4 Stellar Submissions From The Stars Of ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES

ONE Championship will hold the biggest martial arts spectacle in the company’s history on Saturday, 6 October.

The promotion will bring ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES to the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and the card will feature 14 massive match-ups in mixed martial arts, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and boxing.

While there will be a host of heavy hitters in striking-only bouts on this action-packed card, there will also be several submission specialists who will light up the ground game.

As we head towards event night, take this opportunity to relive some of the best submission victories from the elite grapplers set for action on 6 October.

Shinya Aoki’s Fierce Triangle Choke

Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki (41-8, 1 NC) has long been considered to be one of the best pure grapplers every to compete in mixed martial arts, and he showed exactly why when he submitted Russian contender Rasul Yakhyaev at ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS in May.

The Japanese submission ace gave fans a glimpse of his grappling prowess as he launched into a flying armbar, and then transitioned into an omoplata to take Yakhyaev to the mat. Aoki wound up in top position and began to work his magic.

After advancing to the mount, “Tobikan Judan” locked up a triangle choke, fell onto his back, cut an angle to tighten the hold, and trapped his opponent’s right arm to prevent from being struck. The Russian had no choice but to tap midway through the opening round.

The victory showed that Aoki was still a massive threat in the promotion’s lightweight division, and if he defeats Ev Ting (15-4) in Bangkok, he will get a shot at the ONE Lightweight World Title next year.

Leandro Issa’s Perfect Arm-Triangle Choke

Former Brazilian jiu-jitsu World Champion Leandro “Brodinho” Issa’s (16-6) most recent outing saw him bounce back from an early knockdown to claim one of the fastest finishes of his career.

The Evolve representative faced Guam’s Roman “Boom” Alvarez at ONE: SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR in June, and he looked to ascend up the bantamweight ranks with a highlight-reel win.

Alvarez showed why he is called “Boom,” as he landed a massive punch that dropped the Brazilian star seconds into the contest, but Issa recovered well.

His grappling instincts kicked in, and he grabbed his foe as Alvarez rushed in for the finish, and got a takedown. From there, he established control, maneuvered into position, and locked up a textbook arm-triangle choke to put Alvarez to sleep.

It was a clean, clinical finish that brought an end to the bout at 86 seconds. Now, Issa will attempt to strengthen his claim for a shot at the ONE Bantamweight World Title when he faces Muin Gafurov (15-2) at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES.

Hayato Suzuki’s Masterful Rear-Naked Choke

Hayato Suzuki (18-1-2) came into ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES motivated to prove he was still a threat for the ONE Strawweight World Championship.

The Japanese wrestler squared off against former ONE World Title challenger Yago “Codorninha” Bryan in January, and he dominated his opponent with a comprehensive display of ground-game expertise.

A powerful double-leg takedown saw Suzuki drive the Brazilian into the canvas, and once there, he systematically broke down his adversary.

When Bryan spotted an opportunity to stand back up, the Japanese athlete instantly took his rival’s back. He locked up the rear-naked choke, applied the squeeze, and claimed the eighth submission win – and seventh first-round finish – of his career.

He will try to build off that momentum when he faces the man below in Thailand.

Robin Catalan‘s Slick Heel Hook

Filipino fans had not seen the scope of IFMA Muay Thai World Champion Robin Catalan‘s (8-3) submission ability in the ONE cage until his most recent bout at ONE: BATTLE FOR THE HEAVENS.

Against Adrian “Papua Badboy” Mattheis, he demonstrated his ability to decide a bout with a top-shelf leglock technique.

“The Ilonggo” controlled the opening stanza with his grappling, and he stepped things up in the second round by catching a kick and taking Mattheis to the ground. 

Rather than establishing top position, however, Catalan attacked the Indonesian star’s legs and wrapped up a heel hook submission that forced  “Papua Badboy” to swiftly tap.

This victory proved the Filipino’s skills on the mat are not to be underestimated. He will look to score the biggest win of his career when he collides with Suzuki at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES on Saturday.