5 MMA fighters who have techniques named after them

To etch one's name among the all-time greats of a sport takes a lifetime of unfathomable commitment, discipline and evolution. These manifest themselves in accomplishments so lofty they remain untouched for decades and the names of those who achieved them echo across generations.

But there are also those who've left legacies inerasable despite not leaving their hearts on the field of play, minute after minute, day after day. The fruit of their toil was a single, iconic, eternal bequeathal that mankind will not fail to recognize no matter how many years pass.

We're talking about Gustav Eiffel's Eiffel Tower, Rudolf Diesel's Diesel Engine and Mikhail Kalashnikov's Automat Kalashnikov, or as it is more commonly known, the AK-47. There are very few things that can make a person prouder than having something named after them.

Sport has plenty of examples: in boxing there's the Ali shuffle, named after the GOAT Muhammad Ali; in cricket there's the Dilscoop named after Tilakaratne Dilshan and in pro-wrestling there's the Lou Thesz press, made famous by Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Mixed martial arts has a handful of techniques that bear the names of the fighters who popularized their use. MMA is an amalgamation of many disciplines like judo, jiu jitsu, wrestling etc and most of these moves were adopted from one of these parent disciplines. But the fighters with whom these manouevres became synonymous honed them to such an extent that they became a perfect fit for MMA. Here are a few of them:

#5 Imanari roll:

The Imanari roll might be the only technique whose proliferater is still actively fighting in MMA. We're talking about Masakazu Imanari, the 42-year-old Japanese veteran who is a member of ONE Championship's Featherweight division.

Imanari's nickname, "Ashikan Judan" means "The Great Master of Leg Submissions" is well-justified, as he has 16 wins in that style. Here's a tutorial on the technique:

UFC stars Tony Ferguson and Rory MacDonald have attempted the Imanari roll in their fights, but the most successful practitioner of the move is leg lock specialist and The Ultimate Fighter season 22 winner Ryan Hall.

#4 Ezekiel choke

The Ezekiel choke gets its name from a 2-time Olympic Judoka from Brazil, Ezequiel Paraguassu. While training for the 1988 Seoul Olympics at the Carlson Gracie Academy, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners were impressed with the Judoka's mastery of the technique. Since both judo and BJJ share the same outfit (the white GI), adopting the technique was easy because it is a Gi choke and the higher time limit in BJJ made it a mainstay of the sport.

What's most interesting is that Paraguassu moved to Switzerland after the Olympics and was completely unaware of the popularity of the choke. On a trip to Brazil nearly 20 years later, imagine his amazement when at a BJJ tournament, he heard a coach instructing one of his students to use the "Ezekiel choke".

The first name in MMA that comes to mind in connection with the Ezekiel choke is Ukrainian grappling wizard Oleksiy Oliynyk, who has a staggering 10 wins via the same. The "Boa Constrictor" pulled off the first Ezekiel choke win in UFC history last year at UFC Fight Night 103 against Victor Pesta.

#3 Von Flue choke

The Von Flue choke is a very deceptive submission and in the right hands, an excellent counter to the guillotine choke. First pulled off by its originator, Jason Von Flue when he slept Alex Karalexis at Ultimate Fight Night 3, the Von Flue choke is basically a shoudler choke from side control.

When an opponent refuses to let go of a guillotine choke, the fighter on top presses their shoulder onto the carotid artery, gradually cutting off the blood supply. The most well-known exponent of this technique is UFC Light Heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux, who has 3 wins via Von Flue choke, which is more than Jason Von Flue himself! The former title challenger will face Ilir Latifi on February 24th at UFC on Fox 28.

#2 D'Arce choke

As with most submission techniques, the D'Arce choke has its origins in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu's brabo and anaconda chokes. It made its way to the legendary Renzo Gracie academy in New York, where a grappler named Joe D'Arce used it to win several matches in the mid-2000s. An outspoken grappler named Marc Laimon re-christened the technique after Joe D'Arce and from then on, it was called the D'Arce choke. It is one of UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson's favorite weapons and he has finished 3 of his opponents with the D'Arce choke.

#1 Kimura

Enter c — Francis Ngannou submitting Anthony Hamilton by Kimura

One of the most recognizable submissions today in MMA and even pro-wrestling, courtesy of Brock Lesnar, the Kimura or double wristlock gets its name from Masahiko Kimura, a Japanese judoka who is considered one of the greatest of all time.

Kimura started training in Judo aged 9 and soon showed prodigious skill, beating older, higher ranked opponents. His crowning glory was when he beat one of the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Helio Gracie, by breaking his arm with the lock during a match in Brazil. Awed by its effectiveness, the technique was absorbed into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and named the "Kimura" in honour of Masahiko Kimura.

Send us news tips at [email protected]