Author: Dustin Filloy

The Most Shocking Submissions in MMA History

Many of the most timeless submissions in the history of MMA unfolded unexpectedly.
Anderson Silva’s fifth-round triangle armbar of Chael Sonnen was a classic stunner simply because it spoiled a seemingly definite upset win for The American Gangster.
Ot…

Many of the most timeless submissions in the history of MMA unfolded unexpectedly.

Anderson Silva’s fifth-round triangle armbar of Chael Sonnen was a classic stunner simply because it spoiled a seemingly definite upset win for The American Gangster.

Others, such as Forrest Griffin’s rear-naked choke of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, generated extraordinary attention due to the nature and the degree of the upset.

Regardless of their modus operandi, every fighter on this list secured a spot in MMA lore for his acumen to catch the masses off guard by executing submissions in the most unlikely instances.

Here are the most shocking submissions in MMA history. 

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The Luckiest Fighters in MMA History

If success in MMA hinges greatly on hard work and dedication, it seems almost farcical to assume that good fortune plays a major role in the outcome of any high-profile fight.
But for some, like the fighters on this countdown, their careers were made o…

If success in MMA hinges greatly on hard work and dedication, it seems almost farcical to assume that good fortune plays a major role in the outcome of any high-profile fight.

But for some, like the fighters on this countdown, their careers were made or salvaged because of providential breaks.

In the most opportunistic instances, these fighters enjoyed lopsided matchups, benefited from favorable calls from judges or referees or received forgiveness for typically unforgivable offenses.

Here’s a glimpse at the luckiest fighters in MMA history.

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Ronda Rousey Broke Rib of ‘The Expendables 3’ Director with a Punch

He walked away with an unforgettable story, but The Expendables 3 director Patrick Hughes found out the hard way that nerves make UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey awfully feisty.
During an interview with HitFix.com earlier this mon…

He walked away with an unforgettable story, but The Expendables 3 director Patrick Hughes found out the hard way that nerves make UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey awfully feisty.

During an interview with HitFix.com earlier this month, Hughes told the story of how Rousey, who played Luna in The Expendables 3, broke one of his ribs before filming a fight scene in the movie that hit theaters on Aug. 15.

Ronda’s first time ever on camera was the scene with Sly at a bar, and she’s really super-nervous. I went up and said, “Well, what do you do before a big fight?” And she says, “I like to spar in my room. I get that nervous energy out.” And I said, “So you need to hit something? Let’s find something to hit.” And she said, “But I want to hit you.” She was like, “Put your arms up.” And I’m thinking, “Ronda’s just going to do this.” I put my hands up, and she goes wham! Next day, I was getting dressed and my kids were there at the time (and) my 7-year-old daughter said “What’s that?” And I had this huge black mark. I had a broken rib. And I said, “I got beaten up by an actress.”

Rousey downplayed the incident to HitFix.com, saying: “He didn‘t have a broken rib! I didn‘t hit anything hard.”

It took just a little more than two years after her pro MMA debut for Rousey to land her first major motion picture role (The Expendables 3). Since then, Rousey has scored high-profile gigs in Fast & Furious 7 and Entourage.

Both Fast & Furious 7 and Entourage are in post-production and will be released in 2015.

“Rowdy” has amassed a 10-0 record since making her pro debut in March 2011. Rousey has finished seven foes with first-round armbars, another with a third-round armbar and has won by first-round KO/TKO in each of her last two bouts. 

Although UFC matchmakers have yet to determine her next opponent, Rousey said she would like to fight on the Jan. 3 card that includes the light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.

In her last bout, Rousey disposed of Alexis Davis with a 16-second KO at UFC 175 in July. For her efforts, Rousey pocketed her second straight “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Bantamweight Elizabeth Phillips Goes off Following Loss: ‘I Hate the UFC’

With so much riding on every bout, many UFC fighters simply can’t handle the agony of defeat, particularly when it comes in controversial fashion.
Elizabeth Phillips could relate to these sentiments following her second straight loss in the promotion a…

With so much riding on every bout, many UFC fighters simply can’t handle the agony of defeat, particularly when it comes in controversial fashion.

Elizabeth Phillips could relate to these sentiments following her second straight loss in the promotion at UFC Fight Night 48 in Macau, China.

Disgusted with the judges’ decision in her split-decision loss to UFC newcomer Milana Dudieva, Phillips said the following on Facebook (as transcribed by Bloody Elbow) minutes after her second straight loss in the promotion. 

I got robbed so f****** bad. I hate the UFC. I was on top dominating all three round elbowing this Russian price of crap. And they said I lost split decision. Anybody says that I lost is a price of crap and will get deleted from my friends list cause I whooped her ass the whole fight. I’m done fighting for a while cause this is some corrupt s***.

Dudieva started each of the bout’s three rounds strong and tagged Phillips with right hands in the early going of each stanza. Phillips, however, stayed patient in each round and used her wrestling prowess and ground-and-pound acumen to seemingly secure the win.

But the bout’s three judges didn’t agree, scoring it 30-27, 28-29, 29-28, in the 25-year-old Russian’s favor.

After another questionable split-decision ruling in the next bout between winner Royston Wee and Yao Zhikui, UFC president Dana White requested that one of the judges, Howard Hughes, call it an early night.

White explained the situation at the UFC Fight Night 48 post-fight press conference.

“He was involved in the first fight and the second fight. I told the guys to go let him grab some beer and some popcorn and go sit down and start watching some fights, not judging them.”

But apparently White didn’t ask Hughes to finish the night prematurely on account of his decision in the Phillips loss. In fact, White agreed with the ruling in that fight.

“I know a lot of people, the media included and the fans I saw on Twitter, felt that Phillips won the fight, but I thought Milana won the fight, so I disagree. But at the end of the day, who gives a s*** what I think. It’s the judges. They pick the winner, and that’s all that matters.”

Phillips saw her four-fight winning streak come to a halt when she dropped a split decision to Valerie Letourneau in her promotional debut at UFC 174 in June.

Dudieva earned her third straight win, all of which have come in 2014, and improved to 11-3 as a pro.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Mike Tyson and Jon Jones Slap Box at WWE Summerslam, Tyson Wins

A fantasy superfight momentarily came to life when Mike Tyson and Jon Jones briefly engaged in a slap boxing match on Sunday in Los Angeles.
After watching former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar win the WWE heavyweight title at WWE Summerslam, Tyson…

A fantasy superfight momentarily came to life when Mike Tyson and Jon Jones briefly engaged in a slap boxing match on Sunday in Los Angeles.

After watching former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar win the WWE heavyweight title at WWE Summerslam, Tyson and UFC light heavyweight champ Jones playfully slap boxed one another in front of the Staples Center.

Jones shared the timeless encounter on Instagram early this morning. 

With both men laughing, Jones began by throwing a lead jab-lead hook combination. Tyson countered and threw a pair of jabs, the second of which landed low to Jones’ midsection.

The former WBC, WBA and IBF boxing champ then countered Jones’ rear-uppercut with a low jab-overhand right combination that seemingly caught “Bones” off guard.

The UFC’s top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter laughed hysterically and responded to the 48-year-old’s combination by saying: “He’ll kill me. He set that one up.”

Jones’ mini-sparring session with Tyson didn’t mark the first interaction of its kind for the 27-year-old virtuoso. 

Jones and Jackson’s MMA teammate and former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir took part in a slightly higher-paced sparring/grappling encounter outside the gym at the Legacy Fight Show 2 event in Moscow, Russia.

Jones suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and a sprained left ankle when he attempted to stuff a shot from teammate and UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem on Monday.

The injury forced Bones to pull out of his previously scheduled light heavyweight title fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 178 in September. The bout has been rescheduled to UFC 182 in January.

Jones had his meniscus surgically repaired on Thursday. The injury typically requires a recovery time of four to six weeks, but Jones could be sidelined longer because of his ankle sprain.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Paul Heyman: At 100 Percent Health, No Fighter Could Have Touched Brock Lesnar

Few had the privilege of witnessing the extraordinary rise and fall of Brock Lesnar firsthand in the UFC.
One of the lucky few, Paul Heyman—a longtime friend and manager of Lesnar—claims the former UFC heavyweight champ would still be holdi…

Few had the privilege of witnessing the extraordinary rise and fall of Brock Lesnar firsthand in the UFC.

One of the lucky few, Paul Heyman—a longtime friend and manager of Lesnar—claims the former UFC heavyweight champ would still be holding the belt if not for his chronic health issues.

In a recent interview with Damon Martin of Fox Sports, Heyman put it bluntly in stating his case regarding Lesnar‘s potential.

“If Brock Lesnar ever fought healthy in the UFC, I don’t see any fighter that could have touched him,” Heyman said.

Lesnar struggled with chronic bouts of diverticulitis and ultimately retired following his brutal first-round TKO loss against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December 2011. 

Heyman said Lesnar has slowly regained his health since the Overeem fight, and nowadays, the former NCAA Division I wrestling champ is staying fit by working on his farm and competing in the WWE.

He feels great. He’s healthy. His body is not spending so much energy fighting off diverticulitis. He’s healthy for the first time in years and I think his potential is limitless. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. This is Jim Thorpe, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, this is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete.

Heyman, the creator of the now defunct Extreme Wrestling Championship, also offered his thoughts on UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, who violently took the belt from Lesnar with a first-round TKO at UFC 121 in October 2010.

I think with all due respect to the rest of the division, I think Cain Velasquez is by far the most dominant heavyweight in UFC today. As a champion, I think he’s a noteworthy champion because I think he’s going to clean out the entire division. That being said, Cain Velasquez stepped in the cage with Junior dos Santos when Cain wasn’t at 100 percent and he got knocked out in under 90 seconds. If that’s not a demonstration of what happens when you enter the Octagon at less than 100 percent, I don’t know what is. Brock Lesnar entered the Octagon against these people, Shane Carwin, even against Randy Couture, against Frank Mir, against Alistair Overeem, against Cain Velasquez at far less than 100 percent. Anything you saw him do, he did as an unhealthy man competing at the very top level on the face of the planet. Imagine what he could have done if he was 100-percent healthy.

Lesnar made his pro MMA debut with a first-round submission (punches) over Min-Soo Kim at K-1 Hero’s Dynamite!! USA in June 2007. Roughly 17 months later and in just his fourth pro bout, Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight title by TKO’ing former two-division champ Randy Couture in the second round at UFC 91 in November 2008.

Lesnar will square off with John Cena for the WWE heavyweight title at SummerSlam, which will air on pay-per-view and the WWE Network on Sunday.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com