5 best UFC submissions of 2022 so far

Charles Oliveira's submission of Justin Gaethje was one of 2022's most outstanding tapouts thus far

With 2022 coming close to its halfway point, it’s well worth looking back at what has been an excellent year thus far for the UFC.

While many fans prefer to see a brutal knockout more than anything else, there’s something special about seeing a slick submission finish. This year in the UFC, we’ve seen a number of great ones.

Charles Oliveira taps out Justin Gaethje in the first round and takes his win streak to 11 in a row! 🙌

#UFC274 https://t.co/8lKjzylY8p

From nasty-looking chokes to potentially bone-breaking leg and armlocks, 2022 has seen some truly astonishing tapout finishes, as well as some classics from some of the usual suspects.

Here are the five best submissions in the UFC thus far into 2022.

#5. Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cody Stamann – UFC 270

Said Nurmagomedov's guillotine choke submission of Cody Stamann was beautiful

Ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement following his win over Justin Gaethje in late 2020, the UFC seems to have been searching for a successor to the Dagestani star. One fighter who seems to have a chance at becoming said successor is Khabib’s namesake Said Nurmagomedov.

Not actually related to Khabib, Said debuted in the octagon back in 2018 and has slowly been making his way through the ranks at bantamweight. His biggest win undoubtedly came this January against Cody Stamann – and the victory came via one of the year’s best submissions to date.

Prior to the bout, only one man had ever submitted the tough Stamann before: current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling back in 2018. However, it took ‘Funk Master’ the best part of two rounds to tap out ‘The Spartan’.

Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, required just 47 seconds to take his more experienced opponent out. After landing a couple of wild spinning strikes, the Dagestani countered a takedown attempt with a beautiful guillotine variant, almost like a rear-naked choke from the front.

IN NO TIME AT ALL! THE HYPE IS REAL!

🇷🇺 Said Nurmagomedov snatched the neck REAL FAST. #UFC270 https://t.co/JBooj5fwbs

Stamann was forced to tap out instantly and, unsurprisingly, Nurmagomedov was rewarded with a $50,000 bonus for his efforts, as well as a lot of hype to take into his next fight, which is scheduled for July.