Top 5 UFC submissions of 2021 so far
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Submissions have been a crucial part of the UFC ever since the company's inception in 1993. It all started with Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Royce Gracie, who finished three different fighters via rear-naked chokes in one night to win the UFC 1 tournament.
Gracie repeated the feat at UFC 2 with four wins (3 submissions, 1 TKO) and was again declared the winner of the tournament.
Since then, there have been some jaw-dropping submissions in the company's history. In 2011, Chan Sung Jung aka 'The Korean Zombie' introduced the UFC fans all around the world to the Twister as he finished Leonard Garcia with the wicked submission at UFC Fight Night 24.
At UFC 117, Anderson Silva also pulled off one of the most amazing comeback victories when, after getting overwhelmed by Chael Sonnen for four-and-a-half rounds, 'The Spider' grabbed 'The American Gangster' into a triangle armbar and submitted him. The memorable contest was awarded the 'Fight of the Night' honor.
Another great submission came at UFC 216, when Demetrious Johnson lifted Ray Borg and caught him mid-air into an armbar. With the impressive win, 'Mighty Mouse' broke the record for the most consecutive title defenses in the UFC by defending his belt successfully for the 11th time.
The list could go on and on. Although 2021 is not complete, some amazing submission victories have taken place in the octagon.
So let's take a look at this year's top five UFC submission victories so far.
#5. Mateusz Gamrot vs. Jeremy Stephens - UFC Vegas 31
Mateusz Gamrot put the entire featherweight division on notice when he submitted UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens with a kimura in just over a minute at UFC Vegas 31.
With the amazing performance, Gamrot broke the UFC record for the fastest submission win via a kimura. 'Gamer' won the 'Performance of the Night' bonus for his victory and is now on a two-fight winning streak in the UFC.
Following the defeat, Stephens registered an unwanted record to his name. 'Lil Heathen' now has 18 losses on his UFC record, the most in the promotion's history.
Gamrot, meanwhile, holds an impressive MMA record of 19-1-1NC and has won bonuses in all three of his UFC appearances. So, it seems like we will be seeing a lot more of the 30-year-old in the future.