UFC 117 Results: What the Hell Did Matt Hughes Put On Ricardo Almeida?

Seriously, Matt Hughes, what the hell was that?

It was a good First Round with both guys trading some shots, and Ricardo Almeida showing some good striking, but what happened next just shocked a lot of people (especially myself, Joe Schafer, Jason Schielke, Nick Colon, Colton Whittemore, Brian Oswald, and others in the B/R MMA family, who I texted throughout portions of the event).

The Hall of Famer and two-time UFC Welterweight throne-holder sent Ricardo to the ground and looked as though he would execute a D'Arce or perhaps a guillotine with the arm in when he got a hold of it, but he just squeezed and drove his shoulder into Almeida's.

There wasn't a tap from Almeida when the hold was applied. Big Dog faded, prompting the ref to check his arm and subsequently stop the fight in what was one of the two most shocking submissions of the night.

Really, the hold looked like a D'Arce—like an Anaconda Choke attempt from Hughes—and it definitely wasn't a guillotine attempt, but it wasn't a straight up Anaconda Choke technique-wise.

So exactly what was that?

I don't know what it was, Joe Rogan didn't know what that was, Bruce Buffer, I don't think knew what that was, and not even Renzo Gracie knew what that hold was.

Heck, I believe Hughes just called it a headlock or something to that effect in the postfight interview.

I honestly don't know what it was, and unlike the Brock Lesnar arm-triangle which a buddy of mine coined "The Death Clutch", I don't know if you could coin that hold—which if I'm not mistaken looks like the hold you see guys execute when they sprawl to avoid a takedown.

I know Ricardo Almeida knows that hold now, though.

After all, he's the one that felt it.