8 Of The Best Submission Wizards In ONE Championship

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If knockouts are the quickest way to win a contest, then submissions are without a doubt the most technical. 

By their very nature, submissions are designed to put an opponent in a no-win position where they have no other option but to admit defeat, and tap out. Simply put, it is the ultimate form of putting your adversary in checkmate.

It is arguably the most satisfying way to demonstrate your technical superiority over your rival, and in ONE Championship there is a host of elite-level submission specialists who have made their name by forcing their rivals to quit.

Here are eight of the very best submission wizards in the promotion.

Marat “Cobra” Gafurov

Top strikers often have a ‘honey punch,’ or their go-to strike that often brings them the their much desired knockout finish. In submission terms, Marat “Cobra” Gafurov (15-1) has something very similar — the rear-naked choke.

Since making his ONE debut with a submission finish of Rob Lisita in October 2014, the Dagestani has won each and every one of his victories via rear-naked choke submission.

Often, the submissions come early, but in the case of his fourth-round ONE Featherweight World Title-winning finish of Narantungalag Jadambaa in November 2015, he is more than capable of finishing his bouts in the later rounds.

With 11 of 15 career wins coming by submission, including all six of his victories in the promotion, one thing is clear: make sure “Cobra” stays away from your back, or else it could be all over in an instant.

Surely, he will try putting Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia in the rear-naked choke during their upcoming clash at ONE: HEROES OF HONOR on Friday, 20 April.

Alex “Little Rock” Silva

In a roster packed with world-class martial artists, Alex “Little Rock” Silva (7-1) stands out. 

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion was edged out in his promotional debut by future ONE Interim Flyweight World Champion Geje Eustaquio in February 2012. Since then, however, he has been perfect inside the cage. He has racked up six consecutive wins, culminating in the ONE Strawweight World Championship last December.

Silva tore through the opposition en route to a world title shot, finishing each and every one of his foes by submission via an assortment of armbars, kneebars, and arm-triangle chokes.

After showcasing his striking in his title-winning performance against previously unbeaten champion Yoshitaka Naito, he is now a dual threat to every strawweight challenger on the roster. 

“Unstoppable” Angela Lee

With a perfect record, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee (8-0) is still plenty young in her martial arts career. But the Singaporean dynamo has already demonstrated top-notch finishing skills, which look set to keep her at the top of the sport for many years to come.

Six of Lee’s eight wins have come by way of submission, including a rarely-seen twister, a pair of rear-naked chokes, a neck crank, an armbar, and, in her most recent performance, an anaconda choke over Istela Nunes.

Lee is set to make her long awaited return to the cage on Friday, 18 May, as she clashes with Mei Yamaguchi in the main event of ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS from her native Singapore.

It is a rematch from their iconic bout for the inaugural title two years ago. Lee anticipates the same result, but this time, she expects to finish her Japanese rival.

Christian “The Warrior” Lee

Christian “The Warrior” Lee (9-1) has five KO/TKO stoppages to his name, but it is his four submission victories that are arguably the most impressive aspect of his record.

Lee is only 19 years of age, but he has developed a submission game dangerous enough to tap out high-quality opposition inside the ONE cage.

He tapped out Keanu Subba with a third-round armbar at ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS in August 2017, and then, in his most recent performance in February, claimed an eye-catching choke finish of the veteran Kazunori Yokota. With his “Terminator Guillotine,” he handed the Japanese star only the second submission loss of his 37-bout career (Gafurov gave him the other).

After already amassing a hugely impressive record, it is going to be fascinating — and great fun — to find out just how high the Singaporean’s ceiling will be. Next time, if Lee has his way, he could be challenging for the ONE Featherweight World Title.

Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes

ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes (17-2) is one of the most well-rounded athletes in the entire organization, but his best weapon without doubt is his submission arsenal.

Six of Moraes’ eight wins inside the ONE cage have come via submission, with an array of different choke techniques used, like the rear-naked, brabo, guillotine, and arm-triangle.

The Brazilian has also proved his submission abilities against notable opposition, including outstanding finishes of Danny Kingad, and current ONE Interim Flyweight World Champion Eustaquio.

Moraes may well end up facing the latter later in the year, where he will look to repeat, or better, his guillotine choke finish of the Filipino as he looks to unify the titles once again. There is also a real possibility he may face the contender below first.

Reece “Lightning” McLaren

Australian sensation Reece “Lightning” McLaren’s dynamic martial arts skill set has his grappling talent at the very heart of it.

The 26-year-old has seven submission wins from his 11 career victories, including three earned under the ONE banner.

McLaren (11-5) kicked off his promotional stint with a third-round rear-naked choke finish of Mark Striegl, and more recently he has finished both of his last two match-ups by chokes.

Anatpong Bunrad was dispatched via brabo choke in the first round at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD last November, while fellow flyweight contender Gianni Subba was finished via second-round arm-triangle choke at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY earlier in the month.

Now, the undisputed number one contender to the world title, he has the possibility of a future match-up against Moraes, or interim titleholder Eustaquio, later this year. Either way, fans will be in for a treat when McLaren steps into the ONE cage next.

Agilan “Alligator” Thani

Malaysian hero Agilan “The Alligator” Thani (9-1) has five submission victories from his nine career wins. That is a submission finish rate of 56%.

The Kuala Lumpur-based welterweight has finished four of his opponents via rear-naked choke, and stopped his most recent adversary, Amitesh Chaubey, via kimura armlock at ONE: VISIONS OF VICTORY.

ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren is the only man to defeat Thani, but now that he is retired, expect the Malaysian to leverage his submission prowess again this year as he makes a bid to capture the vacant belt.

Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki

This list would not be complete without a mention of former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki (39-8, 1 NC).

For the past decade, the Japanese martial arts legend has been widely regarded as Asia’s best martial artist because of his relentless grappling expertise and his killer instinct.

Aoki is a black belt judoka and jiu-jitsu specialist who has 24 submission victories to his credit, and though he lost the lightweight world title a year and a half ago, he is still a force in ONE.

In fact, he most recently submitted Gafurov in the promotion’s second-ever Grappling Super-Match via rear-naked choke, and is ready to get back into the ONE cage for his next challenge.

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