And the nominees for 2017 Biggest Shocker of the Year are...

Biggest Shocker 

Antonio Carlos Jr flying triangle over Garry Tonon 

The remit of Submission Underground (SUG) has always been to pit MMA fighters against grapplers, and that’s what we got when UFC fighter Antonio Carlos Jr against black belt Garry Tonon. Except “Cara de Sapato” (as he is known) isn’t just an MMA fighter – he’s also a successful black belt in his own right with a solid grappling career behind him. 

Because Antonio Carlos Jr has been off the grappling scene for a few years, spectators had forgotten that one of his primary attacks is – you guessed it – a flying triangle. And it seems nobody was caught more by surprise than Garry Tonon. In one of the most memorable moments of the year Tonon was forced to submit in competition for the first time since 2013. 

Craig Jones submits Leandro Lo at ADCC 

He’s never been known as a no-gi specialist, but Leandro Lo is one of the biggest names in jiu-jitsu for a reason – he nearly always finds a way to win. But that’s only one reason why his first-round departure from ADCC was so shocking. 

More so was the fact that he was out-smarted, out-worked and submitted by the hot prospect Craig Jones of Australia. Jones threw a series of attacks at Lo before latching onto his back and squeezing the neck for a shock submission that had the entire crowd cheering. Jones was a minor name until that moment but has been th talk of the town ever since. 

Elvira Karpinnen takes out Mackenzie Dern first round at ADCC 

After a rollercoaster year Mackenzie Dern looked all set to return to her position as one of the best female grapplers in the world. As 2015 ADCC champion Dern was – and always is – a hot pick to win her division. But a relatively unknown Finnish local had other plans. 

Meeting Dern in the first round, 10th Planet brown belt Elvira Karpinnen entered the mat with all eyes on her. The local crowd would have had his hopes for her to pull off an upset, but still – this was a brown belt going up against one of the winningest black belts of recent years. 10 minutes of action later and Karpinnen had her hand raised, signaling the fan-favorite’s defeat and heralding the arrival of a new force in women’s grappling. 

Nicholas Meregali upsets Leandro Lo at IBJJF Worlds 

It’s no secret that Nicholas Meregali has always been the object of fierce attention, and expectations of this young black belt have always been high. Tearing through his side of the heavyweight bracket at the IBJJF World Championships, Meregali looked especially focused as he confronted Leandro Lo in the final. 

This wouldn’t be the first time Meregali had faced Lo, having lost to him three times (once as a brown belt, and then twice in the same weekend at IBJJF Pans). Meregali would not be denied, however. His fierce energy led to a standout performance that saw him take gold at the IBJJF World Championships in his first year as a black belt. 

Roger Gracie submits Buchecha 

One of the most talked-about matches of recent times, the much-hyped rematch between Roger Gracie and Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida was a true “once in a lifetime” moments that will go down in the history books. Gracie needed a good reason to return to high-level competition after years away from the scene, and a shot at Buchecha was exactly that. 

Their first thrilling match back in 212 ended in a draw. Not so this time. Gracie’s domination and eventual submission of one of the greatest living (and most successful) modern competitors. And not only that, but Gracie immediately retired upon having his hand raised. 

Talita Alencar defeats Gezary Matuda at IBJJF Worlds 

Everybody loves an underdog story, and what better than a brand new black belt walking onto the mats for the finals of the World Championships to take out the reigning champion? That’s exactly what Talita Alencar did when she defeated Gezary Matuda in the light featherweight division. 

The scrappy young upstart faced a huge challenge in taking out the two-time champ, but she managed to do so in a back-and-froth contest that went down to the wire. Even a an errant knee to the fact that almost closed Alencar’s eye midway through the match couldn’t slow her down – the resulting black eye was just another trophy to go along with her World Championship medal.