Erick Silva

By Michael Hatamoto

During UFC on FUEL 10 TV from the Ginasio Paulo Sarasate arena in Fortaleza, Brazil, it’s no surprise that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was on full display during the preliminary and main card.

Eight of the 12 total fights ended in submission – a record-setting night – with five of the six main card fights ending in submission. Three of the six fights on the undercard featured submission victories, and set the early tone for the rest of the fight card.

Erick Silva’s quick submission win against Jason High, a triangle-armbar just 1:11 into round 1, helped the Brazilian fighter bounce back into the win column and net a $50,000 Submission of the Night award.

Besides a lone knockout victory Thiago Silva unleashed on former rival Rafael Cavalcante on the main card, the rest of the fights ended by submission. No fights went further than the second round, and it was a very fast-paced, exciting fight card for MMA fans.

The main card started with Rony Jason destroying Mike Wilkinson with a triangle choke technical submission just 1:24 into the first round, and I think was one of the better submissions on the card. However, Werdum’s armbar submission win was impressive due to Big Nog’s decorated BJJ pedigree, including just one another submission loss in 44 total MMA fights.

I like seeing BJJ on full display during UFC fight cards, as there are a lot of misconceptions about the ‘gentle art’ among casual MMA fans. Perhaps they don’t understand the intricacies of the ground game, or can’t appreciate the effort and technique involved.

Either way, the Brazilians did a great job of showing how effective high-level BJJ can be implemented in modern MMA, though don’t expect performances like this every time out.