5 UFC fighters who have mastered the D'Arce choke

In the UFC, knockouts attract more fans than any other phenomenon. This is a universal truth in all forms of combat sports that feature full-contact striking. Spectators usually reserve most of their thrilling reactions for the sight of a heavy-handed striker crushing their foe under the weight of their punches, kicks, elbows or knees.

Grappling does not receive nearly the same amount of fanfare. Instead, wrestlers and grapplers are often jeered for pursuing takedowns. Submissions, however, deserve the same level of admiration from the fans. There are UFC fighters who take advantage of every grappling exchange they're flung into by actively hunting for submissions.

The most common submissions remain guillotines and rear-naked chokes. However, there are a select few fighters who specialize in more unorthodox submissions, including the D'Arce choke.

This list aims to compile five UFC fighters who have mastered the D'Arce choke.

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#5. Dustin Poirier - UFC lightweight

Fight fans have come to know Dustin Poirier as one of the UFC's finest boxers. His ability to shift stances mid-combination enables him to change the alignment of his punches as he blasts opponents on their open side.

Not only does Poirier use his shifting combinations as traditionally intended, he also uses the shift to create openings for takedowns. Against opponents who are intent on countering his shifting combinations with straight lefts, 'The Diamond' fakes his shift to draw out a straight left-counter before ducking under his foe's punch for a well-timed takedown when they square their hips.

Furthermore, he's also become more defensively responsible, using a modified version of the Philly Shell while shoulder-rolling to deflect punches with his shoulders, elbows, etc., while also parrying and countering his opponents with punches of his own.

What many might not know, however, is that Poirier is a skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has mastered the D'Arce choke.

While his defensive grappling leaves a lot to be desired, his offensive grappling is a work of art. Poirier bested two foes, Pablo Garza and Jonathan Brookins, with his D'Arce choke. Against Garza, 'The Diamond' secured a D'Arce mid-scramble as his foe exposed his neck while trying to return to his feet.

Against Brookins, Poirier used his D'Arce choke as a counter to his opponent's ill-timed takedown attempt, first securing a front headlock before transitioning to the choke.

#4. Chris Weidman - UFC middleweight

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman remains one of the most well-rounded fighters on the UFC roster. His offensive footwork and movement is commendable as he steps laterally with his foes, cutting angles by stepping across them.

He feints, doubles and even triples up his jabs, moves his head off the center-line, and scrambles after failed takedowns. Weidman's failures stem from how defensively irresponsible he becomes once he begins tiring after the second round. He plods forward without moving his head, all while dropping his hands and no longer setting up his takedowns.

As a fighter with a chin that's been diminished by frequent punishment, he cannot afford to leave gaps in his defensive striking. What Weidman remains, even while exhausted, however, is an exceptional grappler.

Though his wrestling scrambles falter, his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, for which the American has earned a black belt, has long been as good as anyone's in the middleweight division, surpassed only by Luke Rockhold and Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza during his prime.

Weidman's wrestling skills, in particular, combine well with his grappling. Against Tom Lawlor at UFC 139, the NCAA Division I standout countered his foe with a D'Arce choke.

As Lawlor sought to scramble out from under Weidman, Weidman sprawled out, circling towards his foe's side. From there, the former champion crouched over Lawlor and stepped over with his left foot, pushing off of it to turn his opponent sideward before immediately locking in a quick D'Arce choke.

While the longtime wrestler doesn't have multiple wins with his D'Arce choke, it's his crafty setup for it that renders him a master of the submission.

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#3. Chan Sung Jung - UFC featherweight

Chan Sung Jung, better known as 'The Korean Zombie', is one of the greatest featherweights in UFC history to have never won a world title.

An almost supernaturally durable mixed martial artist, Jung relies on his toughness as a primary form of defense, as it allows him to keep his feet planted and his hips squared, facilitating his power-punches. He does so due to the confidence he possesses to withstand any of his opponents' blows in order to land his own, which often carry crushing knockout power.

Another reason, however, that Jung squares his hips and plants his feet so freely without fear, is his fearsome offensive grappling. 'The Korean Zombie' owns a black belt in both Judo and BJJ. His keen eye for submissions allows him to quickly fish for gaps in his opponent's defenses during scrambles.

As with most D'Arce chokes, Jung's lone D'Arce choke win in the UFC came as a form of counter-wrestling, against Dustin Poirier, no less, another BJJ black belt.

When Poirier attempted a takedown, Jung was quick on the sprawl, snapping him down with a front headlock before immediately sliding his forearm under his foe's armpit while applying shoulder pressure on the alternate side.

When Poirier tried to roll away, Jung opted against squeezing his opponent's shoulder down into his neck, instead using his torso to squeeze Poirier's head into the choke for a tighter D'Arce, choking his foe unconscious with absurd quickness.

#2. Tony Ferguson - UFC lightweight

Former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is one of the greatest fighters in UFC lightweight history. He is a dynamic fighter who is comfortable wherever a fight takes place.

Although Ferguson's combat sports life began with wrestling, he is better-known for being an unorthodox but devastating Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist. Supremely dangerous off his back, 'El Cucuy' has a wide variety of submissions in his arsenal. His most well-known submission, however, is his D'Arce choke, which he often uses as a counter-wrestling tool.

The effectiveness of his D'Arce choke, in part due to his long arms, is best seen in how frequently successful the submission has been in his UFC career.

To date, Ferguson has secured three wins in the UFC with his D'Arce choke, defeating Mike Rio, Edson Barboza, and Lando Vannata.

Against Vannata, 'El Cucuy' used an impressive setup for his D'Arce choke. As Vannata ducked under one of Ferguson's punches, the former interim champion immediately secured a standing guillotine choke, using his height and length for leverage.

As Vannata used his arm to fight the choke, exposing his armpit, Ferguson transitioned to a D'Arce, sliding his arm under Vannata's armpit to lock in a standing variation of the choke before snapping him down. When his opponent tried rolling out, Ferguson merely turned into him, increasing the shoulder pressure to elicit a tap.

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#1. Vicente Luque - UFC welterweight

Vicente Luque has two signature moves in the octagon: his left hook and his D'Arce choke.

A powerful and relentlessly tough fighter, Luque employs a punishing Muay Thai approach to brutalize his opponents. He applies frequent pressure, forcing his foes onto the backfoot as he draws them out of their preferred styles of engagement, offering them neither the time or space they need to fight comfortably.

Like his striking, the Brazilian's offensive grappling is phenomenally effective. As of this writing, five of his 14 wins in the octagon are due to some form of front choke. Out of those five, four are D'Arce chokes.

Not only does Vicente Luque hold the record for the most UFC wins via D'Arce choke, but one of those wins made him the first and only fighter to ever defeat former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley by submission. Throughout his career, Woodley was notoriously difficult to submit.

After stunning Woodley with a counter-left hook, the Brazilian pounced as his opponent stumbled to the ground, stepping to the side and sliding his arm under the former champion's armpit and neck. Quickly securing his D'Arce choke, Luque sought to hook one of Woodley's defending arms with his leg, but his foe tried rolling to relieve the choke's squeeze.

Unfortunately for Woodley, Luque turned into him so that 'The Chosen One's back was trapped against the fence. With no space and no other choice, Woodley tapped for the first and only time in his career.