2025 Australian MMA Submission of the Year - Hoshi Friedrich

There were a few submissions in 2025 that people might call slicker on replay. Peter Templer’s triangle over Diellon Lihari at Eternal MMA 94 is right up there, and honestly it felt like the year of the rear naked choke across every promotion. But for pure stakes, shock value, and technical violence, I cannot go past Hoshi Friedrich.

Whatever you thought of the title shot at HEX Fight Series 37, the moment delivered. It was a rematch, and even if JJ Ambrose was a once or twice “retired” name on the way back around, Hoshi still walked in as the clear underdog. JJ did what you would expect early, pushing the wrestling and looking to control. Then Hoshi showed exactly why he is a coach and a legit black belt level technician.

He slipped out the back, started hunting legs immediately, and turned chaos into positions. The finish was nasty. A lateral kneebar where he torqued the leg sideways and it looked like it was coming apart right on the bell. JJ made it up and tried to start round two, caught a kick, and instantly withdrew. Officially it goes down as a round one kneebar, but anyone with eyes knows it was a career highlight submission and a huge title fight moment.

That is the thing about submissions at this level. There is no greater gravity than pulling it off as the underdog, against a quality opponent, for a belt, in one of Australia’s best promotions. Hoshi got the moment, and the technique was tremendous.

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