5 best UFC submissions of 2022
Many UFC fans would suggest that a great submission is as esthetically pleasing as a great knockout. This year, it's been hard to disagree.
2022 has seen a number of spectacular tap-out victories in the UFC, including in more than one title bout. With some of the promotion’s biggest stars picking up submission victories this year, it’s almost hard to whittle down the list of the best.
Here, though, are the five best UFC submissions of 2022.
#5. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland – UFC 279
There were arguably more flashy submissions in 2022 than Khamzat Chimaev’s D’Arce choke of Kevin Holland, but there were few more impressive.
Remarkably, it took ‘Borz’ just over two minutes to force Holland to tap out in a fight that was painfully one-sided. ‘Trailblazer’ literally had no offense, as Chimaev took him down in the bout’s opening seconds and then hunted for the submission before getting it.
Khamzat Chimaev taps out Kevin Holland in the first round.
#UFC279 https://t.co/9kWjh1Bn5k
What made this submission so extraordinary? Firstly, Chimaev took the bout with Holland on last-minute notice after his weight-cutting gaffe put an end to his original clash with Nate Diaz.
Secondly, Holland – a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt – had only ever been submitted once in the octagon, back in 2019. Since then, he’d fought notable grapplers like Jacare Souza and Alex Oliveira, and rarely found himself in trouble on the ground.
The fact that Chimaev made it look so easy, then, was just more evidence of his massive talent. Put simply, there’s nobody quite like ‘Borz’ fighting in the UFC right now.
#4. Paddy Pimblett vs. Jordan Leavitt – UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall
Around 15 years ago, legendary lightweight B.J. Penn made use of a rear-naked choke variant that seemed almost impossible to defend. ‘The Prodigy’ would use one of his legs to trap one of his opponent’s arms, preventing them from blocking the choke and leading to an academic tap.
This choke led Penn to big wins over Jens Pulver and Joe Stevenson, netting him UFC gold in the process. However, perhaps because few fighters possess the dexterity that the Hawaiian did in his prime, the variant has rarely been seen since.
This year, though, saw breakout UK star Paddy Pimblett resurrect the variant to submit Jordan Leavitt. The fact that the win came in front of his home fans in London only made things better.
Thanks to his grinding style, Leavitt actually came out of the first round with an advantage. However, when ‘The Monkey King’ was hurt by a knee in the second, it didn’t take ‘The Baddy’ long to capitalize.
He swung around and took Leavitt’s back. From there, he trapped Leavitt's right arm inside a body triangle, just as Penn had done to Stevenson in 2008.
It's only July but Paddy wrapped him up like a Christmas present! 🤌
#UFCLondon https://t.co/qSrQx4BxkN
Sure enough, ‘The Monkey King’ was unable to defend and moments later, he found himself tapping out to a tight chokehold.
Whether Pimblett can reach the top of the mountain at 155 pounds as Penn did remains to be seen, but this submission was definitely reminiscent of him. It stands as one of the best of 2022.
#3. Jessica Andrade vs. Amanda Lemos – UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Lemos
Unique submission holds were somewhat rare in the UFC in 2022, but former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade busted one out to make history in April.
She became the first fighter in the history of the promotion to use a standing arm-triangle choke to submit an opponent in the octagon, capping off her return to 115 pounds in style.
Prior to the bout, many fans were picking her to lose to Amanda Lemos, who was unbeaten in the octagon at strawweight with a record of 5-0. A win over ‘Bate Estaca’ may well have netted her a title shot.
However, Andrade clearly had other ideas. Despite eating a handful of good strikes in the early going, the former champion wasted no time in getting to the clinch.
From there, she snaked her arms around Lemos and locked up the standing choke. Moments later, the Brazilian tapped out.
: @ufcJéssica Andrade finishes Amanda Lemos with a standing arm triangle!
🎥: @ufc
https://t.co/Kq0mpKjZ8m
The fact that ‘Bate Estaca’ was able to put enough power into the squeeze to force Lemos to submit was truly remarkable, making this one a clear contender for the best submission of 2022.
#2. Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira – UFC 275
Okay, so it’s safe to say that Jiri Prochazka’s rear-naked choke win over Glover Teixeira would not win any awards for clean technique. If anything, it was more of a brutal stranglehold, with the Czech fighter simply squeezing until Teixeira could take no more.
However, the nature of Prochazka’s win means that it’s impossible to deny him a spot on this list. His fight with Teixeira for the UFC light heavyweight title was probably the best bout of 2022, bar none.
That’s because it was a five-round gutter war, with both men taking inhuman amounts of damage and looking utterly exhausted midway through. The fact that ‘Denisa’ even had the energy to take Teixeira’s back and lock up the choke with just 28 seconds to go was remarkable in itself.
@Jiri_BJP is the LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! #UFC275JIRI PROCHAZKA TAPS OUT GLOVER TEIXEIRA! 🤯
🇨🇿🏆 @Jiri_BJP is the LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! #UFC275 https://t.co/XUE1cV4dxr
More to the point, not only was Teixeira known as one of the very best submission grapplers in the promotion at 205 pounds, but he’d never been submitted in his MMA career, dating back two decades.
Therefore, to see an exhausted Prochazka, who was better known for his striking, to pull this off was nothing short of miraculous. Even if it wasn’t the most aesthetically perfect submission, this was one of 2022’s best tapouts.
#1. Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira – UFC 280
When you consider the fact that it came not only in a UFC title bout, but against the most venomous submission artist in the promotion’s history, it’s hard not to put Islam Makhachev’s tapout of Charles Oliveira at the top of this list.
The Dagestani’s lightweight title clash with ‘Do Bronx’ in October was easily one of 2022’s most highly anticipated fights. With both men riding huge winning streaks coming in, it was undoubtedly a meeting of the best two 155lbers on the planet.
It was also an incredibly difficult fight to pick, although the idea that Makhachev would easily submit Oliveira was probably at the lower end of the likely outcomes.
In the end, though, that’s just what happened. After dominating the first round from the top, he dropped his Brazilian foe with a right hook in the second round.
From there, he took top position, locked up an arm-triangle choke, and crushed down with his shoulder until Oliveira – who had submitted 16 foes in the UFC in his own right – was forced to tap.
ISLAM MAKHACHEV IS THE UNDISPUTED LW CHAMPION OF THE WORLD! 🏆
[ @MakhachevMMA | #UFC280 ] https://t.co/aJzHlS6fxF
The win made a mockery of the claims that Makhachev was overrated, and it’s now hard not to see him as the true heir to the throne vacated by his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
However you look at it, this was the best submission of 2022.