(Props: GrapplersPlanetCom via Reddit/MMA)
Today’s example of inhuman Russian toughness comes to us from the International Federation of Full Contact Fighting, where a fighter won a recent match by rear-naked choke directly after having his leg snapped and twisted sideways by his opponent.
Skip to the video’s 0:40 mark to see the fighter in red shorts grab an ankle and start working on a heel hook. At the 0:54 mark, you can see that the fighter in blue shorts is in a position that you might describe as “uncomfortable.” Realizing that his tough-as-nails opponent isn’t going to tap so easily, Red Fighter re-adjusts the hold and cranks the absolute bejesus out of Blue Fighter’s ankle. I think what you’re hearing at the 1:05-1:06 mark is ligaments tearing off the bone.
999,999,999 out of a billion times, this would result in the leg-lock victim screaming in agony and tapping as quickly as possible. Instead, Blue Fighter goes “full Russian” and snatches the now-exposed neck of Red Fighter. The following sequence is unbelievable. When the camera angle changes, we see how badly-off Blue Fighter’s leg is. But amazingly, he holds the choke until Red Fighter releases the leg lock and starts tapping. Blue Fighter tries to get up to celebrate his victory, and quickly realizes that, nope, he ain’t walking out of here on that thing. It’s inspirational and bizarre and a little sad all at once.
If you know Blue Fighter’s name or how much he got paid for this match, please let us know at [email protected].