The Submissions of Invicta FC 41
Invicta FC 41 featured two submissions. One was Alexa Culp’s second-round rear-naked choke finish of Natalya Speece. The other was an oldie but a goodie when Montserrat Ruiz defeated Janaisa Morandin with a key-lock in the first round. Both were nice, but Ruiz did one that has not made an appearance in MMA for a while, so let’s look a little deeper into it.
This is not a slight to Culp, or any fighter that gets the Mata Leao (rear-naked choke) but we see that enough in MMA. Even with good choke defense, add trying not to get lumped up or having another limb put in jeopardy when defending the choke, it can only be a matter of time before the choker gets the choke.
Ruiz however, had the early time on her side, and the fence that only made her Kesa Gatame (scarf hold position) more troublesome for Morandin. There are a few submissions from that position but it is hard not to want to go for the arm, as the other requires a lot of patience, pressure, and time which can lead to allowing the opponent to escape, or worse, give up the back position.
The key-lock can be just as hard, but it was not for Ruiz as she used all the advantages to the position to secure the arm. Morandin was taking a lot of blows to the face before her arm was taken and that’s the part of MMA that can nullify many defenses to submissions. Morandin’s arm position was likely moving to protect herself from being hit but once the arm hit the 90-degree angle, Ruiz simply needed to figure-four her legs and bridge into the elbow to create the torque for the submission.
No sweat and a glove at the end of the limb being attacked acting like a big road bump to any escape left Morandin with no choice but to tap. See Ruiz’s handiwork below:
And that is that! #InvictaFC41 pic.twitter.com/vXtMDvtm9f
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 31, 2020
