By Ariel Helwani
November 4, 2009
Back to Nominees
The World MMA Awards will air live on Versus.com on Dec. 30, and leading up to that date, we will be breaking down each category.
Today: Submission of the Year
Before I tell you why this is probably the easiest award to vote for, let's quickly look at the nominees:
Terry Etim's Brabo Choke submission against Justin Buchholz, UFC 99 - June 13, 2009
Dustin Hazelett's reverse armbar against Tamdan McCrory, UFC 91 - Nov. 15, 2009
Toby Imada's standing inverted triangle choke against Jorge Masvidal, Bellator 4 - May 1, 2009
Demian Maia's triangle choke against Chael Sonnen, UFC 95 - Feb. 21, 2009
BJ Penn's rear-naked choke against Kenny Florian, UFC 101 - Aug. 8, 2009
Now if you're a loyal UFC/WEC fan, chances are you've never heard of Toby Imada, Jorge Masvidal or even Bellator Fighting Championships. And if that's the case, you need to stop what you are doing right now and find a clip of Imada's standing inverted triangle choke. After watching the clip, I dare you to then tell me it's not the most amazing finish you've ever seen.
Yes, I truly believe Imada's victory over Masvidal is one of the best submissions in MMA history, and that's why this was the easiest award to vote for. The maneuver was so jaw-dropping that it wouldn't do it justice to explain in words. Trust me, just watch it. And if you've seen it before, watch it again, as I just did. It seems to get better with every viewing.
Hazelett deserves some kind of mention for his reverse armbar against McCrory at UFC 91, but unfortunately, he is going up against the solar eclipse of MMA submission victories. No competition here.
Be sure to make your voice heard by heading over to www.worldmmaawards.com, and vote for your favorite MMA submission of the year.
