The brain child of mixed martial arts star, Chael Sonnen, Submission Underground has quickly become a popular outlet for competitive grappling. And that trend continued this last December 2nd weekend with Submission Underground 6, which brought a number of exciting matches and submission action.
The main event alone was enough to draw a massive amount of attention, as former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields battled UFC talent Gilbert Burns. Burns and Shields are two men who are well-known for their abilities in the MMA arena. But they’ve both been successful on the grappling circuit as well, with ADCC bronze medals to both their names. This match lived up to expectations and they each proved why they are at the top of their game in the sport.
Burns was aggressive from the very start, using his wrestling to press Shields. He attempted multiple double-leg attempts but Shields was ready to defend and did so with his own mix of wrestling and submission attacks. When the match went to overtime, it was Shields who was able to make the most of the positions. He won the match via fastest escape time in three rounds.
Former UFC heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia was also in the cage, competing against a multiple-time no-gi grappling champion, Fabiano Scherner. Although Scherner gave up a large amount of weight, he was able to handle Sylvia and take him down to the mat. Sylvia was game on the ground, but he was unable to deal with the experience that Scherner presented. Scherner forced the submission via wrist lock during regulation.
Nathan Orchard and AJ Agazarm are two of the most popular names in the sport, and their match was intensity personified. Agazarm was aggressive right from the start and tried to out wrestle Orchard. But Orchard was ready, attacking multiple times with a variety of submission attempts. Neither man was able to gain a submission victory in regulation, but when it went to overtime, Orchard took over. He was able to maintain position for more time, giving himself the victory in the end.
Former UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce vet Vagner Rocha is another competitor with a lot of experience in both the sub grappling and MMA worlds. He’s had a successful 2017 on the mats and that trend continued with his victory over Jesse Taylor at Submission Underground 6. Rocha was clearly the smaller man, but that didn’t stop him from taking Taylor’s back and controlling him throughout the match. Taylor was able to escape but never truly threatened Rocha. Rocha took home the win in overtime after a quick escape, then secured a finish with a reverse triangle.
Submission Underground 6 was can’t miss action for anyone interested in the sport of competitive grappling. The event is available for replay on FloGrappling.com.