Pit Submission Series 4
Opening the Karate Combat 45 card this Saturday, April 20th, the Pit Submission series 4 came back full throttle, putting some of the best names in international grappling against one another at the prestigious Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. Inside the pit, three superfights took place and raised grappling to a whole new level as each competitor put on their best performance for the title. Check out below how each of the duels went down!
Craig Jones vs Rinat Fakhretdinov
Returning to the Pit Submission Series, Craig Jones once again showed his high-level Jiu-Jitsu. In his duel against UFC athlete and sambo specialist Rinat Fakhretdinov, Craig made full use of bottom entries and brought danger to his opponent by attacking twice with the buggy choke. In the second attack, locking the choke tighter than before, Craig saw his chance and went up to mount. Trying to avoid his opponent’s pressure from the top, which resulted in an ezekiel choke attempt, Rinat left his back wide open for Craig, who feinted the back take and returned to the guard with a triangle that had Rinat momentarily passed out. Rinat quickly resurfaced and the referees decided that the submission hadn’t been successful, prompting Craig to once again squeeze the triangle while spinning to go on top and putting Rinat to sleep once again, landing the Australian the victory via submission.
Pouya Rahmani vs Kayna Duarte
Coming as the underdog in the duel’s odds, Pouya Rahmani showed his mettle and positional control as he defeated the favorite Kaynan Duarte. A multiple-time No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu champion, Kaynan tried to play from the bottom, attacking from the half guard and spinning. Meanwhile, Pouya used his pressure on the top to attempt guard passes while he avoided Kaynan’s attacks, which offered the Iranian no danger throughout the duel. When the clock ran out, Pouya came out on top and unanimously earned an important victory for his resumé.
Zayed Al Katheeri vs Osamah Al Marwai
Debuting without the gi as a black belt, UAE’s Zayed Al Khatheeri showed a good game on top while beating Yemeni Osamah Al Marwai, with the latter seeking to play on bottom, dishing out attacks from the half guard with spins to the foot. Zayed even responded with a heel hook of his own, but his highlight came in the form of a dangerous armbar, defended by Osamah. In the referees’ decision, Zayed won unanimously.
