Issue 112

March 2014

Hawaiian bantamweight Russell Doane’s UFC debut didn’t stop him from bringing the house down with a cool bonus-check-bagging submission

If Russell Doane was nervous before his UFC debut against Leandro Issa, at UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim, it didn’t show. He kept his poker face for the 9:59 it took to submit Issa, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and One FC veteran. 

While he may not have felt those ‘Octagon jitters,’ he was still surprised to get a sub’ over the BJJ specialist.

“We plan for so much during fight camp. We plan for the takedown, we plan to keep the fight on the feet, but at no point did I think I was going to get a submission on him. However, I guess crazier things have happened,” Doane explained afterwards.

The January fight was back and forth, and although the conclusion came via a Doane triangle choke in the second round, their roles could’ve been reversed, as Issa latched on one of his own in the first stanza that looked to end the Honolulu native’s night early. However, his familiarity with the set-up saved him from beginning the new year with a loss. 

Doane laughs: “That was my own set-up. When he slapped it on me I was like, ‘Oh man, that’s my move.’ I wasn’t close to tapping though. I definitely had some room to breathe.”

Issa may have felt confident going into the second round after almost locking in the choke, but his hopes were dashed thanks to Doane’s pin-point striking. The Hawaiian landed a number of blows before taking Issa to the ground. While the Brazilian was able to defend an armbar attempt, he wasn’t so successful against the triangle, getting choked unconscious with exactly one second left in the middle round.

And if winning his UFC debut with a submission over a BJJ black belt in front of his opponent’s adopted home town wasn’t enough, Doane also picked up $50,000 for the ‘Submission of the Night.’ 

When asked what he’ll be spending his bonus cash on, Doane simply said: “I’ve got some bills I’ve got to pay, so it’ll be good to pay those off. I also really want to buy a dog too!”