The 10 Most Brutal Submission Victories in UFC History

Jiu-Jitsu lends most to believe that it is the more gentler art in MMA today—but that's not the case.

Since the Gracie's introduced a new and wide array of submission skills many years ago, the art has become popularized and tweaked with many fighters utilizing the super effective chokes and locks today.

Though in most cases a deftly applied submission will usually yield a tap, moves like "The Twister" can even make the most burly of men a bit squeamish. 

10. Evan Dunham vs. Efrain Escudero

In this lightweight tussle, the unheralded Evan Dunham was pitted against season eight winner of The Ultimate Fighter in Efrain Escudero—a dominant wrestler with well adept submission skills and powerful punches to boot.

The former collegiate All-American took it to Dunham early, dropping the Xtreme Couture product with booming hooks before the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt used his submission prowess to cinch up a nasty armbar in the waning moments of the fight.

Escudero did everything he could to stop from tapping, but as the Mexican continued to struggle, Dunham continued to torque the arm before he finally got the submission victory.

Most believed Escudero suffered a broken arm but it was later confirmed that it was only tendon damage—bad nonetheless. 

9. Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Mohr

Fresh off his stint on season five of The Ultimate Fighter, finalist Manny Gamburyan took on Nate Mohr in a lightweight affair.

A striking ace, Mohr had little grappling experience and it showed when the Judo expert in Gamburyan muscled Mohr to the mat and grabbed hold of a leg, tweaking Mohr's leg which yielded a yell from the Team Curran product who was sidelined for a whole year after suffering injury from the submission. 

8. Frank Mir vs. Pete Williams

In the earlier days of the UFC, Pete Williams was a top dog in the promotion, thanks to his impressive and emphatic knockout victory over former UFC champion Mark Coleman.

A slippery slope in the organization eventually led Williams to up and comer Frank Mir—a submission whiz who was a rarity in the sport—a heavyweight who is dangerous off of his back.

In their battle, Mir deftly applied a shoulder lock on Williams, torquing the arm in excruciating manner that yielded a yell and frantic tapout. 

7. Chris Lytle vs. Brian Foster

In a battle between welterweight bruisers, Chris Lytle and Brian Foster was thought to be a battle that will yield fire works. The duo started out fast and hard, though Lytle used his underrated jiu-jitsu game effectively.

As Foster took his back momentarily on the feet, Lytle dove on to a leg, bringing the former Miletich product to the ground and cinching up a tight, tight kneebar. Immediately, Foster began to writhe in pain as Lytle got the tap in just a little under two minutes of the opening round, picking up "Submission of the Night" for his efforts. 

6. Ken Shamrock vs. Patrick Smith

Back when "The World's Most Dangerous Man" was the proper moniker for Ken Shamrock, the submission wrestling expert first made his entrance to the Octagon in 1993 at UFC 1 when he took on the powerful Patrick Smith. 

Shamrock subdued the striker early, taking him to the mat where he quickly applied one of his signature ankle locks, immediately earning the tap and leaving Smith wilting in pain on the canvas. 

5. Rouismar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal

The king of the leg locks, Rousimar Palhares drew a lot of criticism for his battle with fellow middleweight Tomasz Drwal.

A powerful striker, fell victim to the staunching submission skills of the Brazilian Top Team product, who submitted Polish fighter with a heel hook in just 45 seconds of the opening round.

Referee Kevin Mulhall tried to break the hold of the powerful submission expert, but Palhares initially refused to break the heel hook and when he did, "Toquinho" earned the submission victory and an additional 90-day suspension for the New Jersey State Athletic Commission for his unsportsmanlike conduct. 

4. Jake Rosholt vs. Chris Leben

A former three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion, Jake Rosholt was the real deal.

However, he had yet to yield a significant victory in his mixed martial arts career. In fact, upon his Octagon debut, he succumbed to a submission loss at the hands of the wily Dan Miller, who tapped out Rosholt with a guillotine choke.

Rosholt was next pitted against the hard hitting Chris Leben at UFC 102. After getting the better of some of the exchanges on the feet, surprisingly, Rosholt later brought the action to the canvas where in the third and final round the collegiate wrestler sensed that the end was near.

In the waning moments of the fight, Rosholt cinched up an arm-triangle choke. Leben initially tapped though the referee couldn't tell and "The Crippler" was put to sleep.

Once the referee finally ended the bout, Leben was left on the ground convulsing on the mat for several moments, making for very awkward and uncomfortable television.  

3. Steve Cantwell vs. Razak Al-Hassan

Former WEC champ Steve Cantwell made an emphatic entrance to the Octagon when he took on fellow newcomer Razak Al-Hassan in a light heavyweight battle.

Cantwell quickly worked the action to the floor where he locked up a tight, tight armbar.

Al-Hassan was too tough for his own good as Cantwell continued to torque the hold, hyper extending the arm on several occasions before the referee stopped the fight for Razak's own good—who was later sidelined for nearly a year thanks to a dislocated elbow. 

2. Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia

In their highly anticipated rematch, Leonard Garcia was unassuming of the submission skills of "The Korean Zombie".

The Greg Jackson product was taken to the ground in the second round of their featherweight tilt, where Jung expertly applied a Twister—a submission hold popularized by the famed Eddie Bravo; a spine lock which yields a tremendous amount of pain and pressure.

After several moments of struggle, Garcia eventually tapped out with just a few seconds remaining in the round.

The victory earned Jung both "Submission of the Night" and "Submission of the Year" at the 2011 World MMA Awards. 

1. Frank Mir vs. Tim Sylvia

In Mir's first bid at the title, he took on then heavyweight kingpin Tim Sylvia—a Miletich product who yielded great striking skills and knockout power in either hand.

Mir eventually worked the fight to the mat where he locked in a tight armbar. Though Sylvia didn't tap from the hold, referee Herb Dean stopped the bout as he bared witness to what he thought was his the bone in the arm snap.

The crowd showered the Octagon with boos though the instant replay showed that Mir did in fact break the arm of Sylvia, who was later sidelined for several months from the injury.