5 best submissions in MMA history

The sport of MMA is rife with feats of incredible strength and agility—not only on the feet but also on the mat.While everyone loves a violent knockout or a systematic beat-down in a bout that goes the distance—the grappling department of fighting has gained newfound respect and admiration after the surge in the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts over the past few decades.When the UFC first came into existence, the rule-set was rather vague, however, the fights as a whole were modelled after Vale Tudo—a sport which is heralded as the original version of MMA, and is one that has existed for a long time in Brazil.Regardless, the wonderful art of BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) reigned supreme in the early UFC contests, as fighters from other disciplines such as boxers, kickboxers, wrestlers and combatants of the sort failed to comprehend the mysterious BJJ techniques.This, in turn, led the martial arts world to gravitate towards the art of BJJ as well as submission wrestling aka Catch-Wrestling—Following which, a butterfly effect ensued, and the grappling arts broke through as a vital part of MMA competition.Today, we witness several beautiful submission stoppages in top MMA promotions the world over—which brings us to the 5 best submissions in MMA history. Buckle up, folks!#5 Brian Ortega vs. Cub SwansonIt was at UFC Fight Night 123 late last year, that up-and-comer Brian “T-City” Ortega faced veteran Featherweight contender Cub Swanson in a bout which was scheduled for five rounds.Swanson—hailed by experts as the better striker of the duo—achieved decent success in Round 1 against Ortega. Regardless, the latter kept his composure and began firing back towards the end of the round.The second round of this amazing matchup produced one of the best submissions, not only in UFC but in MMA history.Ortega caught Swanson with several beautiful strikes which appeared to have surprised the latter—what with the fact that T-City had always been considered a BJJ specialist who possesses rudimentary striking.Ortega then latched on to a standing guillotine choke and changed his grip mid-air to strangle Swanson—ending the fight in Round 2.

5 best submissions in MMA history

#1 Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko