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The moment a UFC fighter steps inside the octagon, their goal is to win by any means necessary. Whether that win comes by way of decision or finish is irrelevant, for the most part. But, some fighters do try to defeat their opponents in a certain way, whether due to pride or something else.
A Gracie, for example, might try to submit their opponent to prove that Brazilian jiu-jitsu is still the dominant martial art in the sport. Meanwhile, a fighter who feels that knockouts are more definitive, might try to knock their opponent out more often than not. But some fighters take it a step further.
Some UFC fighters have signature moves, whether that's because there's a specific strike or submission that they land at a higher percentage in finishing sequences or it's the product of a more deliberate intent to end all fights in such a manner. They exist, and this list goes over five of them.
#5 Brian Ortega, UFC featherweight: The triangle choke
At one point in time, Brian Ortega was the most feared grappler in the featherweight division, at least before Ryan Hall proclaimed himself the most avoided fighter in the weight class and fans ran with it. But 'T-City' is a deadly submission specialist, with a signature move hinted at by his nickname.
The 'T' in 'T-City' stands for triangle from his favorite submission: the triangle choke. Of the former title challenger's seven submission wins, four were due to a triangle choke. In fact, his skill with the move is at such a level that he nearly defeated featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski with it.
In round three of their bout in 2021, 'T-City' caught 'The Great' in a triangle choke, but didn't apply the hooking grip and chose position over submission when trying to mount his foe with the triangle. Still, he was an inch away from victory, and it would've been poetic for him to win the title with it.
#4 Dan Henderson, former UFC middleweight: The overhand right
Dan Henderson is a classic case of a wrestler discovering that they have dynamite in their hands and falling in love with their unfailing ability to separate their opponents from consciousness. 'Hendo' was a fearsome fighter in his prime, having captured the PRIDE welterweight and middleweight titles.
But his claim to fame was the destructive power of his overhand right. Its knockout power became a legend of its own, earning the nickname 'H-bomb' as a play on hydrogen bomb, a nuclear weapon. Few will forget his all-time great knockout over Michael Bisping at UFC 100, all with his overhand right.
Of his 17 knockout wins, most were the product of his right hand. No one could take it and everyone avoided it when they could.
#3 Alex Pereira, UFC light heavyweight: Left hook
Former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira had a storied kickboxing career before transitioning to his current run in MMA. The main reason behind the Brazilian's historic success as a kickboxer was his left hook, and upon his MMA debut and eventual UFC signing, it remained his greatest weapon.
'Poatan' throws his left hook closer to his chest, making it a more linear punch than a typical left hook. Furthermore, he often sets it up with body jabs to draw his foe's blocking/parrying hand low, so that the next time he changes levels, they expect a body jab, only to be blasted over the top with a left hook on their open side.
This is what led to his viral knockout over Sean Strickland, and his ability to change the alignment of his strikes to set up his left hook is also what led to him stunning Israel Adesanya en route to his TKO win over 'The Last Stylebender,' who he had previously defeated in kickboxing with that same left hook.
#2 Ronda Rousey, former UFC women's bantamweight: Armbar
Before the rise of Ronda Rousey, the UFC had never seen anything like her. Truth be told, since her retirement, they've yet to see anything like her again, both inside and outside the cage. She was an offensive buzzsaw who finished her fights so quickly and furiously that it could be captured in a GIF.
Specifically, the future UFC Hall of Famer attracted a tremendous amount of attention for beating her first eight opponents via armbar. No one could stop her armbar, and of those eight women, only one managed to survive past the first round before ultimately succumbing to her armbar anyway.
At her peak, 'Rowdy' was 12-0, with 9 of those wins coming via armbar. She finished 75% of her fights with the same technique. If that's not a finishing move, then there likely isn't one anywhere in any combat sport.
#1 Conor McGregor, UFC lightweight: Straight left
Conor McGregor built something akin to a cult of personality around his straight left. No one, he claimed, could take a shot from his left hand, and fans quickly bought into the notion. Why wouldn't they? He had just knocked out José Aldo, an all-time great featherweight, in as little as 13 seconds—with a straight left.
Everyone he had finished, besides Marcus Brimage, during his legendary featherweight run was sparked by his straight left. The leadup to his blockbuster boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was dominated by talk of how 'Money' would deal with the Irishman's straight left.
The strength of his wins due to his straight left was such that it had many in the McGregor camp convinced that even the great 'Money' Mayweather wouldn't be able to take his left hand. While their hopes were dashed, it highlighted the image built around his signature move.
