The Best Submissions From ONE Championship’s Japanese Stars

Many of the greatest submission specialists in the world hail from Japan, and those athletes have brought their phenomenal skills to ONE Championship.

The nation’s grapplers come well-versed in styles such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, wrestling, and even catch wrestling, which they have used to dispatch opponents in a variety of ways.

Here are six of the best submission wins from Japanese athletes on the global stage.

Aoki Reclaims The Gold Against Folayang

Legendary mixed martial arts star Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki started his second reign as ONE Lightweight World Champion when he defeated Eduard “Landslide” Folayang at ONE: A NEW ERA in March 2019.

Folayang had defeated Aoki to earn the crown in November 2016, so it was a huge moment for the man from Tokyo to claim it back decisively in the first round.

Aoki, a BJJ and judo black belt, clinched up with his Filipino rival against the Circle Wall and then dragged him to the canvas to take top position.

“Landslide” used his arms to frame, but the Japanese icon slipped his head past his foe’s elbow to move straight into an arm-triangle attack.

“Tobikan Judan” dropped his center of gravity to put immense pressure through the choke and then sliced through Folayang’s half guard to end up in mount position. From there, he rendered the Team Lakay product unconscious with a tight squeeze to retake the gold.

Yamaguchi Scores Late Submission Over Lachkova

The groundbreaking ONE: A NEW ERA event also featured Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi in a tough atomweight clash against Kseniya “The Tigress” Lachkova.

Lachkova pushed the two-time ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title challenger into the third round, but “V.V” still had gas in the tank and took the Russian down to the ground.

“The Tigress” threw up a triangle choke attempt, but the Japanese athlete was wise to the threat and used it to pass to side control.

Yamaguchi swiftly moved to mount and rained down punches on her rival. Lachkova tried to block the shots, but the local hero snatched up her left arm and switched off to the side to complete the lightning-fast armbar.

Hirata’s Tight Clamp Dispatches Ishige

Itsuki “Strong Heart Fighter” Hirata’s memorable head-scissors choke earned her a massive victory over Rika “Tiny Doll” Ishige at ONE: CENTURY PART I in October 2019.

The undefeated atomweight looked for an Americana attack in the second round of their battle in the Japanese capital, but Ishige worked to her knees to escape.

However, she was not out of danger, as “Strong Heart Fighter” dived over her back and used the figure-four grip on her arm to roll the Thai athlete onto the deck again.

Next, Hirata broke “Tiny Doll’s” grip and switched her focus to Ishige’s neck. With a tight clamp of her thighs, she applied a suffocating squeeze to get the unique choke victory.

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The ‘Master Of Leg Locks’ Strikes Again

As his nickname suggests, Masakazu “Ashikan Judan” Imanari has been the top leg-lock specialist in mixed martial arts for almost two decades, and he proved it again by taking out “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il at ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS in February 2019.

The Japanese star used his trademark “Imanari roll” to find a way through to Kwon’s lower limbs and looked for tighter control when the South Korean dropped to the canvas.

“Ashikan Judan” pulled “Pretty Boy’s” right leg between his own legs and then fished for his heel. As soon as he had a solid grip, Imanari quickly torqued on the heel hook to elicit a hurried tap from the rising star after just 53 seconds.

Miura Brings Her Signature Move To The Global Stage

Ayaka “Zombie” Miura immediately displayed her renowned judo skills when she met Laura “La Gladiadora” Balin in her promotional debut on the same bill at ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS.

The Tribe Tokyo MMA representative tossed her Argentine rival to the canvas with a beautiful hip throw within seconds of the opening bell and then promptly unveiled her signature move to the world.

In her favored scarf-hold side control position, Miura isolated Balin’s left arm and stuffed it between her legs. The finish was a formality from there, as the judoka drove her hips forward to crank on the powerful Americana shoulder lock and forced the tap after 73 seconds.

Naito’s World Title-Winning Debut

https://youtu.be/fXzBsnK4VZw

Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito entered The Home Of Martial Arts as an unbeaten Shooto Flyweight World Champion, so fans certainly expected a lot from him.

The Japanese star lived up to those expectations when he challenged then-reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke for the title at ONE: KINGDOM OF CHAMPIONS in May 2016.

Naito’s grappling was the key feature as the bout went into the championship rounds. Though “Kru Rong” had fended off many submission attempts from “Nobita,” his resistance was waning.

Eventually, the Japanese athlete got his rival down with a trip and then worked hard to take the Muay Thai legend’s back. With his position secured, Naito chipped away with punches until he found the room to thread his left arm under Dejdamrong’s chin.

The Thai resisted with all his might, but “Nobita” finally clasped his hand to his own bicep and put on a tight squeeze to get the tap – and the World Title.

Read more: The Best World Title Submissions In ONE Championship History