Watching that heel hook felt like finding an oasis in the Gobi Desert.
In the midst of this absolute hellscape the combat sports community finds itself in, Chael Sonnen has gone ahead and delivered a fascinating card amidst less than ideal circumstances. He also proved that he can talk for a near infinite amount of time.
Broadcasting from an empty grain silo in and undisclosed location within Oregon, Submission Underground 12 brought BJJ fans their first real event since the COVID-19 quarantine ramped into high gear. MC’d by Sonnen alone, the very quiet event required all athletes to wear spats and long sleeve rash guards to minimize contact with their opponents. Peppered throughout the evening were comments from UFC fighters texting Sonnen about the matches.
In the main event, Jones faced UFC veteran Kevin Casey for the first time in competition. Jones began with his standard sit into half guard, but Casey repeatedly kept Jones from the position. Isolating his legs, Casey made repeated pass attempts while keeping Jones out of half guard. Briefly standing, Jones almost isolated Casey’s right leg before he slipped out.
A minute passes as Jones goes for an arm drag, but the hulking Casey is able to force Jones back to his rear. Forcing the standup again, Jones goes for a scissor take down that misses. As Casey goes to stand, Jones is able to bite into the saddle and locks in the heel hook as Casey falls against the cage. With 2:20 on the clock, Jones is declared the winner.
As an observer, this event was completely surreal. The lack of crowd combined with the alien location really drove home how insane the times currently are. But as they followed proper protocol, It felt good knowing that a return to BJJ normalcy might come sooner rather than later. Congrats to the organizers and all involved for doing things by the book.
A full list of SUG 12 results can be found bellow.
Main
- Craig Jones def. Kevin Casey via Heel hook – Regulation, 2:40
- Ben Egli def. Jake Ellenberger via Americana – Regulation, 3:30
Prelims
- Juan Bernardo def. Bobby Emmons via RNC – Overtime 2, 0:35
- Cris Lencioni def. Logan Skinner via RNC – Overtime 1, 1:58
- Matt Stringham def. Joe Levasseur via Standing guillotine – Regulation, 0:28
- Alex Larmey def. Thomas Patrick via OT escape
- Jake Smith def. George Martinez via OT escape
- Don Stoner def. Lee Flores via RNC – Regulation, 2:34
- Cody Kenaga def. John Simon via OT escape
