Top 5 UFC submissions of 2021 so far

Submissions have been a crucial part of the UFC ever since the company's inception in 1993. It all started with Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Royce Gracie, who finished three different fighters via rear-naked chokes in one night to win the UFC 1 tournament.

Gracie repeated the feat at UFC 2 with four wins (3 submissions, 1 TKO) and was again declared the winner of the tournament.

Since then, there have been some jaw-dropping submissions in the company's history. In 2011, Chan Sung Jung aka 'The Korean Zombie' introduced the UFC fans all around the world to the Twister as he finished Leonard Garcia with the wicked submission at UFC Fight Night 24.

At UFC 117, Anderson Silva also pulled off one of the most amazing comeback victories when, after getting overwhelmed by Chael Sonnen for four-and-a-half rounds, 'The Spider' grabbed 'The American Gangster' into a triangle armbar and submitted him. The memorable contest was awarded the 'Fight of the Night' honor.

Another great submission came at UFC 216, when Demetrious Johnson lifted Ray Borg and caught him mid-air into an armbar. With the impressive win, 'Mighty Mouse' broke the record for the most consecutive title defenses in the UFC by defending his belt successfully for the 11th time.

The list could go on and on. Although 2021 is not complete, some amazing submission victories have taken place in the octagon.

So let's take a look at this year's top five UFC submission victories so far.

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#5. Mateusz Gamrot vs. Jeremy Stephens - UFC Vegas 31

Mateusz Gamrot put the entire featherweight division on notice when he submitted UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens with a kimura in just over a minute at UFC Vegas 31.

With the amazing performance, Gamrot broke the UFC record for the fastest submission win via a kimura. 'Gamer' won the 'Performance of the Night' bonus for his victory and is now on a two-fight winning streak in the UFC.

Following the defeat, Stephens registered an unwanted record to his name. 'Lil Heathen' now has 18 losses on his UFC record, the most in the promotion's history.

Gamrot, meanwhile, holds an impressive MMA record of 19-1-1NC and has won bonuses in all three of his UFC appearances. So, it seems like we will be seeing a lot more of the 30-year-old in the future.

#4. Islam Makhachev vs. Drew Dober - UFC 259

Islam Makhachev announced himself to be a real threat in the 155-pound division when he managed to submit Drew Dober at UFC 259. After overwhelming Dober with his superior grappling skills, Makhachev finished him in the third round with an arm-triangle choke.

Many are hailing Makhachev as the next Khabib Nurmagomedov, and rightly so. The Dagestani fighter recently competed in his first-ever UFC main event when he took on Thiago Moises at UFC Vegas 31.

The 29-year-old put on another grappling masterclass and dominated Moises before eventually finishing him in the fourth round via a rear-naked choke. Nurmagomedov was in Makhachev's corner during the fight.

With the dominating performance, the 29-year-old put himself in the No. 5 spot in the UFC lightweight rankings.

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#3. Tyron Woodley vs. Vicente Luque - UFC 260

This bout was a do-or-die situation for Tyron Woodley as the former UFC welterweight champion came into the fight on a three-fight losing skid. So, unsurprisingly, 'The Chosen One' came out all guns blazing and started the fight on an aggressive note. But Vicente Luque kept calm and fired shots with pin-point accuracy that stunned Woodley.

'The Silent Assassin' managed to grab ahold of a stumbling Woodley and submitted him via a brabo choke, handing the 39-year-old the first submission loss of his MMA career.

Although the fight did not even last one round, the sheer entertainment generated by the back-and-forth action earned the contest the 'Fight of the Night' reward.

Luque later posted pictures of the fight on Instagram and, in the caption, praised the former 170-pound champion for stepping into the octagon with him.

"Got to step in there with one of greatest to ever do this! I definitely felt that @twooodley legendary power and it’s no joke. I’m honor to fight you and no doubt we delivered the show fans wanted," Vicente Luque wrote in his Instagram post.

After the fight, Woodley parted ways with the UFC. 'The Chosen One' is currently scheduled to take on internet sensation Jake Paul in an eight-round professional boxing match on August 29.

#2. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza vs. Andre Muniz - UFC 262

Jacare Souza suffered one of the most horrific injuries of 2021 when he got his arm snapped by rising middleweight prospect Andre Muniz at UFC 262. The snap was the result of Souza refusing to tap to an armbar submission. The Brazilian veteran showed his toughness by barely even flinching when his arm was broken.

Finishing the UFC veteran with an armbar was no small feat for the up-and-comer Muniz as Jacare holds a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The fight marked the first time Souza had lost an MMA bout via submission.

Muniz later described the unfortunate incident in his post-fight interview.

“I heard it snap and I let go not only out of respect, but I knew it could hurt him even more,” said Andre Muniz during his post-fight interview.

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#1. Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 2 - UFC 263

This submission victory has secured the number one spot because from all the fights on the list, the stakes were the highest. Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo had their first encounter at UFC 256. The two flyweights delivered one of the best fights of 2020. The bout ended in a majority draw and talks of a second meeting in the cage between the pair immediately started.

Coming into the rematch, not many were giving Moreno a chance, but the Mexican fighter rose to the occasion and delivered a career-defining performance against 'Deus Da Guerra' at UFC 263.

The second contest did not turn out to be as competitive. 'The Assassin Baby' ended the fight by submitting the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt via a rear-naked choke in the third round. The performance also earned Moreno the 'Performance of the Night' bonus.

With the win, the 27-year-old made UFC history as he became the first Mexican-born fighter to become a UFC champion.

Moreno has expressed interest in returning to the octagon in November and is open to fighting 'Deus Da Guerra' or Cody Garbrandt for his first title defense.