Frank Mir, Minotauro and the Top 10 Tightest Guillotine Chokes in UFC History

The guillotine choke, named after the decapitation device, is a common front choke utilized by a number of martial arts.

If you do not protect your neck carefully, especially when shooting in for a takedown, the guillotine choke is one of the quickest ways to lose a fight.

Some fighters, like Sean Sherk, seem to have a supernatural ability to withstand the choke, but never underestimate an opponent's guillotine ability.

Most fighters must concede defeat immediately when the choke begins relieving them of their consciousness, but still some, like many on this list, cannot succumb soon enough to avoid the results of being put to sleep.

These are the top 10 guillotines in UFC history.   

Honorable Mention

Nate Marquardt over Jeremy Horn.

Gleison Tibau over Rich Clementi.

Pat Miletich over Kenichi Yamamoto.

Nate Diaz over Junior Assuncao, Melvin Guillard and Marcus Davis.

Jon Jones over Jake O'Brien and Ryan Bader.

Jason McDonald over Chris Leben.

10. Mike Swick over Steve Vigneault

Mike "Quick" Swick coined a new term for one of his techniques when he submitted Steve Vigneault at UFC 58 in the first round.

The "Swick-o-tein" would be used immediately afterwards when Swick defeated Joe Riggs in the first round of his subsequent fight.

Quick and tight, Swick's guillotine would be recognized as a force to be reckoned with. 

9. Martin Kampmann over Jacob Volkmann

Danish standout Martin Kampmann bounced back in impressive fashion from a TKO defeat to Paul Daley by submitting Jacob Volkmann in the first round.

Kampmann's vicious modified guillotine choke is allegedly dubbed the "deathchoke."

It is the one and only time that Volkmann has been stopped in his career.

Also see Kampmann's devastating guillotine choke over veteran Jorge Rivera.

8. Joe Stevenson over Gleison Tibau

Joe Stevenson reaffirmed his status as having one of the tightest guillotines in the sport when he submitted Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Gleison Tibau with a guillotine at UFC 86.

Tibau has a nasty guillotine choke of his own, but when Stevenson clamps down on one, there is practically no one in the business with as deadly a grip. 

7. Dan Miller over John Salter

Dan Miller rebounded from three straight losses, to three of the division's best, by winning with his signature guillotine choke.

Wrestler John Salter was unphased by Miller's grappling prowess, but learned a healthy fear soon enough when he tapped out to a second-round guillotine.

Miller remains one of the preeminent guillotine chokers in the UFC today. 

6. Ricardo Almeida over Rob Yundt

Ricardo Almeida's guillotine choke over Rob Yundt was a thing of beauty.

After latching on tightly, Yundt tried to shake Almeida free by launching himself forward into what was essentially a slam directly on top of Almeida.

Almeida held fast and eventually forced the tap.

It was a glorious return to action for Almeida who had been on the sidelines for nearly four years.

5. Cody McKenzie over Aaron Wilinson

It is no secret that Cody McKenzie has perhaps the best guillotine choke in the business.

Despite this knowledge, Aaron Wilkinson was still choked out within 2:03 of the first round of his UFC debut again McKenzie.

Perhaps a sign of more to come, McKenzie showed that his guillotine is effective not just against scrubs, but also against whomever the UFC feels obligated to throw his way. 

4. Christian Morecraft over Sean McCorkle

Previously undefeated heavyweights Sean McCorkle and Christian Morecraft clashed after they both suffered their first career defeats at the hands of Stefan Struve.

Youngster Morecraft proved to be the stronger fighter that night as he finished McCorkle with a standing guillotine choke in the second round.

The brutal choke left McCorkle unconscious as he collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap after the referee mercifully called a stop to the bout.

3. Zhang Tie Quan over Jason Reinhardt

Zhang Tie Quan, the "Mongolian Wolf," has one of the scariest guillotine chokes around.

Jason Reinhardt tried to tap out as soon as he got sucked into the devastating choke, but was still rendered unconscious.

The end came after just 48 seconds into the first round. Quan tried to release as soon as his victim submitted, but it still was not quick enough for Reinhardt to hold onto his consciousness.

2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira over Tim Sylvia

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira famously became the only man to hold championship belts both in PRIDE and the UFC when he submitted Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight interim championship.

As Nogueira said, he played Sylvia's game for two rounds, but Sylvia could not survive a minute playing his game on the ground.

After grounding Sylvia, Nogueira baited him into a perfect guillotine choke that forced the former champion to submit immediately.

1. Frank Mir over Cheick Kongo

Frank Mir dominated Cheick Kongo in their meeting at UFC 107.

Mir immediately decked Kongo with a big punch, and then swarmed on his grounded opponent latching on a deadly guillotine.

Kongo tried to fight his way out, but ultimately was choked unconscious at just 1:12 of the very first round.

By being choked completely unconscious, Kongo maintains his reputation of having never tapped out.