5 most shocking submission wins in the UFC in 2021
Some of the most inspiring performances by UFC fighters this year culminated in shocking submissions. In fact, some of the most iconic moments in UFC history have involved a fighter forcing their opponent to either tap, injure a limb, or go to sleep.
Georges St-Pierre's rear-naked choke against Michael Bisping and Khabib Nurmagomedov's neck crank against Conor McGregor stand out as two of the most momentous submission wins in UFC history.
Khabib Nurmagomedov on the #UFC229 brawl following his victory over Conor McGregor:
“I finished what he had started.” ind.pn/2Ollb1m https://t.co/aA8oXoFog9
Submissions are a thing of beauty. Unlike knockouts, there's rarely an element of luck that goes into a fighter forcing their opponent to tap. There's very little chance of a fighter sinking in a ‘lucky’ submission at the highest level of the sport, where almost all the athletes are well-versed in every position and transition of the grappling realm.
That said, let's look at the five most shocking submission victories in the UFC in 2021.
Honorable mentions include Tom Aspinall's rear-naked choke against Andrei Arlovski, Vicente Luque's D'Arce choke against Michael Chiesa, Andre Muniz's armbar against Jacare Souza, and Anthony Hernandez's guillotine choke against Rodolfo Vieira.
#5. Khamzat Chimaev (against Li Jingliang at UFC 267)
Khamzat Chimaev is undoubtedly the hottest prospect in the UFC right now. He burst onto the scene in Abu Dhabi last year with a couple of dominant wins. He followed them up with a 17-second knockout victory over UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert in Las Vegas.
Despite getting off to a 3-0 start in the promotion, there wasn't much talk of Chimaev competing for the title as he was still unranked. His three opponents were also all unranked, with two of them no longer a part of the UFC.
Earlier this year, Chimaev was booked to fight No.11-ranked Li Jingliang at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi. Many believed that the durable Chinese welterweight, who had never been finished in the UFC, would pose a threat to the Chechen-born Swede. Consensus opinion was that the bout would be a conclusive litmus test to show whether he was a legitimate title contender.
Khamzat Chimaev makes his highly-anticipated return against Li Jingliang at #UFC267 https://t.co/EH59BhLBd2
Chimaev made a resounding statement in the very first minute of the fight, picking up Jingliang and carrying him over to UFC president Dana White, who was seated octagon-side. He secured the takedown and effortlessly choked out Jingliang in the first round.
There was no doubt after the bout that Khamzat Chimaev is a real threat to Kamaru Usman's reign as the UFC welterweight champion. His background in sambo-style wrestling, coupled with his underrated striking and relentless approach to fighting, will prove to be a handful for anyone in the 170 lbs and 185 lbs divisions.
In his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, 'Borz' seemingly put the entire roster on notice.