The best tapouts in UFC history, Part 4: Unique submissions

#4: Pillory Choke – Nick Pace vs. Will Campuzano – UFC: Ultimate Fighter XII Finale – 12/04/2010

Nick Pace's pillory choke was so unique he initially named it after himself!

Thus far we’ve looked at rare submissions that have been used both inside the UFC and outside of it in other promotions, but as far as I’m aware the only time the pillory choke has ever been used in MMA was inside the Octagon in 2010 – by former WEC fighter Nick Pace as he faced fellow WEC alumni Will Campuzano.

The move is quite hard to even describe – like a cross between the infamous gogoplata and an Ezekiel choke – and sees the attacker begin on his back in guard. From there the attacker brings one of their legs up and over the shoulders of the opponent, placing it across the back of the neck – a variation of what is commonly known as the “rubber guard”. The big difference here though is the fact that the opponent’s arm is not trapped underneath the leg for control.

Where the gogoplata would then see the attacker force his shin across the throat of the opponent and pull down on the head, the pillory choke instead sees the attacker slide one arm – on the same side as the attacking leg – underneath and across the throat and then grip onto the opposite arm, as well as the foot. By squeezing with both arms whilst forcing the leg downwards, the move then creates compression on the neck, forcing the tapout.

If it sounds complicated, that’s because it is. But the pillory choke certainly caught Campuzano by surprise, and the UFC announcers – BJJ black belt Joe Rogan included – were equally baffled – so much so that as the choke wasn’t officially named at the time, post-fight it was christened ‘The Pace’ by its innovator – joining holds like the D’Arce and the Von Flue in the process.