MMA
The Greatest Submissions in UFC History
This article ranks and analyses the greatest submissions in UFC history, and a breakdown of each submission that features on the list.
Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg//Getty Images
Submissions and grappling has been a huge part of mixed martial arts ever since the inception of the Ultimate Fighting Championship back in the 90s.
Over the years, MMA fans have witnessed some of the most astonishing submissions you could ever imagine. From advanced techniques such as Gogoplata, D'arce chokes, and Peruvian necktie chokes, we have seen it all.
In this article, we have ranked and analysed the greatest submissions in UFC history by using the SportsBoom MetaScale.
Charles Oliveira has the most submission wins in UFC history with 16. He also holds the record for most finishes and bonuses in the UFC with 20 each.
Methodology
To determine the greatest submissions in UFC history, we analysed two key sources: Tapology and GiveMeSport, which provide rankings and historical records of submissions.
Each submission was scored based on four weighted criteria:
Submission Significance (40%): The impact of the submission on the fight and its championship implications.
Technical Brilliance (30%): The complexity, creativity, and execution of the submission technique.
Opponent Ranking (15%):The skill level and ranking of the opponent during the fight.
Historical Legacy (15%): How iconic or historically significant the submission is in UFC history.
Critical Consensus: Greatest Submissions in UFC History
The Critical Consensus Table features the bout details as well as the type of submission technique used to end the fight. It also highlights where other sources rank each win as the greatest submission in UFC history.
Critical Consensus Table
| Rank | Submission Event | Fighter | Opponent | Submission Type | Event (Year) | Tapology Ranking | GiveMeSport Mention |
| 1 | Silva vs. Sonnen | Anderson Silva | Chael Sonnen | Triangle Armbar | UFC 117 (2010) | #1 | Not Mentioned |
| 2 | Johnson vs. Borg | Demetrious Johnson | Ray Borg | Armbar | UFC 216 (2017) | #2 | Not Mentioned |
| 3 | Mir vs. Nogueira II | Frank Mir | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | Kimura | UFC 140 (2011) | #6 | Mentioned |
| 4 | Emelianenko vs. Werdum | Fabricio Werdum | Fedor Emelianenko | Triangle Armbar | Strikeforce (2010) | #5 | Mentioned |
| 5 | McGregor vs. Diaz | Nate Diaz | Conor McGregor | Rear Naked Choke | UFC 196 (2016) | #9 | Mentioned |
| 6 | Chan Sung Jung vs. Garcia II | Chan Sung Jung | Leonard Garcia | Twister | UFC FN 24 (2011) | #4 | Not Mentioned |
| 7 | Sakuraba vs. Gracie | Kazushi Sakuraba | Royce Gracie | Kimura | Pride 10 (2000) | #10 | Not Mentioned |
| 8 | Mir vs. Lesnar I | Frank Mir | Brock Lesnar | Kneebar | UFC 81 (2008) | #7 | Mentioned |
SportsBoom MetaScale Analysis
Here is a more detailed SportsBoom MetaScale Analysis with weightage for each column and the total score calculations.
SportsBoom MetaScale
| Rank | Submission Event | Fighter | Submission Significance (40%) | Technical Brilliance (30%) | Opponent Ranking (15%) | Historical Legacy (15%) | MetaScale Total (100) |
| 1 | Silva vs. Sonnen | Anderson Silva | 40 | 29 | 14 | 15 | 98 |
| 2 | Johnson vs. Borg | Demetrious Johnson | 38 | 30 | 13 | 14 | 95 |
| 3 | Mir vs. Nogueira II | Frank Mir | 36 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 92 |
| 4 | Emelianenko vs. Werdum | Fabricio Werdum | 37 | 27 | 13 | 13 | 90 |
| 5 | McGregor vs. Diaz | Nate Diaz | 35 | 26 | 14 | 13 | 88 |
| 6 | Chan Sung Jung vs. Garcia II | Chan Sung Jung | 34 | 26 | 13 | 12 | 85 |
| 7 | Sakuraba vs. Gracie | Kazushi Sakuraba | 32 | 26 | 12 | 13 | 83 |
| 8 | Mir vs. Lesnar I | Frank Mir | 31 | 25 | 12 | 12 | 80 |
Greatest Submissions Analysis
In this section, we will summarise and analyse the greatest submissions in UFC history, featuring the fighters from the above table.
1. Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen (UFC 117)
Anderson Silva kicks Chael Sonnen//Getty Images
Anderson Silva’s submission epitomised what he was as a champion. Sonnen had dominated the entire fight with relentless pressure and wrestling, but Silva’s BJJ expertise allowed him to seize a triangle-armbar in the final minutes of the fight to retain the UFC middleweight title.
This victory marked his seventh title defence. He went on to extend this to ten successful title defences.
2. Demetrious Johnson vs Ray Borg (UFC 216)
Demetrious Johnson’s suplex-to-armbar, now known as the “Mighty Wizbar,” is arguably the most creative submission in UFC history. The execution was flawless and it was such a creative move that we have never seen anyone else pull this off in the UFC. Johnson's superior grappling IQ and his quick reactions allowed him to pull this technique off.
Despite being one of the smallest champions in UFC history, “Mighty Mouse” was certainly blessed with tremendous skills.
3. Frank Mir vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira II (UFC 140)
In his prime, Frank Mir was a powerhouse heavyweight that had superb grappling ability, and this was on full display against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Against another excellent BJJ heavyweight in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mir reversed a nearly finished fight into a devastating kimura submission and breaking Nogueira’s arm.
4. Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor (UFC 196)
Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz was one of the biggest fights in UFC history due to the trash talking all throughout the build-up. Heading into this bout, all the momentum was with the Irishman, and he was expected to beat Diaz. However, the American caused a huge shock at UFC 196.
Diaz took advantage of McGregor’s exhaustion and he stuffed a takedown then calmly secured a rear-naked choke, and finished one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
SportsBoom Suggests
Anderson Silva's incredible submission against Chael Sonnen ranks at number one due to the significance of it. Coming into this fight as a strong favourite, Silva was shockingly in trouble for much of the fight and needed a finish in the final round to maintain his title defence streak. The Brazilian managed to pull a sub out of the bag, adding another iconic moment and finish to his incredible CV.
Demetrious Johnson's suplex to armbar against Ray Borg is one of the most creative finishes we've ever seen inside the octagon. This deserves a spot in second place because of the extraordinary technical skills needed to pull off such a move.
References
- 1
Tapology: Ranking the greatest submissions in UFC history, https://www.tapology.com/rankings/1304-top-20-submissions-in-ufc-history, Accessed February 4th 2025.
- 2
GiveMeSport: Ranking the greatest submission artists in UFC history, https://www.givemesport.com/greatest-submission-artists-ufc-history-ranked/, Accessed February 4th 2025.
Jake Staniland is a sports writer who excels in covering a wide range of sports: football, combat sports and the NFL - All three subjects are his lifelong passions.
Jake is a boyhood Sheffield United fan, which is often a curse that he thanks his family for. His favourite Blades player ever is Billy Sharp