MMA veteran “The Boa Constrictor” pulled off an exquisite Ezekiel Choke on the undercard of UFC Fight Night: Penn v Rodriguez on Sunday.
Oleinik pulled off what will go down as one of the most surprising MMA moments of 2017 in his bout against Viktor Pesta at UFC Fight Night 103 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The 39 year old’s unique execution of the Ezekiel Choke signed his name into the UFC’s record books, becoming the first to successfully execute the move in the octagon.
“My opponent has a long neck, and when I looked at his fights, I saw he’s not good at protecting his neck – said Oleynik.
“He is a good wrestler, but because he’s a good wrestler, he thinks nobody can choke him.”
Pesta fell for the trap, and suffered as a result.
“I tried one, and I gave him a little time to relax a little bit, until he thought nothing was going to happen, and then I did the choke”.
Oleinik bagged an 11th victory in pro MMA via the choke, but the first in UFC fame landed the Russian a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check.
So how did the heavyweight pull this off? Well, following an exchange in blows with Pesta Oleinik moved the war to the ground, taking position on his back as he took blows from his opponent.
Seemingly helpless, Oleinik positioned his right arm around his opponent’s neck, moving his left under his throat until he was forced to tap.
This set a precedent in UFC history; it is rare for a fighter to pull off such a move while mounted.
So what is an “Ezekiel Choke”? OK, here is the science:
The Juso-style choke (shime-waza) is traditionally known as Sode guruma jime (“sleeve wheel constriction”). It is (surprising to most) one of the most popular chokes in BJJ due to the ability for a top fighter to attack from inside the guard; what makes it special, however, is to pull it off from being mounted.
This art involves compressing the opponent’s trachea (wind-pipe) or the carotid arteries (major blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain, neck, and face). The Ezekiel Choke in gi Jiu Jitsu is primarily executed by wrapping an arm behind your opponent’s head, and grasping on to the sleeve of the gi with the opposite hand. Using the sleeve for leverage, the opposing forearm is brought over the opponent’s throat and clinched with vigour.
So how does this work in MMA? Well, The Ezekiel Choke is not exclusively actioned on the sleeve, as we saw on Sunday. MMA is the fastest evolving sport in the world, and when we see a previously unutilized move executed as impressively as we did on Sunday, we must stand up and applaud. Most recognised as in the scene of competitive BJJ, the appeal of The Ezekiel Choke lies in the fact that it can be executed from inside the guard with a huge advantage over the opponent setting an attack. A “low risk choke” such as this can cause chaos when put against the popularized closed guards in MMA, and the most robust guard passers.
Just a guess, but it may be a while before we see the choke pulled off in UFC combat under such circumstances for a while.
