Ben Saunders Claims First Omoplata Finish in UFC History

Ben Saunders hadn’t set foot inside the Octagon since 2010, but on Saturday at UFC Fight Night “Henderson vs. Dos Anjos” the Bellator MMA veteran returned in historic fashion, finishing Chris Heatherly via omoplata in the first round.

With the win, “Killa Bee” notched the first omoplata submission under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner in the promotion’s history.

Fun Fact: @bensaundersMMA First round Omoplata finish is the first of it's kind in UFC History! #UFCTulsa

— UFC (@ufc) August 24, 2014

There have been instances where the maneuver has come in handy, notably when Frank Mir used one to set up his toe hold finish of David Abbott at UFC 41 in 2003. Gil Castillo pulled one out of his hat against Raymond Mansfield during an International Fighting Championship card in 2010.

With the win, Saunders bounces back from his loss against Douglas Lima at Bellator 100. Following the bout, the 31-year-old reiterated that a finish the likes of an omoplata is exactly what he wants to bring every time he enters the cage.

“I’m feeling on top of the world,” Saunders said. ”Basically the plan is to make people hopefully not want to stand with me. But if you take me down, I’m going to make you dread it there too. I’m going to try to be dangerous all around, but above all, I’m trying to be exciting for the fans.”