Elekana targets twister as he chases third straight UFC submission win

Billy Elekana is riding back-to-back submission victories into UFC Vegas 124 and has made no secret of what he wants next: a twister finish against Lucas Fernando in Las Vegas on November 7.

Speaking at UFC media day ahead of the bout, the 31-year-old light heavyweight framed his long-term goal in unmistakable terms. “I’m trying to be the Charles Oliveira of the light heavyweight division, so I’m trying to get a lot of subs,” Elekana said. “Submissions are something that I just started learning. I just got into grappling at the beginning of my pro career, so it’s still all kind of new to me.”

The twister — a spinal submission rarely seen at the elite level — is the specific target Elekana has identified for the Fernando fight. “A twister. I’m looking for a twister in this fight,” he said. The move was famously popularised in MMA by Chan Sung Jung, and landing one at UFC level would immediately establish Elekana as a highlight-reel name in the division.

Elekana credited coaches Ronny Markes and Marcelo Nunez with building the grappling foundation that has underpinned his recent run. The fact that he describes himself as still relatively new to the discipline makes his consecutive submission finishes all the more notable, and suggests his ground game has room to develop further.

The comparison to Oliveira carries real weight. The Brazilian became the UFC’s all-time submission leader and parlayed that finishing reputation into a lightweight title reign. Elekana is clearly aiming to replicate that trajectory one division up, where submission specialists are considerably rarer.

Fernando will need to be wary of the ground game heading into their matchup, though Elekana’s ambition to hunt a twister specifically signals he intends to be the aggressor wherever the fight goes.