UFC Vegas 78: Da’Mon Blackshear submits Jose Johnson with a twister

Da’Mon Blackshear Octagon Interview | UFC Vegas 78

In the UFC Vegas 78 showdown, Da’Mon Blackshear defeated Jose Johnson by executing a high-skill grappling manoeuvre known as the twister, securing a win in the first round.

Blackshear, nicknamed “The Monster,” holds a professional record of 14-5-1 and a UFC record of 2-1-1. He made his UFC debut against Youssef Zalai, resulting in a draw. Originally slated to face Brady Hiestand, Johnson replaced the former Ultimate Fighter finalist at UFC Vegas 78. As a result, the fight marked the third successful twister submission in UFC history.

The twister submission is a rare and challenging maneuver to execute in MMA. First popularized by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Eddie Bravo, it involves twisting the opponent’s body while controlling their head and neck. The fighter then exerts pressure on the spine leading to a potential submission.

Before this fight, only two fighters had secured wins with the same submission move. The first time this occurred was when Chan “The Korean Zombie” Sung Jung fought Leonard Garcia in 2011.

Having previously suffered a loss to Garcia, Jung successfully executed the move during UFC Fight Night 24. Jung subsequently earned “Submission of the Night” honors and was later awarded “Submission of the Year” by the World MMA Awards.

Following Jung, Joe Lauzon achieved the second twister submission in UFC history. He secured a submission victory in Round 3 of the UFC on Fox 4 fight against Jamie Varner.

In this second bout of the night at the UFC Vegas 78, Blackshear initiated the fight with strikes against Johnson. After Johnson found himself in a risky position, Blackshear took advantage and locked in a twister submission. Blackshear transitioned into the submission hold while grappling with Johnson during his second takedown attempt. Consequently, Johnson tapped out, surrendering while entangled by Blackshear at 03:47 of Round 1.

With this win, Blackshear has amassed eight submission victories and one KO victory in the UFC bantamweight division.