Top 5 SUPER FIGHTS: the best submissions of 2014

Saunders took first place on the SUPER FIGHTS list of finishes of the year. Photo: Disclosure/UFC

MMA fans closest to the ground game had a lot of material to appreciate in 2014. The year had submissions of all types, many of them in high-profile fights, so the material was vast and difficult to select which ones were the best in terms of the year.

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Thus, the SUPER FIGHTS listed some of the main submissions of the year, some of which could not be left out and were named honorable mentions. Check out the full list:

1: Ben Saunders x Chris Heatherly

Saunders became the first to submit with an omoplata in the UFC. Photo: Disclosure

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The UFC completed 20 years in 2013, and several big names in jiu-jitsu were present inside the Octagon. Even so, there was a mark that was yet to be broken, as no fight had even been ended through an omoplata.

The taboo came to an end in August, when Ben Saunders returned to the UFC after four years defeating Chris Heatherly with the move. Still in the first half of the first round, “Killa B” delivered a fair omoplata to his rival, which made the North American become part of Ultimate history.

2: Pat Curran x Daniel Straus

“It’s only over when it’s over.” The saying can be perfectly applied to the trilogy between Pat Curran and Daniel Straus, in March, in the fight valid for the Bellator featherweight belt.

The fight was not at all easy for Curran, as he had clearly lost at least three of the four rounds that had been held so far. However, in the final moments of the fight, with less than 20 seconds to go before the bell, Curran landed a clear rear-naked choke, which forced Straus to take three taps and be dethroned in Bellator.

3: Rousimar Toquinho x Jon Fitch

Rousimar Toquinho It's a case to be studied in the world of modern MMA. Even though everyone knows that his main weapon is the heel/ankle lock, the Brazilian still manages to line up opponents with the same movement, all of whom are forced to give up quickly with the blow “on the stick”. The most recent victim was the veteran Jon Fitch, who, despite being considered “unfinishable” not long ago, succumbed to Toquinho with less than two minutes of combat at WSOF 16, in December.

4: Luke Rockhold x Tim Boetsch

In April, at UFC 172, Luke Rockhold He proved once and for all that he is a complete fighter. A few months after crushing Costas Philippou standing up, the American applied a treacherous submission over Tim Boetsch and achieved the second of three victories he would achieve in Ultimate in 2014.

To subdue his opponent, Rockhold applied not just one, but two blows: an inverted triangle, which tightened the neck and disrupted air/blood circulation to the head, and a kimura on the right arm. With no alternative, Boetsch tapped three times, in disbelief at what had just happened.

5: Charles of the Bronx x Hatsu Hioki

The fight, which was part of the UFC's first visit to New Zealand, was a sight for sore eyes for jiu-jitsu fans. Two of the best ground athletes in the featherweight division had a very busy fight, with submission attempts from both sides. Therefore, the outcome could not be different.

In the second round, Do Bronx applied a variation of the anaconda choke, since, instead of fleeing to the side, as normally happens, the Brazilian pulled into his guard. Hioki, who had never been submitted until then, was forced to concede for the first time in his career.

Honorable mentions:

Durinho (photo) lifted the crowd at Maracanãzinho with a victory over Giagos. Photo: Disclosure/UFC

Ovince St Preux x Nikita Krylov: In his third fight in the UFC, OSP applied a tight shoulder lock, also called a Von Flue Choke, which put the young Ukrainian Krylov to sleep.

Gilbert Durinho x Christos Giagos: Your training partner Vitor belfort He showed why he has one of the most feared ground games in the lightweight division. The Brazilian landed a quick and accurate armbar on Giagos, winning his second consecutive UFC victory in front of his fans in Rio de Janeiro.

Alex Caceres x Sergio Pettis: The younger brother of the UFC lightweight champion suffered his first career defeat in painful fashion. The “Phenomenon” was fighting evenly against the veteran Caceres, but was finished with a rear naked choke in the final seconds of the fight.

Anthony Pettis x Gilbert Melendez: The lightweight champion showed once again that he is an unpredictable fighter. Used to knocking out his opponents hard, Pettis surprised by submitting Melendez via guillotine choke, becoming the first to make “El Niño” do all three taps.