Flying submissions are exceedingly rare in the UFC, whether they be an armbar, triangle choke, or anything else. It makes perfect sense of course, they require a significant amount of skill in order to pull them off and they’re seen as a very “all-or-nothing” move, even in submission grappling. If it goes even slightly wrong, you may just have given your opponent top position and a decent opportunity to pass into a dominant position straight away. When you add strikes into the mix, flying submissions can easily become a recipe for disaster.
That didn’t stop Jimmy Flick from pulling off a flying Triangle Choke in his very first UFC fight however, and he set it up beautifully. Flick fired a high kick at his opponent Cody Durden and when the kick was caught, he immediately leapt into action and locked up the choke. While the exact method of his victory was surprising to just about everyone, and worthy of a performance of the night bonus of course, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that he ended up winning by submission.
The Sand Springs, Oklahoma native Flick had won fifteen professional fights prior to his UFC debut and had finished thirteen of them by submission. He’s had a variety of finishes but shows a clear preference for chokes from top position, having won the majority via Arm Triangle. He’s no stranger to unusual submissions either, as he’s also registered a win by Von Flue Choke in the past too. After such an explosive debut, no doubt any future opponents will be incredibly hesitant to engage Flick on the ground, or even in the clinch.
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A FLYING TRIANGLE! ⚠️🤯@JimmyFlick HAS ARRIVED. #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/6Dp6QZFtNz
— UFC (@ufc) December 19, 2020
