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In one of the highlight matches of the DREAM/K-1 Fields Dynamite! New Years Eve megacard, Japanese submission machine Shinya Aoki used a heel hook to submit a top notch opponent in Eddie Alverez at 1:32 of the first round.
When the Aoki/Alverez fight was first announced, there was some speculation that Aoki had chosen one of the worst possible stylistic matchups for him. A product of tough Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia, he grew up not far from where much of the exterior scenes were shot for the first Rocky movie. Though Alverez escaped the areas cycle of crime, he did so by earning respect on the streets for his toughness"basically, he was such a feared street fighter that no one would mess with him. With this sort of toughness and heart bred into him, and a solid background in boxing and amateur wrestling hes become one of the best all round fighters in MMA and among the best in the world at the weight.
Alverez received an enthusiastic reaction from the fans in Tokyos Saitama Super Arena as he made his way to the ring on New Years Eve"his run to the DREAM lightweight finals and particularly the epic battle with Hansen has made him a highly respected and popular fighter in Japan. The reaction he received was nothing like Aokis, however, who was cheered like a rock star as he bounced to the ring to his trademark theme song Baka Survivor.
As the two fighters stood for referee instructions, it was striking how much taller and rangier Aoki was than his opponent. The two men respectfully touched gloves and bowed slightly before heading back to their corner for the opening bell of what most anticipated would be a lengthy chess match between two of the best fighters at the weight.
For the first minute of the match, it appeared that a slow feeling out process was underway. Alverez was the aggressor for most of the first minute, coming forward while using his jab as a range finder.
What happened next can only be described as unbelievable"the sequence started when Aoki grabbed Alverezs ankle after a kick and appeared to go for what looked like a standing anklelock submission. Alverez managed to extricate his ankle and seeing that Aoki was off balance took the opportunity to go for his own takedown with a move that looked more like a judo throw than a traditional wrestling move. Against 99.9% of the other fighters in the world, Alverez would have ended up on top and started working in full or half guard.
When Alverez landed, however, Aoki wasnt there. In one single, almost gravity defying motion hed used the momentum from the takedown to shoot under Alverez and grab his leg. Alverez struggled briefly, but Aoki quickly cinched in a painful heel hook. Having prepared well for his opponent, Alverez went to counter by changing his body position and relieving the pressure but Aoki followed him move for move. Eventually, Alverez maneuvered himself into an even worse position and with an audible shout of pain was forced to tap. He got up slowly after the fight, but as of now theres thankfully been no indication of a serious leg or joint injury.
Ever the gentleman, Aoki dropped to the canvas after the tapout to check on his opponents condition than started his postfight celebration. He quickly addressed the crowd in Japanese to an enthusiastic response before heading to the back.
One superlative that is no longer in dispute is Shinya Aokis status as the best submission artist in mixed martial arts. Theres simply no one else like him in the sport"theres plenty of good, solid submission based fighters but Aoki elevates it into an art form. Hes got the technical background to be sure, but what elevates him above the rest is his amazing ability at improvisation. This makes it downright impossible to adequately prepare to fight him, as Alverez discovered. Even if an opponent has mastered all of the defenses and counters for every known submission technique, theres no way to defend someone who can make up effective submission moves during a fight.
When the Aoki/Alverez fight was first announced, there was some speculation that Aoki had chosen one of the worst possible stylistic matchups for him. A product of tough Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia, he grew up not far from where much of the exterior scenes were shot for the first Rocky movie. Though Alverez escaped the areas cycle of crime, he did so by earning respect on the streets for his toughness"basically, he was such a feared street fighter that no one would mess with him. With this sort of toughness and heart bred into him, and a solid background in boxing and amateur wrestling hes become one of the best all round fighters in MMA and among the best in the world at the weight.
Alverez received an enthusiastic reaction from the fans in Tokyos Saitama Super Arena as he made his way to the ring on New Years Eve"his run to the DREAM lightweight finals and particularly the epic battle with Hansen has made him a highly respected and popular fighter in Japan. The reaction he received was nothing like Aokis, however, who was cheered like a rock star as he bounced to the ring to his trademark theme song Baka Survivor.
As the two fighters stood for referee instructions, it was striking how much taller and rangier Aoki was than his opponent. The two men respectfully touched gloves and bowed slightly before heading back to their corner for the opening bell of what most anticipated would be a lengthy chess match between two of the best fighters at the weight.
For the first minute of the match, it appeared that a slow feeling out process was underway. Alverez was the aggressor for most of the first minute, coming forward while using his jab as a range finder.
What happened next can only be described as unbelievable"the sequence started when Aoki grabbed Alverezs ankle after a kick and appeared to go for what looked like a standing anklelock submission. Alverez managed to extricate his ankle and seeing that Aoki was off balance took the opportunity to go for his own takedown with a move that looked more like a judo throw than a traditional wrestling move. Against 99.9% of the other fighters in the world, Alverez would have ended up on top and started working in full or half guard.
When Alverez landed, however, Aoki wasnt there. In one single, almost gravity defying motion hed used the momentum from the takedown to shoot under Alverez and grab his leg. Alverez struggled briefly, but Aoki quickly cinched in a painful heel hook. Having prepared well for his opponent, Alverez went to counter by changing his body position and relieving the pressure but Aoki followed him move for move. Eventually, Alverez maneuvered himself into an even worse position and with an audible shout of pain was forced to tap. He got up slowly after the fight, but as of now theres thankfully been no indication of a serious leg or joint injury.
Ever the gentleman, Aoki dropped to the canvas after the tapout to check on his opponents condition than started his postfight celebration. He quickly addressed the crowd in Japanese to an enthusiastic response before heading to the back.
One superlative that is no longer in dispute is Shinya Aokis status as the best submission artist in mixed martial arts. Theres simply no one else like him in the sport"theres plenty of good, solid submission based fighters but Aoki elevates it into an art form. Hes got the technical background to be sure, but what elevates him above the rest is his amazing ability at improvisation. This makes it downright impossible to adequately prepare to fight him, as Alverez discovered. Even if an opponent has mastered all of the defenses and counters for every known submission technique, theres no way to defend someone who can make up effective submission moves during a fight.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 and an authority on NFL football betting. He's a noted expert sports handicapping theory, as well as stock market investing. He contributes to a number of websites providing insight on how to bet on NFL football, MMA and boxing.
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