Video: MMA fighter breaks own arm attempting modified buggy choke

Knowing when to give up on a submission attempt is a critical skill in grappling. Professional MMA fighter Igor Konstantinov learned that lesson the hard way when, at MMA Series 54: Triumph, he broke his own arm while attempting a submission on his opponent.

Former Bellator MMA middleweight champion and BJJ legend Rafael Lovato Jr. posted about the odd occurrence on his Instagram. Watch video of Konstantinov’s unintentional self-submission below.

Just over a minute into the fight, we see Konstantinov on his back in bottom side control attempting what can best be described as a modified buggy choke. But without the proper arm and leg placement, Konstantinov was unable to get the correct pressure on the choke. Instead, he squeezed so hard on the failed choke attempt that he broke his own arm just a few seconds into the attempt. After over 30 seconds of squeezing, Konstantinov lets go to reveal that he has a badly broken forearm, prompting the referee to call an end to the bout.

With the loss, Konstantinov dropped his record to 2-5 as a professional, while his opponent, Vasily Rudenko, improves to 5-0.

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and currently holds the rank of brown belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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