Pablo ‘The Scarecrow’ Garza teaches you how to annihilate your opponent with his deadly flying triangle.

At UFC 129 fans were awarded the rare sight of a scarecrow bizarrely flying through the air and locking a triangle choke around featherweight Yves Jabouin’s neck.

This was of course Pablo ‘The Scarecrow’ Garza, crowned with the moniker because of his extremely gangly limbs. Yet at six-foot-one and weighing just 145lb, Garza’s beanpole body type afforded him the chance to pull off one of the most spectacular moves the UFC has ever witnessed.

Despite a six-inch reach advantage, the pair were evenly matched as the fight began with a series of Thai clinches.

“When we were in the Thai clinch I was kneeing him in the body.

I had his left arm trapped so when I was kneeing him I saw that he would put his right arm down and try and block it,” explains Garza. “When we clinched for the second time I saw him do it again.

I threw a knee and it landed and when I threw another knee he’d go and try and block it again.

Because his arms were so low, leaving his neck open, I decided to step back and then fire myself at him with the flying triangle.” 

Garza admits that at just five-foot-six, Jabouin’s height played a large roll in his downfall.

“Usually, when I pull it off the guy’s quite a bit shorter than me so I know I can land it. Would I try it on someone my height?

I’d probably go for a flying armbar instead,” he laughs. The move clearly demonstrated Garza’s technical proficiency, having drilled it multiple times in practice yet never expecting he would be able to grace the UFC with such a spectacle in just his second appearance for the promotion.

“It’s something where me and my training partners will stick around after jiu-jitsu class and we’ll try and refine all the hard jiu-jitsu moves,” he says.

“It may have looked risky but I was confident I could pull it off because I’ve actually done that a couple of times before in class.”

Launching yourself at your opponent is a high-risk move that can be countered if not correctly executed, yet Garza was highly confident in his BJJ prowess.

“I made sure I wasn’t countered because as soon as I jumped I had it locked-in in the air,” he says.

“As soon as I landed I made sure to grab his leg with my left arm to prevent him from posturing up and pulling out or picking me up and slamming me.

I also grabbed my shin with my right arm locking it up and keeping it tight, preventing him from standing up. If pulled off correctly, it usually takes your opponent out because when you jump for the triangle your momentum turns you and the impact of landing makes it even tighter.

It’s fantastic to be in the UFC and receive ‘Submission of the Night’ in my second fight.

There’s plenty more where that came from!”

With the new crop of UFC featherweights likely looking on in fear, it seems The Scarecrow is certainly doing his job properly.