"That was one of the greatest submissions in UFC history" - Ryan Hall looks back on his heel hook victory over 'one of the GOATs' B.J. Penn
Ryan Hall couldn't help but marvel at the submission move he pulled off against former UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn, whom he considers to be "one of the greatest" fighters of all time.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Hall looked back at his 2018 victory over Penn. Weighing in on how significant a moment it was in his career, Hall said:
"I remember when B.J. was walking in the ring and I'm like, 'Holy cr*p! That's B.J. Penn.' Inside my head I was like, 'Shut up, Ryan!' But it was neat to get to compete against one of my idols and I think objectively that was one of the greatest submissions in UFC history, both in terms of what happened, how it went down, what was pulled off and the opposition that it was done against. But, you know, B.J. is phenomenal. He is absolutely one of the greatest of all time. He's someone I really, really look up to and respect in the sport."
Ryan Hall with the flash submission victory over BJ Penn in round one 😳
DO NOT let him grab that leg, or he'll just take it clean off...
#UFC232 https://t.co/AMa24ZMeQ6
Hall caught Penn with one of the most surprising submissions in the promotion's history at UFC 232 in 2018.
The Hawaii native was able to avoid being baited by Hall, who was on the ground for most of the first two minutes. But after the referee stood Hall up, 'The Wizard' immediately went on the offensive by executing an Imanari roll-heel hook combo that forced Penn to tap out.
Check out our exclusive interview with Ryan Hall below:
Ryan Hall keen on finishing Darrick Minner
Ryan Hall recently suffered a devastating TKO loss against Ilia Topuria at UFC 264. As it turned out, Hall's main weapon caused his downfall as Topuria was able to defend against his signature move and capitalize on his predictability.
According to Hall, he's on a mission to redeem himself and that starts by finishing Darrick Minner in their upcoming fight at UFC 269 this weekend. The 36-year-old grappling ace told Sportskeeda MMA:
"I want to finish Darrick Minner on Saturday and then I want to fight back into the rankings. Then I want a rematch with Ilia Topuria and then I want to move forward. I want all these back, you know. I want to fight the best opposition that I possibly can. I'm looking forward to facing Darrick Minner."