No matter the fight, there’s always one thing everybody always wants to see…a finish. The anticipation for a knockout or a submission is what makes every fight fan’s blood boil during a fight. The truth of the matter however is that submissions have been greatly under appreciated.
Everyone always craves a knockout to the point where people almost lose complete interest in a major part of the fight game: the ground. Submissions may not possess the flare and explosiveness that knockouts do. However, they do require an insanely high fight IQ and advanced tactical ability. Enough of all this flimsy talk and let’s get right into it. These five submissions are and always will be key landmarks in the history of the UFC.
UFC 117: Anderson Silva submits Chael Sonnen via triangle choke (Round 5, 3:10)
Of course I had to include this one in here. Anderson Silva’s infamous triangle choke win over Chael Sonnen is arguably the most iconic submission in UFC history. Every hardcore fight fan will always remember this fight. Anderson Silva, arguably one of the greatest of all time, submitted Chael Sonnen via triangle choke after getting dominated for the entire fight. I remember watching this fight speechless the entire time. I was speechless because I couldn’t believe a legend like Anderson was getting dominated like that. Sonnen, a former NCAA Division-I wrestler, took Anderson Silva down round after round and unleashed a brutal beating on the pound-for-pound champ until the fifth round, where Anderson pulled the craziest submission out of his ass to secure his 11th championship fight.
UFC 216: Demetrious Johnson submits Ray Borg via armbar (Round 5, 3:15)
This submission has to be my favorite submission of all time. The technique and fight IQ required to pull this off unbelievably rare. Johnson cemented himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time when he pulled off this flying armor. After controlling the majority of the fight, Johnson suplexed Borg and transitioned into an armbar in midair. Yes you saw that right. In midair. Johnson transitioned into an armbar while his opponent was in the air. Once Borg’s body touched the canvas, the fat lady sang because he had no chance of escaping that armbar. If you haven’t seen this submission, stop what you’re doing and go watch it right now.
UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon: Nate Diaz submits Kurt Pellegrino via triangle choke (Round 2, 3:06)
If some fight fans don’t really care for submissions in a fight, then that’s fine. I can’t force them to like something. But those people more than likely haven’t seen this submission. Diaz, just like his brother, made his name by being a badass. And this submission over Pellegrino arguably played a big part in Diaz becoming a badass. Of course Diaz caught our old friend Kurt in a triangle choke in the second round, but that isn’t what makes this submission so special. What makes this submission so special and “badass” is Diaz throwing up two middle fingers in the air right after he locked Pellegrino in a triangle. Two middle fingers. Yeah, I’m going to just go ahead and say that what Diaz did that night was one of the most disrespectful things I’ve ever seen inside the octagon. And guess what? I loved every second of it.
UFC 168: Ronda Rousey submits Miesha Tate via armbar (Round 3, 0:58)
You can’t make a top 5 submissions list in UFC history and not include Ronda Rousey in there. The Queen of armbars herself has a library of submissions to choose from if one wants to make a top 5 list, but my favorite of hers is her second armbar win over Miesha Tate. This fight had a lot of hype leading up to it due to the fact that Ronda and Miesha were opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter. Ronda did not like Miesha and Miesha did not like Ronda which is what made me so interested in this fight. This fight arguably put women’s MMA on the map. Miesha took Ronda past the first round for the first time in Ronda’s career and survived as long as she could, but at that time, no one could hide from Ronda’s armbar. The transitions on the ground before Ronda secured the armbar were a beauty to watch but in the end, Ronda did what she said she would.
UFC 81: Frank Mir submits Brock Lesnar via kneebar (Round 1, 1:30)
Brock Lesnar. Everyone’s favorite fighter. Not really, but let’s be real, there’s something about the guy that makes us love him. It’s probably the fact that he’s a 286-pound behemoth who charges all of his opponents like a truck. His fight with Las Vegas residen and 1998 Nevada state wrestling champion Frank Mir, a UFC legend, is one of the most iconic heavyweight fights of all time. Mir was in a world of trouble on the ground when he pulled off a miraculous kneebar to save himself. Had the Bonanza High School grad not grabbed ahold of Lesnar’s leg he would’ve gotten pummeled and more than likely TKO’d. Another former WWE personality gave it a shot at UFC 225 and failed miserably. This submission, however, has to be my favorite heavyweight submission of all time so, of course, I had to throw it in my Top 5.
