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!
- Phoenix FC 6 | Mohammad Karaki def. Salah Eddine Dekhissi via SUB1 (Armbar)
- ACB 84 | Rany Saadeh def. Trent Girdham via SUB1 (Heel Hook)
- CES 49 | Nate Andrews def. Chris Padilla via SUB2 (Rear Naked Choke)
- CES 49 | Matt Almy def. Richie Santiago via SUB1 (D’Arce Choke)
- Bellator 196 | Benson Henderson def. Roger Huerta via SUB2 (Guillotine Choke)
- Pancrase 295 | Satoru Kitaoka def. Sapa via SUB1 (Heel Hook)
- UFC on FOX 29 | Alex Oliveira def. Carlos Condit via SUB2 (Guillotine Choke)
- UFC on FOX 29 | Adam Wieczorek def. Arjan Bhullar via SUB2 (Omoplata)
- KSW 43 | David Zawada def. Michal Michalski via SUB3 (Rear Naked Choke)
- Brave CF 11 | Klidson Farias def. Matt Baker via SUB1 (Standing Rear Naked Choke)
- Brave CF 11 | Bruno Malfacine def. Rafael Pereira via SUB1 (Armbar)
- Bellator 197 | Michael Chandler def. Brandon Girtz via SUB1 (Arm Triangle)
- Bellator 197 | Kevin Ferguson Jr. def. Devon Brock via SUB1 (Rear Naked Choke)
- 300 Sparta 25 | Sergio Giglio def. Antonio Galvao via SUB1 (D’Arce Choke)
- ONE: Heroes of Honor | Marat Gafurov def. Emilio Urrutia via SUB1 (Arm Triangle)
- ACB 85 | Miguel Felipe Silva def. Yoni Sherbatov via SUB1 (Flying Triangle / Armbar)
- ACB 85 | Wendres de Silva def. Baisangur Vakhitov via SUB2 (Armbar)
- Berkut Young Eagles 3 | Alibek Rasulov def. Arsen Faikov via SUB1 (Kimura)
- Celtic Gladiator 20 | Adrian Blonski def. Jakub Hansbach via SUB1 (Armbar)
- Celtic Gladiator 20 | Jakub Wiklacz def. Simone D’Anna via SUB1 (Flying Triangle)
- Serbian BC 17 | Michel Pereira def. Laerte Costa via SUB1 (Rear Naked Choke)
- Cage Warriors 93 | Soren Bak def. Alex Jacobsen via SUB2 (Arm Triangle)
- EFC Worldwide 69 | JP Buys def. Philippe Rouch via SUB1 (Guillotine Choke)
- Jungle Fight 93 | Arthur Martins def. Marcelo Pontes via SUB1 (Kimura)
- DEEP 83 Impact | Taito Kubota def. Akihiro Ogawa via SUB1 (Americana)
- Shooto Brasil 82 | Jorge Filho def. Marcelo Barbosa via SUB1 (Von Flue Choke)
- Shooto Brasil 82 | Fabricio Martins def. Valmir Lazario via SUB2 (Standing Rear Naked Choke)
- Bellator 198 | Emmanuel Sanchez def. Sam Sicilia via SUB1 (Standing Arm Triangle)
- Bellator 198 | Rafael Lovato Jr. def. Gerald Harris via SUB1 (Armbar)
- Bellator 198 | Neiman Gracie def. Javier Torres via SUB2 (Arm Triangle)
- Bellator 198 | Dillon Danis def. Kyle Walker via SUB1 (Toe Hold)
- Rebel FC 7 | Shuhei Sakano def. Jumayi Adiyeng via SUB4 (Arm Triangle)
- Rebel FC 7 | Kazumasa Majima def. Rodolfo Marques via SUB2 (Rear Naked Choke)
- Berkut Young Eagles 4 | Zaurbek Navruzov def. Giorgos Papadopoulos via SUB1 (Arm Triangle)
- Berkut Young Eagles 4 | Sergio Soares def. Khusein Shidaev via SUB2 (Rear Naked Choke)
