
Joji Goto is putting his own, ahem, twist on MMA.
For the second time in four months, Goto finished a fight in Round 2 via twister submission, this time making Junya Hibino tap to the rare submission at a RIZIN event Sunday in Nagoya, Japan.
Watch the awesome finish below.
Back-to-back twisters?! ️
Is Joji Goto the first fighter in MMA history to do that?!
[ @FiteTV PPV https://t.co/eEpfmslhPp ] pic.twitter.com/58RwXALlrL
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) October 1, 2023
Twister tap-outs are among the rarest finishes in all of MMA, prompting RIZIN’s official English Twitter account to ask if this is the first time its ever been done in the history of the game. Even if it isn’t, this is not only two straight twister submissions for Goto, it’s his second time closing the show with the maneuver in four months.
This past June, Goto executed a nasty variation of the maneuver in his RIZIN debut against Trent Girdham.
A TWISTER?! ️
Capping off a brilliant showing, Goto wins his RIZIN debut in style!
[ #RIZIN43 | @FiteTV | PPV link in bio ] pic.twitter.com/D2OxacEgwA
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) June 24, 2023
At the highest levels of MMA, twisters remain an elusive finish to attain. For example, the UFC octagon has only played host to three such finishes: The Korean Zombie’s history-making twister of Leonard Garcia in their second fight, Bryce Mitchell’s win over Matt Sayles, and Da’Mon Blackshear’s first-round finish of Jose Johnson this past August.