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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
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Mike Bohn, The Blue Corner

UFC on ESPN+ 30: Amir Albazi debuts with UFC’s first triangle choke finish of 2020

The triangle choke has been a less common finishing technique in MMA in recent years, but at UFC on ESPN+ 30, Amir Albazi managed to lock one up.

Albazi (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned the UFC’s first triangle choke submission victory of 2020 when he tapped out Malcolm Gordon (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the first round of their bantamweight fight on Saturday’s preliminary card, which took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

It was an impressive way to introduce himself into the UFC, and in case you missed it, watch the reply of the choke below (via Twitter):

Albazi, who hails from Sweden, became just the ninth fighter in UFC bantamweight history to win a fight by triangle choke. No one has finished a fight in the division with the technique since Matt Schnell stopped Louis Smolka in March 2019, but Albazi broke the streak.

The 26-year-old has now stopped his opponent inside the distance in 12 of his 13 career wins, but none was bigger than what he did against Malcolm on Saturday.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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