6 Top Submission Victories From The Stars Of ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON

One of the greatest submission wizards in mixed martial arts history defends his ONE Lightweight World Championship in the headline attraction of ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON.

Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki has submitted 27 of his rivals in 43 career victories, and he will hope to make it 28 when he takes on Christian “The Warrior” Lee in Singapore on Friday, 17 May.

Lee, however, is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and he is confident in his ground skills, too. There is no doubt he will try to match the 35-year-old with his own grappling repertoire.

While fans can expect a spectacular main event, there are also plenty of other athletes on the bout card who can deliver breathtaking submissions.

Here are six of the best submission victories from the stars who are set to compete inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Aoki Reclaims The Gold By Choking Out Folayang

Aoki reclaimed the ONE Lightweight World Championship in emphatic fashion when he defeated his old rival Eduard “Landslide” Folayang in the opening round of their main event tilt at ONE: A NEW ERA in March.

“Tobikan Judan” took Folayang down at the first opportunity, and immediately sought the finish. As the Filipino icon tried to push his opponent’s head away, Aoki used his efforts against him and trapped his left arm by digging his head into the Team Lakay veteran’s armpit.

With his hands already connected, Aoki slid through to the mount to apply more pressure. He smashed his shoulder downward into Folayang’s neck and cinched up his grip to finish the suffocating squeeze.

Folayang defended until the bitter end, but he was put to sleep from the tight arm-triangle choke, and Aoki won back the coveted belt from the man who had previously taken it from him.

The Japanese martial arts legend defends the gold for the first time in his second reign as World Champion against Lee in Singapore.

Lee Thinks Fast To Secure ‘The Terminator Guillotine’

Lee almost finished Kazunori Yokota from back control in the second round of their featherweight bout at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY in March 2018, but the crafty Japanese veteran managed to escape the dangerous position.

However, he swerved one attack just to move into another. As Yokota tried to capitalize on his escape and take top position in the scramble, “The Warrior” punched his left arm underneath his rival’s head and through to the opposite armpit.

From there, the 20-year-old gripped with his right hand, fell to his side, and secured his opponent’s torso with his legs. Yokota had nowhere to go when the Singaporean applied his tight squeeze and forced a tap from the modified choke he dubbed “The Terminator Guillotine.”

Lee moves up a weight class to challenge his Evolve teammate for the ONE Lightweight World Title in front of a home crowd on 17 May.

Arslanaliev Keeps His Finishing Streak Intact Against Yamada

Tetsuya Yamada pushed Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev much further than anybody had managed before in The Home Of Martial Arts, but he still couldn’t make it to the final bell against the Turkish phenom.

In the third round of their bout at ONE: IRON WILL in March 2018, “Dagi” reversed Yamada’s single-leg takedown attempt and took the mount position. As the Japanese athlete turned to give his back, Arslanaliev deftly switched to a figure-four grip on his right arm.

“Dagi” had no intention of looking for the choke, but instead stayed one step ahead of his adversary’s movements. He rolled Yamada over with the limb still isolated and finished the armbar by dropping his hips to force all of his weight through the elbow joint.

Next, Arslanaliev will compete in a ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix semi-final contest in “The Lion City.”

Silva Sets The Trap For Catalan

After coming up short in his ONE Championship debut, Alex “Little Rock” Silva picked up his first victory in the world’s largest martial arts organization when he finished Rene “The Challenger” Catalan at ONE: KINGS & CHAMPIONS in April 2013.

The BJJ World Champion instantly looked for the takedown, but Catalan was durable and defended well. However, with 90 seconds left, the Brazilian took his Filipino rival’s back and offered no escape route.

He worked for a choke to no avail, but then he trapped Catalan’s left arm with his own, and then he started to make an angle out to the side of his body. As “The Challenger” turned in, sensing an escape, he moved into the awaiting armlock and was simply outfoxed by the more experienced grappler.

Silva will square off against former ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito in a rubber match inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Tonon’s Powerful Guillotine Finishes Lee

Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon entered The Home Of Martial Arts as one of the leading submission grapplers on the planet. He brought this to bear when he submitted fellow ground specialist Sung Jong Lee at ONE: HEART OF THE LION last November, and proved there are levels to the game.

He dove under Lee’s punch in the second period to land a swift double-leg takedown. The South Korean tried to elevate and sweep with his butterfly hooks, but “The Lion Killer” had already set the trap.

The American had looped his right arm around his foe’s neck and, by rolling to the top position, Lee landed himself in the guillotine choke. Some scrambling ensued as he attempted to free himself, but Tonon eventually wound up on top with a high left elbow and forced the tap.

Tonon takes aim at a perfect 5-0 slate when he meets Japan’s Yoshiki Nakahara in his next outing.

Yamaguchi Outlasts And Submits Lachkova

Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi had to work hard for victory in front of her compatriots at ONE: A NEW ERA, but when the finish came, it tasted that much sweeter.

Russia’s Kseniya “The Tigress” Lachkova forced the contest into the third round and had some worthy attacks of her own, but the Japanese atomweight had more in the tank in the final stanza.

She took Lachkova down, escaped a weak triangle attempt, and then passed to side control. Yamaguchi then took the mount and rained down punches.

The submission finish was textbook. “The Tigress” stretched out her arms to try and deflect the hard shots, but in doing so, she offered up her limb to the Tokyo-based athlete. “V.V.” isolated Lachkova’s left arm, switched off to the side, and thrust her hips into the submission to earn the tap.

Yamaguchi continues her rise back to the top of the division on 17 May. She goes up against China’s Meng Bo on the massive Singapore card.