This is the final highlight of best moves from Mundials 2004. Here’s the tally of submissions:

  • CLOCK / BOW AND ARROW CHOKE Clock choke to bow and arrow choke when they try to roll.
  • (2) ARMBARS from guard.
  • (2) TRIANGLES from guard.
  • TRIANGLE Triangle from lasso/arm wrap spider guard.
  • ARMBAR Knee-on-belly to nearside armbar.
  • ARMBAR Braulio gets two armbars while sweeping with the far side underhook as they stand in his closed guard.
  • EZEKIEL CHOKE Roger gets an ezekiel from mount.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Roger gets the double collar choke from the back on Tozi.
  • CROSS COLLAR CHOKE Roger gets a cross collar choke from mount on Terere.
  • ARMBAR Jacare gets an armbar from Nino Schembri mount (sitting with both legs forward.)
  • CROSS COLLAR CHOKE Cross collar choke as they do the cross knee pass to quarter guard.
  • KNEEBAR (Didn’t show enough to see where it started.)
  • ARMBAR Armbar from rear mount.
  • LOOP CHOKE They get a loop choke as the guy on passes guard and he ends up unconscious on top of side control.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Rolling back take to single wing choke.
  • (2) BASEBALL BAT CHOKES
  • PAPER CUTTER CHOKE
  • BRABO CHOKE WITH LAPEL Xande gets a brabo choke by pulling the lapel out while passing half guard.
  • (2) ARMBARS from top.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Single wing choke with no hooks.
  • ARMBAR Spinning armbar from side control with underhook.
  • KNEEBAR / TOEHOLD Rolling kneebar to toehold.
  • ARMBAR to TRIANGLE Terere attacks with an armbar from rear mount and switched to a triangle as they escape by turning into him.
  • REAR NAKED CHOKE The camera angle was unclear, so it could have been some kind of collar choke instead.
  • KNEEBAR / TOEHOLD Spin to kneebar from top of half guard to toehold.
  • (2) AMERICANA Both from side control, but one ended in mount with the ankle stuck. I must confess that second one came after what may be the worst performances I’ve ever seen by two black belts.
  • KNEEBAR / TOEHOLD Attack with toehold and kneebar, finish with toehold.
  • CLOCK CHOKE Textbook.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Megaton attacks chokes and armlocks from the back until he gets a single wing choke.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Marcelo passes guard, they turtle and he takes their back where he ultimately gets a bow and arrow choke.
  • ARMBAR Marcelo does a reverse half guard pass (from the sitout position) and immediately hits an armbar once he’s out.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Marcelo does a spinning armbar from side control, but ends up belly down. After hanging on the arm for a bit, he switches to rear mount and works on collar chokes until he gets a mix of the bow and arrow and single wing choke.
  • TOEHOLD Roger ends up in an awkward north-south/reverse mount position and grabs a toehold.
  • TRIANGLE Jacare is sitting on an armbar after an omoplata. He keeps a hold on the sleeve and spins into mount to get a triangle.
  • KOMLOCK Butterfly with overhook/whizzer to straight armlock (AKA Komlock).
  • BOW AND ARROW CHOKE Saulo does for a bow and arrow but finishes it by stepping over the head and rolling into a much meaner version of it. (He teaches this in his DVDs.)
  • TRIANGLE Rear mount to triangle as they turn into to escape.
  • TRIANGLE Jump to closed guard, open to double sleeve open guard with feet on hips, foot up to triangle.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKES / BOW AND ARROW Double lapel choke from the back, switching to single lapel choke and ultimately ending with bow and arrow.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Xande takes the back from turtle and finishes with a single wing choke.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Terere takes the back and gets a double lapel choke.
  • KIMURA From the top of half guard, they almost get a pressing armbar (hugging the arm to their shoulder) but switch to a kimura when they defend.
  • LAPEL CHOKE Jacare gets his famous lapel choke from top of side control.
  • REAR COLLAR CHOKE Xande gets a single lapel choke from the back.
  • FLYING TRIANGLE to OMOPLATA to KNEEBAR I guess they wanted to end in style.

Armbars and rear collar chokes (double lapel, single lapel or bow and arrow) were the top submissions, especially when used in combination while attacking the back. Spinning to the farside armbar from side control was common, as well as armbars from mount. Triangles and various collar chokes are next, followed by kneebars/toeholds, then assorted other armlocks and chokes.

I didn’t see a single rear collar choke finished from traditional rear mount with two hooks. Fighters would get the two hooks when needed (and to earn points), but the finishes came from being far up on one shoulder (like how you angle off for the bow and arrow.) This also made it easier to switch to armbars and even triangles (by stepping over the arm as they tried to break grips for the collar choke.)

Like usual in the black belt divisions, the submissions were often blends and combinations of different attacks, like threatening a collar choke, armbar and triangle at the same time to overload their defenses. When they do hit more straightforward submissions, it’s usually because they surprised them by combining it with the end of a sweep or guard pass or other transition.