In the sport of mixed martial arts, there are a great and many ways for a fight to end. Aside from the broader categories of KO, TKO, submission, decision, disqualification and no contest, there are specific fight ending techniques that are seen often, such as punches, kicks, armbars, rear naked chokes, etc., as well as fight ending techniques that occur so rarely that they often warrant the question: Has anyone ever won with that one before?

Just as one never knows how a fight will end, one also never knows when they will see a once in a lifetime, Haley’s Comet kind of submission.

This one occurred at Ohio Fighting Championships 22 at the Northland Performing Arts Center in Columbus, Ohio, in a fight between Josh Hilliard and Zach Cook in October 2014.

In the second round of their fight, Cook was able to take Hilliard’s back and secure a takedown. However, Hilliard defended by first attempting what looked like a kneebar, but is unable to lock it in. From there, he spots several opportunities patiently works for the calf slicer. After about a minute, Zach Cook finds himself caught in a calf slicer he can’t escape from and taps while his face contorts in pain.

MMAwiki.org defines the calf slicer as a compression lock that involves pressing the calf muscle into one of the bones in the leg. Similarly to the biceps slicer, a leg slicer can be applied by inserting an arm or leg in the backside of the knee, and flexing the opponent’s leg to apply pressure to the muscles surrounding the fulcrum.

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Jeff Warsaw is the former executive editor of Long Island MMA Magazine, professional combat sports public address announcer for several NY/NJ MMA and kickboxing promotions, and a proud one-stripe white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the famed Joe D’Arce. He is currently a musician, coffee enthusiast and host of the Stranger In A Strange Land podcast on YouTube.