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. With Alverez's toughness and heart, as well as 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 Tokyo's 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 Aoki's, however, who was cheered like a rock star as he bounced to the ring to his trademark theme song "Baka Survivo"r. While the fans stood and clapped along to the song, Alverez stood in the ring and shadow boxed--appearing somewhat like he didn't know what he'd gotten himself into.
As the two fighters stood for referee instructions, it was striking how much taller and rangier Aoki was than his opponent. Aoki is listed at 511, Alverez at 58 but the visual difference suggests that there's much more than a three inch height advantage in favor of Aoki.
For the first minute of the match, it appeared that a slow feeling out process was underway. Alverez landed the first blows of the contest, connecting with a nice three punch combination that displayed his lightning fast hands. Aoki danced away, however, and wasn't hurt by the attack.
What happened next can only be described as unbelievable"the sequence started when Aoki grabbed Alverez's 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 wasn't there. In one single, almost gravity defying motion he'd 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. Eventually, Alverez was forced to tap.
Ever the gentleman, Aoki dropped to the canvas after the tapout to check on his opponents condition than started his postfight celebration. Aoki is known as one of the most emotional fighters in the sport, and its an even money proposition that hell start crying during his postfight speech to the crowd. This time, however, he seemed excited and triumphant with no tears whatsoever. 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 Aoki's status as the best submission artist in mixed martial arts. There's simply no one else like him in the sport--there's 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.
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. With Alverez's toughness and heart, as well as 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 Tokyo's 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 Aoki's, however, who was cheered like a rock star as he bounced to the ring to his trademark theme song "Baka Survivo"r. While the fans stood and clapped along to the song, Alverez stood in the ring and shadow boxed--appearing somewhat like he didn't know what he'd gotten himself into.
As the two fighters stood for referee instructions, it was striking how much taller and rangier Aoki was than his opponent. Aoki is listed at 511, Alverez at 58 but the visual difference suggests that there's much more than a three inch height advantage in favor of Aoki.
For the first minute of the match, it appeared that a slow feeling out process was underway. Alverez landed the first blows of the contest, connecting with a nice three punch combination that displayed his lightning fast hands. Aoki danced away, however, and wasn't hurt by the attack.
What happened next can only be described as unbelievable"the sequence started when Aoki grabbed Alverez's 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 wasn't there. In one single, almost gravity defying motion he'd 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. Eventually, Alverez was forced to tap.
Ever the gentleman, Aoki dropped to the canvas after the tapout to check on his opponents condition than started his postfight celebration. Aoki is known as one of the most emotional fighters in the sport, and its an even money proposition that hell start crying during his postfight speech to the crowd. This time, however, he seemed excited and triumphant with no tears whatsoever. 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 Aoki's status as the best submission artist in mixed martial arts. There's simply no one else like him in the sport--there's 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.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
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