Issue 122

December 2014

Ben Saunders wanted to show the UFC bringing him back was the right move, so what did he give them? The first omoplata finish in UFC history

They say getting into the UFC is one of the hardest things a fighter can accomplish in their career. However, no one mentions how difficult it is to get back in after being released. 

Before he became a two-time Bellator tournament finalist, Ben Saunders had a seven-fight run in the UFC, accumulating a 4-3 record after a stint on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter. It would take him four years and 11 fights before he would make it back to the Octagon.

Taking a short notice fight against the highly-touted Chris Heatherly seemed like a difficult task for ‘Killa B’, however, he didn’t waste his opportunity when he got it, submitting his opponent with a rarely seen omoplata in the first round of the fight, earning himself a well deserved $50,000 ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus check.

“The plan was to come out and make a statement. Not a statement for the welterweight division, but a statement to Joe Silva, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta that they didn’t make a mistake in bringing me back to the UFC,” Saunders told Sherdog after his win. “You can never guarantee a win but if I come and put everything on the line and look for the finish every time, usually something exciting turns up and I’m very grateful that it turned out the way it did. It was the first omoplata in UFC history so that’s one way to come back.”

Saunders didn’t just land in the rare omoplata position by happenstance, the BJJ black belt maneuvered his way into it when Heatherly was able to defend a very tight triangle choke. From there, Saunders knew exactly what to do.

“I already knew that the submission had never been done before and I knew that it can be very difficult to actually accomplish. In one of my prior fights I actually had it and I tried to make sure I refined my skill-set incase I was ever there again.

“I wanted to make sure that I shucked him to the side, stopped the roll from happening, made sure I flattened him out and, above all, made sure I stayed patient. I didn’t want to rush it. I kind of had to modify it and go to the wrist to finish it off, but I’m just really happy that it turned out the way it did.”

With a long-awaited return to the UFC a success, and a nomination in the World MMA Awards ‘Submission of the Year’ category all but confirmed with his shoulder-popping submission and the welcome bonus padding his bank account, 2014 might be the best year he’s had since he put on those 4oz gloves.