The 5 Best Submission Finishes in ONE Championship in 2021

2021 was a wild year for ONE Championship. The promotion’s world-class warriors once again lit up the circle with endless highlight-reel displays.

Many of those displays came in the form of submissions. The promotion's grappling wizards have treated fans to an array of joint locks, chokes, and much more.

Submissions are a thing of beauty, and unlike knockouts, there's less of a luck factor. There is no way a fighter can sink in a ‘lucky’ submission if they do not possess the knowledge to initiate the takedown or transition from various positions on the ground.

Some submissions are so good that even after watching the replays millions of times, you can never quite catch how they executed it.

With that said, here are five of the best submission victories in ONE Championship in 2021.

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#5. Ayaka Miura vs. Rayane Bastos - ONE: Dangal

Japanese fighter Ayaka ‘Zombie’ Miura earned her sixth submission win via scarf-hold armlock versus Rayane Bastos in May.

Bastos started the better of the pair, but when Miura found her range and rhythm, she ripped through Bastos’ defense with her striking and judoka skills. Miura tired her opponent during the process, and from then on there was no stopping the Japanese fighter.

She forced her foe to the fence and used a head-and-arm throw to send Bastos spiraling to the canvas. On the ground, ‘Zombie’ got straight into a scarf-hold control, but couldn't keep it there. Bastos escaped and managed to find her feet, but couldn't stay up for long.

Miura dragged Bastos for the second time, and moved into the scarf-hold position again. This time, there was no room for her to escape. Miura shoved her rival’s left arm between her legs to force a quick tap at the 2:58 mark of the first stanza.

The brilliant submission artist will return to take on division queen Xiong Jing Nan for the ONE strawweight world title at ONE: Heavy Hitters on January 14.

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#4. Shinya Aoki vs. Eduard Folayang - ONE on TNT IV

Former ONE world champion Shinya Aoki settled his longtime rivalry with Eduard Folayang in stunning fashion during their lightweight tilt in April.

As the opening round went on, it became clear that Aoki's grappling skills were just too much for the Baguio native to handle.

Despite Folayang trying his best to hang on, Aoki only needed to capitalize on one mistake to confirm his reputation as the greatest submission artist in ONE history.

Aoki trapped Folayang’s legs in a triangle and slid up to the mount, before landing huge elbows. ‘Landslide’ tried to push away to escape, but in the process, he gave away both his arms to the submission specialist Aoki.

‘Tobikan Judan’ did not need any further invitation. He hyperextended his foe’s left arm to secure the win via armbar at 4:20 of the first frame.

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#3. Jarred Brooks vs. Lito Adiwang - ONE: Next Gen III

Heading into the fight, both Brooks and Adiwang were adamant that they would shut each other up. In the end, Jarred Brooks made sure that his Filipino rival wasn’t only quietened, but out of breath too.

‘The Monkey God’ dominated the opening frame with his wrestling skills, and the dominance continued in the second round. Slightly over a minute after the start of the second stanza, the debuting fighter sank in a guillotine choke. Brooks couldn't secure the submission, so he moved to a front headlock against the fence.

A brief pause followed after the Filipino caught Brooks with a low blow. However, after the men were restarted in the same position, ‘The Monkey God’ went from zero to a hundred in a flash.

He dropped straight for Adiwang’s legs, and isolated his foe’s limb, and stepped inside for an arm-triangle choke. Brooks tightened the choke, and a helpless Adiwang tapped at 3:07 of the round.

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#2. Gadzhimurad Abdulaev vs. Zebaztian Kadestam - ONE: Unbreakable

Gadzhimurad Abdulaev got his ONE debut off to a perfect start against Zebaztian Kadestam. He secured the win with a rare submission - a face crank.

Abdulaev executed a picture-perfect double-leg takedown early in the contest. Kadestam temporarily returned to his feet, but the Russian tripped the Swede once again, securing his back during the ensuing scramble.

From there, Abdulaev worked his way to a finish. He quickly secured a body triangle and trapped Kadestam. He forced the former welterweight king to gasp for air. Sensing that the end was near, Abdulaev went for the kill.

Abdulaev attempted a rear-naked choke, but Kadestam guarded his chin with all his might. Rather than trying to force his way under his rival’s chin, the clever Russian just fancied trapping Kadestam’s skull in between his left bicep and forearm.

The Swede had no other options. He was forced to tap at 2:08 of the opening frame.

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#1. Marcus Almeida vs. Anderson Silva - ONE: Revolution

Fighters and fans alike questioned whether Marcus Almeida could transition into mixed martial arts at this late stage of his career. He answered those critics with a lopsided win against Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva, choking out the fellow Brazilian from a north-south position.

'Buchecha' got a takedown as soon as the opening bell rang. He then applied heavy pressure from mount, landing thudding strikes to Silva’s ribs and head, before working his way to the north-south position.

As soon as Almeida secured a good grip on Silva’s body from north-south, he dropped heavy right knees on the head before sinking a choke around the striker’s neck. He squeezed on the choke, and the 35-year-old Silva was forced to tap despite his best efforts to hang on.

The 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion recently scored another submission finish against South Korean slugger Kang Ji Won at ONE: Winter Warriors to go 2-0 in his professional MMA career. His next bout has yet to be booked.