Simply put, July 2018 was a loaded month in combat sports.
Every other day it seemed like we saw a contender for submission of the month. The month started out in Japan with Shooto and Pancrase, and over the course of the month, we saw contenders everywhere from Canada to Indonesia.
From the UFC and Bellator to ICE FC and 864 FC, we saw incredible stuff throughout multiple organizations in July.
A few stand out from the others, however. And at the top of that list is Canada’s, Ariel Sexton. Before you continue, check out the Submission of the Month for June 2018!
Ariel Sexton vs. Kota Shimoshi
A veteran of TUF 12, Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton has undergone a bit of a career resurgence since signing with ONE Championship a few years ago.
After a somewhat controversial loss to Ev Ting earlier this year, Sexton looked to rebound in mid-July against Kota Shimoishi. This was fresh off Shimoishi’s run in ROAD FC, where he made it to the semi-finals of the promotion’s $1 Million Lightweight Tournament.
After a competitive opening two rounds, Sexton forced Shimoishi to tap in the third round. And he did so spectacularly.
Sexton locked in a reverse triangle while simultaneously working the arm of Shimoishi with a beautiful keylock/americana. The double submission forced the tap, which is nothing to sneeze at. Because Shimoishi is a solid grappler.
“Tarzan” rebounds from Ting loss, and has officially won four of his last five, with three of those four wins coming by way of very nice submission. His record improves to 12-4, and he is one of the very best lightweights ONE has to offer.
The sick double submission win – against quality opposition in the form of Kota Shimoishi – made this one the perfect storm. The second it went down July 13, I knew this would go down as Submission of the Month. Watch the fight here!
Let’s take a look at the top three submissions of July 2018.
Featuring Sexton, a rare hammerlock dubbed “The Passion Lock,” and the first submission loss of Jared Rosholt’s career. All subjective, of course! This will be followed up with an extensive list of honorable mentions.
1. Ariel Sexton SUB3 Kota Shimoishi
ONE Championship: Pursuit of Power
2. Josh Pacio SUB1 Pongsiri Mitsatit
ONE Championship: Reign of Kings
3. Kelvin Tiller SUB2 Jared Rosholt
PFL 4
There’s our top three, but we still have 41 honorable mentions to get to!
- Shooto Toroa 22 | Kasumasa Majima def. Taiki Hamasaki via SUB1 (RNC)
- Pancrase 297 | Glaico Franca def. Takashi Sato via SUB4 (RNC)
- WCMMA 33 | Valean Adrian def. Jakub Kolterniak via SUB3 (Armbar)
- Serbian BC 18 | Ognjen Dimic def. Mirko Jovanovic via SUB1 (Kneebar)
- Serbian BC 18 | Marko Petkovic def. Dusan Krstin via SUB1 (Keylock)
- PFL 3 | Pavel Kusch def. Abubakar Nurmagomedov via SUB2 (RNC)
- PFL 3 | Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Herman Terrado via SUB1 (RNC)
- TUF 27 Finale | Luis Pena def. Richie Smullen via SUB1 (Mounted Guillotine)
- TUF 27 Finale | Gerald Meerschaert def. Oskar Piechota via SUB2 (RNC)
- ONE: Battle For The Heavens | Robin Catalan def. Adrian Mattheis via SUB2 (Heel Hook)
- ONE: Battle For The Heavens | Zhao Zhi Kang def. Ma Xu Dong via SUB3 (Flying Guillotine)
- UFC 226 | Anthony Pettis def. Michael Chiesa via SUB2 (Triangle Armbar)
- RCC 3 | Klidson Farias def. Viktor Nemkov via SUB2 (RNC)
- ICE FC | Adam Boussif def. Martin Stapleton via SUB3 (D’Arce Choke)
- Bellator 202 | Tyler Ingram def. Fernando Trevino via SUB2 (RNC)
- ONE PRIDE MMA 20 | Angga def. Yesreel Macodaser via SUB1 (D’Arce Choke)
- Eternal MMA 35 | Michael Tobin def. Garret Gross via SUB1 (Armbar)
- BFL 56 | Jesse Bull def. Brad Nicholson via SUB1 (Neck Crank)
- BFL 56 | Micah Brakefield def. Taylor Bull via SUB1 (Kneebar)
- Contender Series 5 | Austin Vanderford def. Angelo Trevino via SUB2 (RNC)
- Contender Series 5 | Domingo Pilarte def. Vince Morales via SUB2 (RNC)
- UFC Hamburg | Manny Bermudez def. Davey Grant via SUB1 (Triangle Choke)
- PFL 4 | Francimar Barroso def. Jack May via SUB1 (Arm Triangle)
- PFL 4 | Lance Palmer def. Jumabieke Tuerxun via SUB3 (RNC)
- Cage Warriors 95 | Brad Wheeler def. Orlando D’Ambrosio via SUB2 (Triangle Choke)
- Invicta FC 30 | Alyse Anderson def. Stephanie Alba via SUB2 (Flying Triangle)
- Invicta FC 30 | Felicia Spencer def. Helena Kolesnyk via SUB2 (RNC)
- ONE Warrior Series 2 | Ryuto Sawada def. Mohd Fouzein via SUB1 (Brabo Choke)
- ONE Warrior Series 2 | JD Hardwick def. Enktaivan Davaabayar via SUB1 (Armbar)
- Valor Fights 51 | Cole Ferrell def. Dillard Pegg via SUB1 (Von Flue Choke)
- 864 FC 5 | Andrew Whitney def. Dylan Cala via SUB2 (Guillotine Choke)
- KOTC Perennial | Jayme Hinshaw def. Bi Nguyen via SUB2 (RNC)
- Dragon House 29 | Trey Williams def. Ivan Batinich via SUB1 (Anaconda Choke)
- ONE: Reign of Kings | Xie Bin def. Sor Sey via SUB1 (D’Arce Choke)
- ONE: Reign of Kings | Garry Tonon def. Rahul Raju via SUB3 (RNC)
- ONE: Reign of Kings | Renzo Graci def. Yuki Kondo via SUB2 (RNC)
- Contender Series 7 | Roosevelt Roberts def. Garrett Gross via SUB2 (RNC)
- Contender Series 7 | Jordan Griffin def. Maurice Mitchell via SUB1 (RNC)
- UFC Calgary | Islam Makhachev def. Kajan Johnson via SUB1 (Armbar)
- Rite of Passage 4 | Nolan Norwood def. Quentin Henry via SUB1 (Power Guillotine)
- KCFA 29 | Thomas Gilford def. Trey Ogden via SUB1 (Guillotine)
