Nashkho Galaev choked out in 1R KOs Denis Mutsnek in 2R #ACB64 pic.twitter.com/FHU99lNljN
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) July 19, 2017
Mixed martial arts and pro wrestling share a deep pedigree. We know that shoot wrestling in the Japanese promotion RINGS gave way to MMA fights which were popularized in Pancrase, which led to the UFC and now we’re here, with cage fighting a mainstream sport. But despite the similarities between pro wrestling and some MMA training over the years (salute, Stu Hart), fans don’t often see pro wrestling clichés play out in the cage. At ACB 64 in Antalya, Turkey, they did.
In the first round of their bantamweight fight, Nashkho Galaev was choked unconscious by opponent Denis Mutsnek. You can see him go limp for a second, and the ref even checks the arm. Then, he rallies, possibly puffs out his cheeks, inspired by the legions of little Galaevmaniacs that are saying their prayers and taking their vitamins in the crowd, then comes back for the knockout win in the second round.
wake up ! pic.twitter.com/jWpHphvRB0
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) July 19, 2017
Nashkho Galaev KOs Denis Mutsnek #ACB64 pic.twitter.com/m0e758q1B9
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) July 19, 2017
We’ve seen the rallying back from a choke out countless times in pro wrestling. The victim goes limp, the referee lifts their arm to see if they’re conscious, and miraculously they wake up to typically, win. We even saw this in amateur wrestling at the Olympics last year. But to see this in MMA was special.
(Via MMA Fighting)
