Sometimes it’s hard to slip on a choke because a resisting fighter tucks his chin, blocking the arm from sliding across the neck. In later rounds, sweat can become a factor, aiding the process of forcing that arm across. But hey, you know what else works? According to the UFC 231 bout between jiu-jitsu stud Gunnar Nelson and Brazilian striker Alex Oliveira, blood works, too. Blood does the job marvelously.
The first round went pretty well for Oliveira. Because Nelson is no great shakes on the feet and everything on the ground, Oliveira did his best to keep the fight on the feet. And when it did go to the ground, the Brazilian made sure he was out of danger and delivering punishment.
Vicious ground and pound! #UFC231 pic.twitter.com/0ZDTfnQKxH
— UFC (@ufc) December 9, 2018
But then came Round 2, and after Oliveira bloodied his nose, Nelson took his foe down and went to work… only this time, he made sure to drop some heat to soften Oliveira up. It was then that Oliveira started blooding like an extra in a horror flick, and all that blood made it easy for Nelson to slap on the choke.
He roars again!
Welcome back, @GunniNelson! #UFC231 pic.twitter.com/APn2XMPQWt
— UFC (@ufc) December 9, 2018
Hey, you use what you can in a fight, am I right?