While the knockouts tend to get all the glory, a submission can be just as exciting to watch. It is the true definition of a win as you either make your opponent actually quit the fight, or you put them to sleep. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five of the best submission wins in UFC history.
1. Yancy Medeiros vs. Damon Jackson
This was an extremely underrated and cool submission that will likely surprise many with its inclusion on this list. At the time of this fight, Medeiros was a prospect looking to make a name for himself and this fight was actually Jackson’s first in the UFC. This was a recipe for disaster for Jackson. The finish occurred when Jackson was able to spin out of a traditional guillotine, which led Medeiros to grab a hold of a reverse guillotine that turned out to be much tighter than the traditional variety, and put Jackson out cold quick, in the first reverse guillotine I’ve ever seen.
2. Charles Oliviera vs. Eric Wisely
This matchup had fans salivating as it featured a young up and coming star in Charles Oliviera and a talented vet in Eric Wisely making his UFC debut. From start to finish, it was so clear that Charles Oliviera was the more talented fighter, and that also rang true for the finish. Working on the back of Wisely, Oliviera locked a leg up and proceeded to hit a submission which many people have never seen and were confused about. It turns out Oliviera hit something called a “reverse calf slicer” which is a compression hold that presses the calf into one of the bones in the leg, which is excruciatingly painful.
3. Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia
Going into the fight Chan Sung Jung and Leonard Garcia had already fought once, which was actually voted fight of the year in 2010 for their brilliant back and forth slobber knocker. Obviously, most expected a similar fight between the two. But while there weren’t as many fireworks in the second fight compared to the first, there was a much better finish. While in back control, Sung Jung moved positions and got Garcia in position to set up the twister, which is a sideways body bend and neck crank, which causes enormous pain in the spine. The move forced Garcia to tap, which made Sung Jung the first and only UFC fighter to pull of the twister during a fight.
4. Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
Ronda Rousey is well known as a brilliant submission artist and huge star in the sport. Cat Zingano was looking like Rousey’s biggest challenge to date and was extremely confident heading into the fight. However, she took probably the worst approach to fighting Rousey that you could ever take. After the opening bell, she ran right to Rousey and got locked up with the former Olympian in Judo. What followed was a huge takedown by Rousey and then the arm bar specialist quickly got Zingano in a beautiful modified arm bar and made her tap. The entire fight lasted a grand total of 14 seconds.
5. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
Ahead of their title fight at UFC 117, there was a massive amount of trash talk between champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen, however, most people expected Silva to walk all over Sonnen. But much to the surprise of fans everywhere, Sonnen actually dominated the fight for the first 4 and a half rounds and looked to be well on his way to a win. What happened in the closing minute and change of round 5 will never be forgotten. While Sonnen was in top position, as he was for the entire fight, Silva managed to throw up a desperation triangle attempt, and actually managed to secure it and get Sonnen to tap out and win in the best comeback ever.
