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#5. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor – UFC 229
In terms of sheer dominance, few UFC fighters can touch Khabib Nurmagomedov for what he was able to do with his immense grappling skills inside the octagon.
The former UFC lightweight champion submitted a total of five opponents in the UFC, but while his wins over Justin Gaethje and Michael Johnson were more visually impressive, for greatness, it’s hard to top his win over Conor McGregor.
The fight between the two was the biggest in UFC history, producing a pay-per-view buyrate of over two million, meaning the pressure was on ‘The Eagle’ like never before.
But Khabib produced one of his greatest ever performances, dominating McGregor on the ground before submitting ‘The Notorious’ with a neck crank.
The submission was rudimentary at best, but the sight of Nurmagomedov seemingly attempting to twist the Irishman’s head from his body marked an incredible display of dominance. And almost three years on, it remains one of the greatest submissions in UFC history.
#4. Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin – UFC 129
Jumping submissions are few and far between in MMA in general, let alone in the UFC. Which is why, despite being seen largely as a journeyman, Pablo Garza will always possess one of the UFC’s greatest-ever submissions.
‘The Scarecrow’ was faced with kickboxer Yves Jabouin in his second trip to the octagon at UFC 129, and early on, he looked outgunned by the striking of ‘Tiger’.
But undeterred, Garza kept pushing forward, and once he closed the distance and grabbed a clinch, he made his move. He leapt into the air, threw his legs around the shoulder and neck of Jabouin, and locked in a triangle choke.
Jabouin attempted to fight the move off, but ‘The Scarecrow’ was relentless. He tightened the hold and forced Jabouin to tap out moments later.
And not only did Garza produce one of the best submissions in UFC history with his unique move, it was also enough to net him the Submission of the Night honor, giving him a bonus cheque of $129k.
#3. Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar – UFC 81
When the UFC inked former WWE champion Brock Lesnar to a contract in 2008, his octagon debut was always going to be a memorable moment. Unfortunately for Lesnar, the fight turned out to be memorable for him for all the wrong reasons.
Faced with former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, Lesnar started off quickly, taking Mir down and beating him up on the ground. But despite knocking the former champ down, he couldn’t quite put him away.
And Mir, renowned as a submission expert throughout his UFC career, took advantage of Lesnar’s inexperience, swswivelingis hips on the ground and latching onto the right leg of ‘The Beast Incarnate’.
Lesnar attempted to wrench his leg free by pulling Mir across the octagon in a ludicrous show of strength, but it was to no avail. Seconds later, Mir tightened up a nasty kneebar and forced the giant to tap out, producing a submission for the ages that UFC fans still never tire of seeing.
