Asian MMA

MMASucka’s Submission of the Month for April 2018: Tatsuya So taps Suguru Hayasaka with a nasty crucifix neck-crank

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April 2018 was quite a fun month for combat sports. Not quite as many fights as previous months of the years – March for example. But there was still enough action all across the board, and the quality of fights was as good as any.

Title-winning submissions, title defending submissions, omaplatas, flying triangles, and sweet standing arm triangles. April 2018 had it all.

Last month, MMASucka’s Submission of the Month for March 2018 featured “The Honey Badger” literally trying to behead a man at Brave CF 10. It’s onto April, however. And this month we have more of the same with a finish that is sure to make you cringe.

MMASucka’s Submission of the Month for April 2018: Tatsuya So taps Suguru Hayasaka with a nasty crucifix neck-crank

At the halfway point of the month, Pancrase 295 went down on April 15, live from Tokyo, Japan.

Fighting out of Toushin Dojo, Tatsuya So faced #6 ranked Pancrase strawweight contender, CORE MMA Gym’s Suguru Hayasaka on the main card.

Tatsuya So – who has fought exclusively at flyweight and bantamweight throughout his career – comes into his flyweight debut in phenomenal shape. He entered the cage ready for war – literally. Hayasaka, however, was all business.

Both fighters came into the contest, known for their aggressive style whilst being great grapplers.

The fight was a bit of a feeling out process for the first 60-seconds. Both used excellent footwork. Hayasaka used a lot of lateral movement whilst So kept the pressure on and managed to cut off the cage with solid success.

A minute into the round Hayasaka successfully got an ankle pick takedown on So, but he was given very little time to appreciate his work. As Tatsuya So reversed position and managed to get top position, holding Suguru Hayasaka in an unorthodox reverse full-nelson of sorts.

It looked as if Hayasaka was preparing to tap almost immediately, but he did manage to successfully fight the hold. At least temporarily. It was beginning to look as if his escape was imminent. And it was at this moment that So hopped out of the mount, into a side-control / crucifix position.

This allowed So to get maximum pressure on the hold, forcing Hayasaka to tap after a brutal crucifix neck-crank (sometimes referred to as the ‘Wing Break Hold’) early in round one.

And just like that, Tatsuya So makes a phenomenal strawweight debut, running over #6 ranked submission specialist Hayasaka. Watch his phenomenal performance here.

MMASucka’s Submission of the Month for April 2018: Tatsuya So taps Suguru Hayasaka with a nasty crucifix neck-crank

That isn’t all, though. There were some great submissions this month – all of which at least deserve some mention. So here are the honorable mentions!

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