WATCH: Gabriel Sousa chaining submissions from the back is a thing of beauty
Brazilian jiu-jitsu star and ONE Championship debutant Gabriel Sousa has submissions for days.
In case you're not familiar with his handiwork, the 27-year-old BJJ maestro is one of the best passers in the game right now, using intricate techniques and masterful use of leverage to run circles around his opponents.
For instance, Sousa recently gave a sneak peek of his deep bag of submission tricks from the back.
While most grapplers will go for the often predictable rear-naked choke, the creative Brazilian has something else in mind.
Check out Sousa's insane chain of attacks from the back mount, which he shared on Instagram:
Let's break down the myriad of brilliant techniques that Sousa shared.
The Essential jiu-jitsu affiliate started by trapping his partner's other arm from the crucifix position. After threatening with an armbar, Sousa adjusted and transitioned to a kimura.
When his attempt was defended, Sousa even briefly turned into a tarikoplata, forcing his opponent to roll and finishing him off with the standard armbar.
What a sequence. His training partner certainly had no idea what hit him.
Meanwhile, these awesome scrambles certainly make Gabriel Sousa a formidable foe for anyone, even reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci.
Gabriel Sousa takes his talents to ONE against Mikey Musumeci
Before Mikey Musumeci won 14 straight matches, including a 6-0 run in ONE, he was tapped by Gabriel Sousa in their first meeting in 2021.
Now, it's time to run it back and see who improved more since their last encounter.
On June 7, these two world-class grapplers will duke it out anew in a non-title bantamweight clash at ONE 167 in the promotion's return to Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
In an interview with ONE, Sousa shared how delighted he is to face the reigning flyweight submission grappling king in his promotional debut:
"Mikey is an exceptional athlete! He is really bada*s. He has an out-of-this-world guard game. He attacks the back very well, attacks footlocks, attacks heelhooks, and knee bars very well. He is one of the best athletes in the world."
Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch ONE 167 free, as it happens live on US Primetime.