Submission:\u00a0Alexey Oleynik’s first round Ezekiel choke on Junior Albini at UFC 224<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If my friends in the jiu-jitsu community are to be believed (I\u2019ve always been more of a striking guy), it is exceedingly f***ing difficult to pull off an Ezekiel choke if you\u2019re not wearing a gi. Yet somehow, a 41-year-old Russian named Alexey Oleynik has managed to do so a whopping 12 times over the course of his almost 70-fight career.<\/p>\n Oleynik\u2019s latest Ezekiel choke win came at the expense of Brazil\u2019s Junior Albini, who was tapping out less than two minutes into their UFC 224 bout. You\u2019d think by now all of Oleynik\u2019s foes would be good and prepared to defend against his Ezekiel choke, but somehow, he keeps catching people with it. And I would bet big money that he does it again before he hangs up the gloves.<\/p>\n Event: PFL 1<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n UFC President Dana White has spent decades trying to convince fighters to chase the finish every time they step into the cage, but despite all of his \u201cdon\u2019t leave it in the hands of the judges\u201d rants, he\u2019s never really gotten through to his fighters the way that he hoped. In its short existence, the PFL has already figured out how to encourage the kind of aggression that Dana White has always wanted. They award bonus points to fighters based on how quickly they finish their fights.<\/p>\n PFL 1, the opening event of the league\u2019s debut season, flaunted all the fruits of this system. The card was littered with violent, blitzkrieg wins, which combined for an altogether unforgettable night of MMA. Sure, it didn\u2019t have as many big names as UFC 220 or UFC 225, but in terms of action, it punched well above its weight.<\/p>\n Fight: Yusuke Yachi vs Diego Nunes at Rizin 10<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n There have been so many great fights this year. When making my pick for this category, I considered Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero 2, Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Kyle Bochniak, Jeremy Stephens vs. Doo Ho Choi, and so many others. Ultimately, however, I felt compelled to tip my hat to Japan\u2019s Yusuke Yachi and Brazil\u2019s Diego Nunes, who pounded each other into unrecognizable purple heaps in the Rizin ring back in May. In terms of pace, energy and momentum shifts, I really think this fight takes the cake for the first half of 2018.<\/p>\n Knockout: Li Kai Wen over Rodian Menchavez at ONE: Pinnacle of Power via first-round punch<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m not even sure that I can articulate why I chose Li Kai Wen\u2019s June knockout of Rodian Menchavez for this category. I just loved it. It was beautiful. The Chinese fighter performed with all the efficiency and mercilessness of a contract killer, immediately walking his foe down and removing his batteries with a comet-like right hand just 10 seconds into the fight. It was the perfect, one-hitter-quitter.<\/p>\n Breakthrough fighter\/up and comer: UFC heavyweight, Curtis Blaydes<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The first half of 2018 could not have gone better for Curtis Blaydes. In the span of six months, the surging heavyweight wrestler has delivered decisive wins over two bona fide MMA legends in Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem. He entered the year 2018 on the fringes of the heavyweight top-15, and half-way through the year, he\u2019s the owner of the number-3 spot in the rankings and is arguably the top contender in the division. If that\u2019s not a breakthrough, I don\u2019t know what is. Now give this man a title shot.<\/p>\n Upset: Claudio Silva’s first-round submission over Nordine Taleb at UFC Liverpool<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Of all the categories listed here, this is the one I had the toughest time deciding on. In the end, however, I decided to give my vote to Claudio Silva\u2019s first-round submission of Nordine Taleb, which went down at UFC Liverpool in May. Having entered the cage at +305, Silva was the biggest underdog of the night, and yet he defeated his dangerous foe by submission in the very first round. The thing that made this upset truly special in my eyes, however, is the fact that it marked Silva\u2019s first fight in almost four years. If ring-rust was a factor, he sure did a good job of hiding it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Submission:\u00a0Alexey Oleynik’s first round Ezekiel choke on Junior Albini at UFC 224<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Alexey Oleynik scored a rarely seen Ezekiel choke submission finish over Junior Albini at UFC 224. The Russian submission ace was able to lock up the chokehold in the clinch and then proceeded to drop down to his back where he tightened his squeeze and forced Albini to tap out.<\/p>\n Event: UFC 225<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Although eight of the thirteen bouts at UFC 225 went to the judge’s scorecards for decision, June’s pay-per-view event in Chicago still gets my vote for the event of the year thus far in 2018.<\/p>\n The main event of the evening featured a “fight of the year” war between current UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero. The event also served as Colby Covington’s coming out party, as the brash UFC welterweight proved that he was a lot more than just talk by scoring a dominant decision win over former lightweight titleholder Rafael dos Anjos. The event also featured big wins from former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm who defeated Megan Anderson, as well as a career-defining win for surging heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes who TKO’d former division title challenger Alistair Overeem.<\/p>\n Fight: Robert Whittaker vs Yoel Romero 2 at UFC 225<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n A rematch between current UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top division contender Yoel Romero served as the main event of UFC 225 earlier this month in Chicago. The fight was nothing short of an instant classic as “The Soldier of God” and “Bobby Knuckles” traded bombs for the better part of twenty-five minutes much to the delight of the Chi-Town crowd and viewers watching around the world.<\/p>\n After five-rounds of back and forth action, which saw the champion badly hurt and almost finished in the final five minutes, the fight went to the judge’s scorecards for decision. In the end, Robert Whittaker was awarded the split-decision victory, but Yoel Romero’s stock did not drop in defeat.<\/p>\n Knockout: Lyoto Machida over Vitor Belfort at UFC 224 via second-round front kick<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida added another sensational knockout to his highlight reel at May’s UFC 224 event in Brazil. “The Dragon” was able to catch fellow MMA legend Vitor Belfort with a left front kick to the face early on in the second-round of their fight, a strike which sent “The Phenom” crashing to the canvas.<\/p>\n Breakthrough fighter\/up and comer: UFC bantamweight, Petr Yan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/thumbs.gfycat.com\/JampackedFailingDuckbillplatypus-small.gif\")
<\/p>\nChris Taylor (@CTaylor_96<\/a>)<\/strong><\/h3>\n