5 best UFC submissions of 2018
Yesterday we looked at the best UFC knockouts of 2018, and no doubt there’s been some great ones. But of course, knocking your opponent out isn’t the only way to win inside the Octagon, and this year’s shows have seen some submissions that would make the great Royce Gracie proud.
Over the course of 37 events we’ve seen all kinds of submissions, from rear naked chokes and triangle chokes to armbars and leglocks, and we’ve even been treated to a couple of super-unique submission finishes, too.
Here are the 5 best UFC submissions of 2018.
#5 Tyron Woodley vs. Darren Till – UFC 228 – 09/08/2018
Coming into UFC 228, there was a hell of a lot of pressure on UFC Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Sure, his fight against Darren Till was set to be his 4th title defense, but those previous three title fights had hardly been barnburners, and his last fight – against Demian Maia – was widely considered as one of the worst fights in promotional history.
Throw in a period of over a year on the shelf due to injuries, and you can see why Woodley had his back to the wall.
His opponent, Liverpool’s Darren Till, was bringing a flashy undefeated record into the fight and had beaten Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson in his previous two outings.
Many were actually favouring him to defeat Woodley, but with all of his doubters watching, Woodley delivered in spades.
After a dull first round, ‘The Chosen One’ dropped Till with a huge right hand and immediately looked to finish with some brutal elbows.
‘The Gorilla’ did well to survive the barrage, but it was clear he was struggling from his back, and eventually he made the mistake of reaching for an underhook. Woodley immediately synched up a tight D’Arce choke, and seconds later, Till was tapping out.
Not only was it Woodley’s first finish since his knockout of Robbie Lawler in 2016, but it was his first submission victory in the UFC – and post-fight, he was also presented with his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
This was an excellent finish that cemented Woodley as a major threat with his grappling – and as one of the best 170lbers in UFC history.