Top 5 Submissions Of 2019’s 4th Quarter

The final quarter of 2019 was fascinating. It was stacked with finishes – many of which included captivating submissions.

ONE Championship’s mixed martial artists showcased their bout-ending ability on the mat to choke and joint-lock their way to victory in the seven events that took place from October to December.

With the year winding down, here are the five best submissions to take place on the global stage in 2019’s fourth quarter.

#1 Lee Gets Redemption Against Xiong

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee evened the score with “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan in the main event of ONE: CENTURY PART I in October.

Midway through the final frame, the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion slammed her rival to the canvas and immediately set to work from back control.

Xiong — the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion — resisted with all her strength, but Lee softened her up with punches. Then, she finally found the room to slide her right arm underneath the chin.

From there, the Singaporean flattened the Chinese superstar out and cinched up the rear-naked choke to force the tap with just 12 seconds left on the clock.

#2 Pacio Retains His Gold Via Arm-Triangle

ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio successfully defended his belt against his compatriot, Rene “The Challenger” Catalan, at ONE: MASTERS OF FATE in November.

It was Catalan who initially looked like the biggest threat on the ground with his leg lock attempts in the opening stanza, but the Team Lakay product flipped the script in round two.

He sprawled on his countryman’s takedown attempt and got to top position, where he quickly passed to side control.

Pacio then burrowed his head into his opponent’s left armpit and took a deep crossface to isolate Catalan’s head and arm. The Team Lakay representative then moved across “The Challenger’s” body to tighten up the arm-triangle choke and seal the victory.

#3 McLaren Dominates Mangat On The Canvas

Reece “Lightning” McLaren used his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt skills to dominate, and finish, Gurdarshan “Saint Lion” Mangat at ONE: MARK OF GREATNESS earlier this month.

The Aussie took Mangat down quickly in the opening frame, and then smothered him with pressure until he moved to the mount position.

From there, “Lightning” dropped some hard ground and pound onto his rival, which forced the Indian to turn to escape.

McLaren anticipated Mangat’s movements, and he immediately took the back and latched on to a rear-naked choke to throttle “Saint Lion” into submission.

#4 Silva Adds Another Armbar Finish To His Resume

In a dramatic two-round affair, Brazilian star Alex “Little Rock” Silva dispatched Chinese wrestler Peng Xue Wen with his favored armbar submission at ONE: EDGE OF GREATNESS in November.

The former ONE Strawweight World Champion had his opponent mounted in the late stages of the second frame, and he went for broke before the bell.

He trapped Peng’s arm to his chest and used his right leg to step over the Chinese athlete’s shoulder. Then, “Little Rock” dropped his left shin across his foe’s head, which trapped the right arm in position.

As Peng tried to roll out, Silva hooked his leg for control and then applied the lightning-fast armbar to elicit a hurried tap.

#5 Hirata Thinks Outside The Box

Inventive Japanese submission artist Itsuki “Strong Heart Fighter” Hirata finished Rika “Tiny Doll” Ishige with a rare head scissors choke at ONE: CENTURY PART I.

Hirata dominated the contest in every range, but the finish came when her Thai adversary rolled to her knees to escape an Americana shoulder lock attempt in round two.

The Japanese combatant grabbed a figure-four grip and dived over Ishige’s back to turn her over. She wrestled “Tiny Doll’s” arm free, but then pinched her legs tightly around her neck.

With a sustained squeeze of her thighs, “Strong Heart Fighter” choked the resistance out of her opponent for a resounding victory.