3 Stellar Submissions From The Stars Of ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS

The bout lineup for ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS features a set of submission magicians whose ability to finish contests with their grappling acumen makes their match-ups essential viewing on Friday, 26 October.

Several of the athletes who will compete at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium can finish a match in the blink of an eye with their ability to stretch and squeeze various parts of their opponents’ anatomy.

Now, just a week away from another unforgettable night in Yangon, Myanmar, we take a look at three of the best submission finishes from a trio of stars who are scheduled for action.

Keanu Subba Sweeps And Submits Xie Chao

When Keanu Subba (6-3) competes, make sure you don’t take your eyes off the action in the first round.

Of the Malaysian sensation’s six career wins, five have come inside the opening stanza. His most recent triumph saw him showcase his submission skills against China’s “White Dragon” Xie Chao at ONE: PURSUIT OF POWER in Kuala Lumpur this past July.

Subba established the clinch early on, and then scored a big takedown and landed in top position. Once there, he went to work on his opponent. He moved from Xie’s guard into half-guard and connected with strikes before briefly returning to his feet. 

Before Xie had the chance to jump up, the Malaysian regained control. “White Dragon” then attempted to escape by rolling out of danger, but Subba floated over him, grabbed his left arm, went belly-down to lock in the armbar, and finally rolled onto his back to torque the limb.

The Chinese athlete held on admirably, but he was forced to tap out at the 3:31 mark.

This victory proved that Subba, who has three knockouts and three submissions as part of his 100 percent finishing rate, is every bit as dangerous on the ground as he is on the feet. 

He may have to prove that against Myanmar knockout artist Phoe “Bushido” Thaw (6-0) in Yangon.

Rafael Nunes Smothers Eric Kelly

In January, Rafael “Indio” Nunes (11-2) highlighted his black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills with a clinical finish of Filipino star Eric “The Natural” Kelly at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES.

Following a competitive opening round at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Nunes turned to his grappling in the second and showed his class on the mat.

After catching a front kick from Kelly, “Indio” took his man to the mat before moving to side control, where he took charge of the contest.

With “The Natural” looking to defend a kimura attempt, the Brazilian rotated his hips, laced his arm under his rival’s chin, and secured a D’Arce choke to force the tap at the 1:31 mark of round two.

The win gave Nunes the sixth submission victory of his mixed martial arts career. His finishing rate stands at 91 percent heading into ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS, meaning Russia’s Movlid “Killer” Khaibulaev (13-0) will have to be on his guard when they meet in Myanmar for their featherweight clash.

Aung La N Sang Puts The Squeeze On Alain Ngalani

ONE: HERO’S DREAM saw a clash of titans as ONE Middleweight World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang (23-10, 1 NC) faced off against heavyweight knockout artist Alain “The Panther” Ngalani in the promotion’s inaugural Open Weight Super-Bout last November.

Aung La N Sang had to overcome early adversity when Ngalani reversed a takedown attempt and landed on top, but the Myanmar icon regained his composure and eventually battled his way back to his feet.

Roared on by the Yangon crowd, “The Burmese Python” attempted a guillotine choke, and then an armbar as he looked to submit the Hong Kong hulk on the mat.

Ngalani managed to shrug off those two attempts, but after the pair returned to the feet, Aung La N Sang grabbed “The Panther’s” neck and dropped to his back, squeezing tight on a second guillotine choke attempt.

This time, there was no way out for Ngalani. He tapped out with just 29 seconds remaining in the opening round, and the roar from the Myanmar fans nearly blew the roof off the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium.

The two-division ONE World Champion will receive a similar ovation if he can hand Mohammad “O Lutador” Karaki (9-0) the first loss of his career at ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS.