Top 5 Submissions From The Stars Of ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS

ONE Championship will cap a spectacular year with an event that will crown two new World Champions in the striking arts, but ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS will have plenty of mixed martial artists with exceptional grappling games, too.

The card in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is littered with some of the most exciting ground specialists on the roster, and a look back at five of their finest submissions shows the kind of excitement they could bring to the Axiata Arena.

#1 Jihin Hangs Tight To Triangle

Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan sent her home crowd into a frenzy with a first-round victory over Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres in her last outing at ONE: MASTERS OF DESTINY.

The Malaysian has an active guard and first attacked with an armbar, but her opponent slammed herself free. She was not out of danger, however, as “Shadow Cat” switched to a triangle, and held on to tighten the choke as the Filipina tried to power her way out again.

After that, Torres was stuck and had no choice but to wave the white flag after little more than three minutes.

Jihin will face off against Denice “The Menace Fairtex” Zamboanga in front of her hometown crowd next Friday.

#2 Thani Slams And Submits Chaubey

In a show of grappling dominance, Agilan “Alligator” Thani controlled and then submitted Amitesh Chaubey at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY.

Chaubey had barely survived Thani’s fearsome ground and pound offense in the opening five minutes, and “Alligator” quickly found the finish after the break.

The Malaysian hero dumped his Indian rival onto the mat with a high-crotch takedown and moved straight into side control, where he trapped the left arm between his legs and quickly set up his figure-four grip on the opposite side. With Chaubey’s right arm isolated, he cranked hard to force the tap.

The Monarchy MMA man will be back in action against Dante Schiro at the Axiata Arena.

#3 McLaren Walks Bunrad Into His Trap

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Reece “Lightning” McLaren picked up another trademark choke victory over Anatpong “Mak Mak” Bunrad at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD.

In his flyweight debut, the Australian grappler overwhelmed his Thai rival with relentless attacks on the ground. With half a minute left on the clock, he moved to the North-South position, where he set his trap.

As “Mak Mak” turned to his knees, McLaren was waiting to lock up a D’Arce choke. Once he had his arms in position, he moved to mount to squeeze and seal the finish.

“Lightning” will get back to business against Indian superstar Gurdarshan “Saint Lion” Mangat in Malaysia.

#4 Aiman Takes Chen’s ‘0’

Muhammad “Jungle Cat” Aiman proved his class when he gave “Rock Man” Chen Lei’s record its first blemish thanks to a second-round submission at ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON.

The finish came after Chen caught a left body kick from the Malaysian and charged toward the corner of the ring in search of a takedown, but Aiman kept his balance and quickly slipped behind his rival to look for a choke.

With his left hand under “Rock Man’s” chin, the Bali MMA representative jumped onto his back and locked up a tight body triangle. As soon as he was in position, he successfully locked up the rear-naked choke and squeezed until the Chinese athlete was forced to surrender.

If “Jungle Cat” can pull off something similar next Friday against “The Ghost” Chen Rui, he will thrill his compatriots.

#5 Sawada Lives Up To The Hype With Finish Of Calim

ONE Warrior Series graduate Ryuto “Dragon Boy” Sawada showed that his call-up to the big show was warranted when he choked out Aziz “The Krauser” Calim at ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD.

The unbeaten Japanese athlete quickly took control when he put Calim onto the mat with a hip throw early in their strawweight battle, and then dropped some heavy ground and pound.

“The Krauser” turned away from the incoming barrage, but moved right into “Dragon Boy’s” exceptional submission game. The Evolve representative quickly threw on a rear-naked choke to get the win after just 69 seconds.

Sawada’s next assignment on 6 December is against debuting South African Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane.

Read more: Jihin Radzuan Predicts Quick Finish Against Denice Zamboanga