#4 Pedigree – Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote – UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun II – 05/08/10
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Alright, so technically the Pedigree didn’t actually finish this fight – a rear naked choke did – but if it wasn’t for HHH’s legendary move, Belcher may not have been in the position to lock up the choke, and that’s what counts, right?
You’d have thought the Pedigree would never work in MMA. After all, it seems to need quite a bit of co-operation from the wrestler taking the move, usually to jump into the air. And more to the point, spiking an opponent’s head into the mat is illegal under the unified rules.
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Nobody said anything about faceplanting them though and evidently, that’s what Belcher had in mind here.
Belcher had been greeted by a chorus of boos in the first round as the event was taking place in Montreal, Cote’s backyard, and while he had arguably just about edged a competitive first round, nobody could’ve expected what happened next. After the opening minutes of the second round had again been very competitive, Cote shot in for a double-leg takedown.
Belcher sprawled back to defend and then underhooked the body of the Canadian, lifted him into the air and drove him face-first into the mat, landing on his knees just as HHH does. Sure, he didn’t underhook the arms, but then a lot of the time Triple H releases them anyway. This was as close to a real Pedigree as you’re going to find in MMA.
Cote was stunned by the impact and that gave Belcher enough time to spin into back control, apply a rear naked choke and force the tapout. Some argued that the move was illegal but as Belcher had faceplanted rather than spiked Cote, the result stood.
This was the only time I can ever remember seeing Triple H’s famous finisher in the MMA arena, and it worked perfectly.
