waited for an opportunity to arise.

Kingad sensed his chance when a desperate Toquero tried to escape by turning into his foe. “The King” had the underhook, and therefore the positional dominance, to exploit the gap that was created. 

In similar fashion to his Team Lakay training partner Banario, the Baguio City native stepped his right leg over his opponent’s head, and span across to the right side of Toquero’s body – quickly locking out his limb for a picture-perfect armbar finish.

Kingad takes on Tatsumitsu Wada in what promises to be an exciting flyweight tussle at the Mall Of Asia Arena.