Today we talk about another set of three ONE Championship stars who took 2022 by storm and how they reaped the awards by the end of it.
We discuss Liam Harrison and Muangthai PK.Saenchai’s barnburner, Tye Ruotolo’s debut submission win, and Reinier de Ridder’s masterclass against Vitaly Bigdash.
#3. Liam Harrison and Muangthai’s total war wins ONE’s 2022 Muay Thai Fight of the Year award
Comeback wins aren’t that uncommon, but what Liam Harrison pulled off against Muangthai PK.Saenchai in April 2022 was nothing short of a miracle.
After suffering two knockdowns in the first round, Harrison dug deep and sent Muangthai to the canvas three times to earn the knockout win. That tremendous comeback was unlike anything seen inside the circle and has been named ONE Championship’s 2022 Muay Thai Fight of the Year.
One may think that the fight lasted at least two rounds, but the match never left the first frame. That alone speaks to the volume of Harrison’s heart.
Harrison’s ONE 156 win was such an awe-inspiring watch that he was awarded a $100,000 bonus and the opportunity to face Nong-O Gaiyanghadao for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title in August 2022.
#2. Tye Ruotolo’s 97-second D’Arce choke of Garry Tonon tops ONE’s 2022 Grappling Submission of the Year
Debuts have always been a nerve-wracking experience, but 19-year-old Tye Ruotolo made sure that his ONE Championship arrival against Garry Tonon was one for the books.
Such was the dominance that he displayed that Ruotolo’s victory over the former ONE featherweight world title contender was named ONE’s 2022 Submission Grappling Submission of the Year.
Ruotolo knew that Tonon is one of the best submission experts in MMA, but that didn’t crack him one bit. The American grappler needed just 97 seconds to lock in his signature D’Arce choke to get the submission win at ONE 157.
What made Ruotolo’s win even more impressive was that he beat Rodrigo Marello, Bianca Basillo, Mikey Musumeci, and even his twin brother Kade for the year-end war.
#1. Reinier de Ridder’s inverted triangle on Vitaly Bigdash wins ONE’s 2022 MMA Submission of the Year award
Reinier de Ridder has always carried a reputation of being a potent submission expert. His ONE middleweight world title defense over Vitaly Bigdash at ONE 159 was a testament to just how dangerous he is on the mat.
ONE Championship’s MMA circuit was filled with highlight-reel finishes, but de Ridder’s first-round submission of Bigdash truly stood out among the field and was eventually named ONE’s 2022 MMA Submission of the Year.
Not only did de Ridder display an amazing offense on the ground, but he also produced one of the best defensive sequences of his storied career.
De Ridder was locked in a tight guillotine choke early in the fight but he somehow escaped the hold to get a dominant position. After passing guard, ‘The Dutch Knight’ wrapped his legs around Bigdash’s neck ultimately squeezing the air out of the Russian star for the submission win.
Inverted triangle chokes are some of the hardest submission holds to execute, but de Ridder’s mastery of the move was more than enough for ONE Championship to give him the year-end award.
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