The 5 most jaw-dropping MMA finishes of the week
There were quite a few ups and downs for MMA fans this past week - Jon Jones was fined $205,000 and had his license revoked. A picture surfaced of Brock Lesnar schmoozing with former(more like on-and-off) boss Dana White, setting off rumours of The Beast's second comeback to the UFC. Last but not least, women's MMA trailblazer and longtime UFC champion Ronda Rousey signed her WWE contract.
Last weekend, the UFC made their first trip to Orlando since 2015 and it certainly was a memorable one. Jessica Andrade and Tecia Torres showed that women fighters are no less exciting than men. After being dominated in the first round, a 40-year-old Marion Reneau made an awe-inspiring comeback in the 2nd and submitted Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann. 11-year UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens made a case for a title shot after knocking out Josh Emmett, albeit controversially.
But apart from the big names, there were also a handful of other fights that should be highlighted because of spectacular violence. From flying submissions to spinning kicks, these finishes grabbed eyeballs across the globe, showing MMA's rise as a global phenomenon. Here are this week's 5 most jaw-dropping finishes in MMA:
#5 Bakhachali Bakhachaliev's inverted triangle choke
Russian promotion Fight Nights Global hosted their 83rd event in Moscow on the 22nd of February. The evening had some exciting fights lined up and even saw Dagestani juggernaut Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin Omar move up to 6-0 after beating Brazilian Shyudi Yamauchi.
One of the biggest upsets on the card came courtesy of young Bantamweight Bakhachali Bakhachaliev. Pitted against the more fancied veteran Ruslan Serikpulov, the up-and-comer pulled off a rare inverted triangle choke in the second round. This was Bakhachaliev's first win after two straight draws. Skip to the 2:10 mark in the above video to see the ingenious finish