Issue 170

September 2018

Demetrious Johnson amazes with an unbelievable armbar.

When you watch dozens of fights every month and have seen almost every variation of choke and joint lock,

it takes something really special to make you speechless.

Demetrious Johnson’s combination, stringing a slam and armbar together was one of those. The MMA world collectively lost its mind.

Never before at the highest level of the sport has a man picked up a title challenger, thrown them to the mat and grabbed an arm to crank it before they’ve even touched down. Yet, for Johnson, it was just routine.

“I hit that suplex to armbar so many times in the gym, so I knew I was going to get it,” he said. “I’m in the business of getting in here and making a fool of you, throwing you in the air like a bag of potatoes, throwing you down between my legs and breaking your arm.”

It was a moment of brilliance with one tiny aw: ‘Mighty Mouse’ picked a totally weak name for his next-level technique. The ‘mighty armbar’ is just so generic. The ‘mouse trap’ is a much better alternative. Here’s how he did it...

STEP 1: THE SET-UP

“When I had his back, his weight was very planted. When someone’s weight is planted, you have to shift their weight.”

STEP 2: LIFT OFF

"I was kneeing him, then I shifted his weight and he went to throw an elbow. Then I was like, Gotcha! That’s when I threw him up.”

STEP 3: THE SQUEEZE

“I was squeezing. I threw him up, slammed him, then shimmied down a little bit and squeezed. He was doing a good job of moving his arm back and forth and I was trying to get the elbow in place.”

STEP 4: SUBMISSION POSITION

“I thought, Oh my God, he’s not going to give up, so I had to situate the elbow in the right spot and I kept squeezing. Finally, I got the right spot and that’s when he gave up.”