MMA: Top 10 Rear-Naked Chokes in UFC History

The rear-naked choke, or RNC for short, is one of the more basic submission holds that can be used in MMA.

Although acquiring the positioning to use it effectively can be a pain, the rewards for doing so will usually earn the fighter a win.

Some fighters are better than others at both getting the position and securing the choke.

Some fighters have made choking out other fighters into a pastime.

In honor of those fighters, I've compiled the top 10 rear-naked choke wins in UFC history.

These are all my opinion, and if you see any noticeable omissions, please let me know in the comments section.

10. BJ Penn vs. Jens Pulver Two

BJ Penn and Jens Pulver were coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter 5."

On the finale of the show, they fought each other in what was a rematch of a majority decision win for Jens Pulver at UFC 35 almost five years prior.

BJ Penn went into their rematch fresh off of a loss against legendary welterweight Matt Hughes. BJ had rededicated himself to training, and the result was a scary look at things to come for the division.

BJ quickly asserted himself in the fight, and forced a shocked Jens Pulver to tap out 3:12 into the second round.

9. Kurt Pelligrino vs. Fabricio Camoes

At UFC 111, two of the UFC lightweight division's better grapplers, Kurt Pellegrino and Fabricio Camoes, fought in what was an entertaining main card fight.

Pellegrino, who was fresh off of a win over Josh Neer, was able to out-grapple his fellow BJJ black belt and eventually lock in a fight ending RNC.

8. Pat Barry vs. Mirko Cro Cop

The event: UFC 115

The novelty of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic winning by submission is almost on an equal level to Brock Lesnar's stunning submission win over Shane Carwin. Other then the fact that Cro Cop was known for being primarily a striker, he was also given almost no chance with Pat Barry.

After being dropped twice in the first round with hard right hooks, it looked like the former PRIDE superstar was on his way to another brutal loss.

He sure showed us.

In the third round, Cro Cop was able to daze Barry with strikes. Instead of going for the TKO win, Cro Cop saw his opportunity and moments later, his hand was being raised.

7. Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg Two

The event: UFC 52

The second fight between these two welterweights was one of the biggest climaxes into a load of trash talking in UFC history.

And unlike the recent snooze-fests Paul Daley vs. Josh Koscheck and Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans, this one almost entirely delivered on its bad blood storyline.

After being directly on the verge of defeat when Frank Trigg had a RNC locked in, Matt Hughes Nogueirad himself back into the fight (somehow) and was able to sink in a RNC of his own, forcing Frank Trigg to tap out at 4:05 of the first round.

It would be Matt Hughes first title defense.

6. Gerard Gordeau vs. Royce Gracie

The event: UFC One

Royce Gracie's technical grappling mastery over Gerard Gordeau was very evident in this fight. Gerard Gordeau, the chokee, is most famous for the head kick destruction of Teila Tuli in the evening first bout.

As soon as Gerard Gordeau was taken to the ground, it was evident that Royce Gracie was going to end the fight soon.

His mastery of jiu-jitsu, coupled with Gordeau's inexperience, made the fight's outcome a near certainty. You can see the awesomeness of this choke in the video, courtesy of Youtube.

5. Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva

The event: UFC 82

Although Dan Henderson eventually lost to Anderson Silva, he is one of only two men to ever take a round from Anderson Silva in the UFC, the other being Travis Lutter.

During the first round, Henderson used his Olympic quality wrestling to keep Silva on the ground and control him. The second round was a whole different story.

Though he managed to last almost until the end, Dan Henderson eventually ended up tapping out when Anderson Silva rolled into one of the better RNCs you will ever see.

4. BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson

The event: UFC 80

In addition to being one of the bloodier fights you will ever see, BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson was also an exhibition of world class grappling by BJ Penn. As well versed as Joe Stevenson is on the mat, BJ Penn was able to make him look relatively inexperienced.

When BJ took Stevenson's back later in the fight, anyone could guess the outcome. BJ's wrist slipped under Stevenson's chin (aided mightily by all the blood) and Joe was forced to tap out or pass out.

3. Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson

The event: UFC 91

Although Kenny Florian is known as more of a striker who finishes fights with submissions, at UFC 91 he transcended into the well rounded threat-on-all-levels type of fighter.

Joe Stevenson, who is equally well rounded in his own right, just wasn't able to defend against KenFlo's grappling on this night, and the result of the fight showed it.

Although he fought hard for 4:03 of the fight, Joe was eventually submitted.

2. BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian

The event: UFC 101

How ridiculous is BJ Penn? Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson are both fantastic grapplers. BJ Penn has made both of them look like Kimbo Slice on the mat.

Not only is that an amazing feat in itself, but the fact that he submitted them both is another thing entirely.

After dominating Florian for three rounds, BJ decided that he was getting tired of the whole lean against the cage and laugh at his pathetic attempts game.

So instead, he got Florian to the mat and got his back. Being the stud grappler that he is, KenFlo was able to hold him off for awhile, but not long.

The final result: BJ Penn by RNC at 3:45 of the fourth round.

1. Forrest Griffin vs. Shogun Rua

The event: UFC 76

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was the top ranked light-heavyweight fighter in the world going into his fight with Forrest Griffin at UFC 76.

Forrest Griffin, winner of TUF One, is a good fighter, but most viewed him as a sacrifial lamb for Shogun to claim his throne at the top of the UFC 205 pound division. Much like Eddie Sanchez.

However, someone forgot to mention it to Forrest, who managed to outpoint the more aggressive Brazilian for two and a half rounds before finally turning it into a grappling match and submitting Shogun with 15 seconds left in the round. Lesson learned: No one is unbeatable.