The heavyweight championship trilogy between Felipe Pena and Luke Griffith reached its conclusion at WNO 31, and the finish was every bit as dramatic as fans expected.
The opening exchanges took place entirely on the feet, with both athletes engaged in heavy hand fighting to establish control.
Pena seemed intent on keeping Griffith upright, possibly hoping to set up the powerful blast doubles he successfully used against him at ADCC.
Griffith, however, stayed sharp from standing, threatening his usual entries – ducks and slide-bys aimed at taking the back.
It was Griffith who made the first major breakthrough, grabbing a single leg and briefly transitioning into a guillotine attempt.
While Pena defended the choke, the sequence allowed Griffith to land in top position. Then, Pena immediately tried to create a scramble by attacking the legs, but Griffith anticipated the movement and capitalized.
As Pena rolled to escape, Griffith locked himself onto the back, secured his hooks, and tightened a body triangle.
From there, he methodically worked the choking arm into place.
Once the Rear Naked Choke was fully applied – over Pena’s chin – the tap came almost instantly.
However, the finish wasn’t without tension.
Pena appeared irritated afterward, implying that the choke was held a moment longer than necessary, with multiple people stepping onto the mats as a result.
Griffith addressed that criticism directly:
When the belt is on the line, you gotta wait till the ref stops it.
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