The 10 Most Bizarre Submissions in MMA History

Getting trapped in a submission is a panic-inducing experience for any fighter. But what happens when you’re put in a position that you’ve never even seen before? In honor of the DVD/Blu-ray release of Locked Down, we’re taking a look back at MMA matches where fighters were “locked down” for real — caught in off-the-wall submissions that offered no chance of escape.

#10: Alexander Otsuka’s Double-Armbar vs. Mike Bourke

PRIDE 11, 10/31/00. Dusting himself off after a botched dropkick attempt, Otsuka begins working his jiu-jitsu. When Bourke posts one arm and throws telegraphed punches with the other, the “Diet Butcher” snaps his legs over Bourke’s head and torques both arms simultaneously. Bourke has to tap with his knee.

#9: Ivan Salaverry’s Anaconda Body Lock vs. Tony Fryklund

UFC 50, 10/22/04. After taking Fryklund’s back, Salaverry passes up the neck and instead wrenches his arms around Fryklund’s body, driving his hips forward to exert maximum pressure on the spine and ribs. Fryklund screams for mercy.

#8: Nate Diaz’s Stockton-Style Triangle vs. Kurt Pellegrino

UFC Fight Night 13, 4/2/08. A Stockton-style triangle choke is like a regular triangle choke, except it’s performed with no hands, allowing the practitioner to give double-middle-fingers to his opponent, the audience, and indeed, the entire universe.

#7: Naoyuki Kotani’s Leg-Scissor Choke vs. Daisuke Nakamura

ZST 22, 11/23/09. Kotani transitions on top and, rather than falling back into a straight armbar, clamps his legs around Nakamura’s neck and squeezes until Nakamura goes limp.

#6: Chris Haseman’s Chin-in-Eye vs. Elvis Sinosic

Caged Combat 1, 3/22/97. Before the Unified Rules outlawed all forms of eye-gouging, the chin-to-the-eye was a painfully effective way of ending a fight from the top. Haseman submitted two opponents with his chin in the same night.

#5: Shinya Aoki’s “Aokiplata” vs. Katsuhiko Nagata

DREAM.4, 6/15/08. While there are easier ways to end a fight from mount, Aoki showed the skill and flexibility required to choke somebody out with a gogoplata from the top.

#4: Ryo Chonan’s Flying Scissor Takedown/Heel Hook vs. Anderson Silva

PRIDE Shockwave 2004, 12/31/04. Chonan went for a Hail Mary scissor-leg takedown and landed it so perfectly that the heel hook was already set up when he hit the mat.

#3: Genki Sudo’s Giant Swing/Achilles Lock vs. Craig Oxley

Pancrase Trans 6, 10/31/00. Sudo picks Oxley up while in his guard and spins him a full 720 degrees — a classic pro-wrestling-style giant swing — directly into an Achilles lock.

#2: Toby Imada’s Flying Inverted Triangle vs. Jorge Masvidal

Bellator 5, 5/1/09. Masvidal spent two rounds battering Imada before Imada found a miracle. While defending a takedown, he threaded his legs around Masvidal’s head and arm while hanging upside down, sending Masvidal to dreamland.

#1: Emmanuel Yarborough’s Body-SmOther vs. Tatsuaki Nakano

Shoot the Shooto XX, 4/26/98. Sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarborough scored the only victory of his brief MMA career using the best weapon in his arsenal — his enormous, terrifying girth. No matter how much MMA evolves, you probably won’t see this gruesome submission ever again.