"If Khabib and Demian Maia had a baby" - UFC 297 prelims fighter prides himself on his grappling after R2 submission win
Jimmy Flick started off the UFC 297 prelims in a remarkable manner, securing his first octagon win since 2020 earlier tonight by defeating Malcolm Gordon via second-round submission with an arm triangle choke.
With two consecutive knockouts under his belt, Flick was going to be one of the main talking points in the prelims opener.
Fueled by the home crowd, Gordon rushed forward, forcing Flick to go for a takedown. Despite Flick's attempt to submit, Gordon managed to get the takedown and continued to land punches. Gordon acted recklessly as he found himself trapped in a triangle choke. It was insufficient, as Gordon managed to get away with it thanks to his cool under pressure.
In the latter part, Gordon resumed his aggressive ground-and-pound style. With thirty seconds remaining on the clock, he went for a guillotine choke on Flick, who reversed the situation, attempting a rare Von Flue choke on Gordon.
Round two began in a similar fashion. This time, Flick went for a takedown, forcing Gordon to the ground and allowing him to take Gordon's back, catching him in an arm triangle. This forced Gordon to tap, as the submission was considerably tighter than the previous two.
Speaking to reporters after his victory at UFC 297, Flick shared his opinion on the submission wins of fighters like Alexandre Pantoja, Muhammad Mokaev and what sets him apart from them. He stated:
''A lot of people, they just don't have the jiu-jutsu that I have, a lot of people tell you in jiu-jutsu, ''position before submission''. Mean you keep a position before you go for a submission, cause if you're gonna lose it, you're gonna be in a bad position.' ''Well my coach gets on to me, I know, no position before submission. But I'm submission all day.''
Describing his style, Flick concluded:
''Well if Khabib and Demian Maia had a baby, they would have Jimmy Flick.''
Check out Jimmy Flick's comments following the UFC 297 win below: