Many of the big-name stars of ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS are known for their superb striking, but there will also be plenty of potential for submission stoppages this Friday, 23 November in Manila, Philippines.
Several grappling specialists are prepared to shine under the lights, but they won’t be the only ones on the hunt. There are knockout artists who have honed their skills on the mat to make themselves dangerous wherever their matches end up.
Take a look back at a trio of the best submissions from some of the stars returning to action in the Filipino capital.
Amir Khan Takes Out Honorio Banario
Singaporean lightweight contender Amir Khan’s win over former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario showcased his ability to switch gears and pull out an unexpected finish.
Known primarily as a striker, Khan settled into a rhythm against Banario, who looked to push forward and score with striking combinations. But Khan was not content to simply stand and trade with the Filipino, and he showed excellent timing to duck under a hook from “The Rock” and score a takedown in the first round.
Banario managed to return to his feet, but Khan soon repeated the trick, this time locking his hands around the Team Lakay product’s waist to drag him to the mat.
He swiftly transitioned to his opponent’s back and established control with his hooks. From there, he isolated Banario’s left arm, which gave him room to lock up the rear-naked choke with his own right arm. From there, he tightened his grip and forced the tap at the 4:34 mark.
It was an excellent display of shrewd game planning that helped propel him towards a shot at the ONE Lightweight World Title against Banario’s teammate Eduard “Landslide” Folayang in Manila.
Rudy Agustian Makes Kaji Ebin Quit
Indonesian flyweight Rudy “The Golden Boy” Agustian announced himself on the ONE Championship stage with an impressive first-round submission of Kaji Ebin at ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS.
Agustian made a big impression on his debut as he took Ebin to the canvas and moved to side control. He softened up his opponent with short elbows to the head before switching targets and isolating his left arm.
With his rival’s limb out in the open, the Tangerang native locked up a figure-four grip and applied an Americana keylock with force.
The pressure proved too much and Ebin verbally submitted. Agustian’s impressive ability to switch from striking to a submission on the mat brought him an eye-catching debut victory in The Home Of Martial Arts.
Honorio Banario Submits Rajinder Singh Meena
Team Lakay’s stars built their names in mixed martial arts through their spectacular striking skills, but over the past couple of years, they have worked tirelessly at their Baguio City gym to bring their grappling skills up to similar levels.
Honorio “The Rock” Banario was one of the first to show their new approach when he was matched against a pure striker in Rajinder Singh Meena at ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION. He decided his best chance of success was on the ground, and he deviated from his usual striking approach to dominate his opponent on the mat.
Banario had already scored an early takedown when he took Meena to the mat for a second time with a well-executed double-leg. Once there, “The Rock” passed to side control and moved to the crucifix position.
Meena battled hard to prevent Banario from locking up a submission, but the Filipino was relentless in his pursuit of the left arm, landing strikes at close range to force Meena to give it up.
He stepped over his head to take control, and although he could not force the tap from there, he pivoted to fall back and torque to limb to get the tap with an armbar.
Banario will look for another win against Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES.
More News
Quiñonero fights Verdadero in Resbak 2
Resbak 2 at Malungon, Sarangani Province on July 12
Garde stops Baliente in 1st round in “Resbak”