A.J. McKee’s first-round submission win against Darrion Caldwell was an easy choice for our Submission of the Year award in 2020.
It’s rare for a submission victory to stun fans and media members simultaneously. But this seemingly happened after McKee forced Caldwell to tap from a nasty neck crank.
The position itself isn’t all that uncommon, however. In 10th Planet gyms, the modified full guard position is better known as the “100% sweep,” or simply, “100%,” and is renowned for being a highly effective setup for sweeps.
But there’s a brutal neck crank available from the position, as well, and that’s what McKee hit Caldwell with at Bellator 253.
McKee’s 71-second submission was enough to win first-place honors from five of our six members here at The Body Lock. Honorable mentions include Ayaka Hamasaki’s impressive leg-scissor choke against Miyuu Yamamoto at RIZIN 26 and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s triangle choke submission against Justin Gaethje.
Full results for The Body Lock’s 2020 Submission of the Year award:
- McKee def. Caldwell (15)
- Hamasaki def. Yamamoto (6)
- Khabib def. Gaethje (6)
In a video posted to The Body Lock’s YouTube channel, Matthew Wells and Drake Riggs shared their thoughts on McKee’s Submission of the Year.
- Wells voted McKee (#1), Nurmagomedov (#2), and Sterling (#3)
- Riggs voted Hamasaki (#1), Chochlikova (#2), and Shinryu (#3)
AJ McKee’s first-round submission win deserving of first-place in our Submission of the Year category in 2020? Or did you prefer another submission?
We’d love to see your opinion in the comments section below!
