Joe Soto claims that he was close to the first ever Gogoplata finish at UFC Fight Night 106 earlier this month against Rani Yahya.
The Porterville, Calif. native took Yahya to the judge’s scorecards earning a unanimous decision in Fortaleza, Brazil. The opportunity to earn himself a place in the record books as the first fighter to execute a gogoplata submission finish in a UFC fight, he feels, unfortunately, passed him by.
Soto took to social media to express his view that he was in a position to pull off the sub against Yahya, explaining that a tactical misjudgement on his part spoiled the feat. “One Bad Mofo” added a shot of himself in position for the execution of the Gogoplata in Brazil:
The time I almost hit what would of been the first GoGo in the ufc I believe? Cant believe I screwed this one up. Should of been pretty easy to finish or to transition. #gogoplata #ufc #joesoto #mma #bjj#jiujitsu #graciejiujitsu #davidterrelljiujitsu
While the Gogoplata is still yet to have been pulled off in the UFC, it has, however, been executed by a UFC fighter. Nick Diaz’s victory over Takanori Gomi at PRIDE 33 in 2007 came by way of the choke; record books, however, will show that the decision was later overturned due to Diaz’s subsequent positive test for marijuana use.
The fight between Soto and Yahya has become notable for another reason, much to the former’s disappointment. Yaha opened a large cut on Soto’s head, making the fight an absolute bloodbath, in the literal sense of the word.
Joe Soto is now riding a three-fight streak, and is steadily becoming one of the most improved fighters in the bantamweight division, having overturned three consecutive losses in the UFC.
