Top 5 UFC submissions of 2021 so far

#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.