Kazushi Sakuraba's stunning submission of Zelg Galesic at Dream 12 was one of the most stunning endings to an MMA fight we've had all year. Video and commentary below.
Was that the Submission of the Year in MMA in 2009? I don't know. I loved Demian Maia's triangle choke on Chael Sonnen at UFC 95. I loved Toby Imada's inverted triangle choke on Jorge Masvidal at Bellator 4. I loved Alan Belcher's guillotine on Denis Kang at UFC 93. I loved Joe Lauzon's armbar on Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night 17. I've loved a lot of submissions this year.
And yet there was just something special about Sakuraba's submission, because it didn't just win him the fight, it may have saved the career of the Japanese legend. If Galesic had continued pummeling Sakuraba and beaten him by first-round TKO, could Dream have even continued to put the 40-year-old Sakuraba in the ring anymore?
Maybe they could have, but it would have seemed like cruelty. But Sakuraba shocked everyone by hanging onto Galesic's leg for dear life and forcing him to tap with a kneebar, and as a result we'll probably get to see Sakuraba fight again on New Year's Eve and look at him with admiration rather than pity. It was an incredible showing and, if not the most technically perfect submission of the year, my personal favorite.
If you missed Dream 12, it will re-air on HDNet Friday at 10:30 PM ET.
Submission of the Year? Sakuraba Stunned Galesic at Dream.12
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10/29/2009 1:59 PM ET By Michael David Smith
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- Michael David Smith
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Read More: DREAM MMA Videos Dream+12, Dream12, Kazushi+Sakuraba, KazushiSakuraba, Zelg+Galesic, ZelgGalesic
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
The setup and smooth transition of Damian Maia to get the triangle on Sonnen was my favorite of the year, but this has a comeback quality that is difficult to match.
The inverted triangle was great, but it was due to Imada finding himself in the (strange) position to put the submission on as anything else.
Submission of the year? Please. The hands down winner is Imada vs Masvidal. The fight essentially put Bellator on the map and earned them a national TV contract deal. It is the most unbeliveable move I've ever seen applied, not to mention he has hit with the kitchen sink before he landed that submission and choked him unconscious on his feet. Debate over!
That was silly.
The ref let Sakuraba receive a tremendous beating, hoping Saku would pull something off. That fight would have been stopped ages ago if it were any other fighter, but the Japanese love for Sakuraba means that no fighter right now can hope to win against him via ref stoppage.
Seriously, you think this is Submission of the year? You don't get to the gym very often.
"Silly" damatsinking? Only if it is taken as how silly some stoppages can be. MMA, though legit as a sport and always fighting for respect, is still a *combat* sport, and still meant to simulate, as best as can safely be done, a no-holds-barred situation, even if everyone veers away from the term "nhb" nowadays. In a real fight, despite the punishment Sakuraba took, the successful kneebar indicates at that stage he would have broken his opponent's leg--and with a broken limb Galesic would have been helpless to being pummeled far, far worse than anything that Sakuraba took. I'm still annoyed at MMA "fans" who don't appreciate that a sub is every bit as devastating as any knockout for that reason.
Great fight for Sakuraba. The Gracie Killer should retire now on a good note.