Jon Jones and the 5 Most Surprising Submission Artists in MMA

The typical submission ace in mixed martial arts has a long history of tapping people out, usually accompanied with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  

Fighters such as Demian Maia or any member of the Gracie family are the first to come to mind, as their technical grappling background is at the forefront of their skills.  

In MMA, however, there are a plethora of fighters who have quietly become top-level tap-out masters, sneaking under the radar with their underrated skill sets.

Here are the top five surprising submission artists in the game today.

Marlon Sandro

Preferring to punch his opponents in the face rather than choke them out, Bellator featherweight Marlon Sandro is actually a very good submission artist.

Hailing from one of the best jiu-jitsu teams in the world, the Nova União black belt is a force to be dealt with on the ground.

His latest win came at Bellator 58 where Sandro caught American Top Team veteran Rafael Dias in a first-round arm-triangle choke.

The former Sengoku champion is also skilled at defending submissions, as he was able to stop each of Hatsu Hioki's attempts in their epic battle in 2010.

Ronda Rousey

For fans of women's MMA, Ronda Rousey is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the female's featherweight division.

An Olympic judoka, Rousey is a fourth degree black belt in the art and has used this aspect of her game exclusively inside the cage.

But what's surprising about Rousey is not her obvious prowess for grappling, but the insanely quick nature that she's been able to submit her opponents.  In each of her seven MMA bouts, both amateur and professional, she has forced her foes to tap out—all by first-round armbar.

Rousey's ruthless submission skills should put any potential opponent on their guard.

Donald Cerrone

As seen in his latest bout with Nate Diaz at UFC 141, lightweight Donald Cerrone loves to strike.  

A former undefeated Muay Thai kickboxer, Cerrone's submission skills are often overlooked despite 13 of his 17 MMA wins coming via submission.

"The Cowboy's" latest victory came at UFC 137 where he took Submission of the Night when he choked out Dennis Siver in the first round.  This latest win was Cerrone's second award-winning submission last year, with his rear-naked choke of Paul Kelly at UFC 126 taking Fight of the Night.

Owning tap-out wins over Danny Castillo, Anthony Njokuani and Chris Horodecki, Donald Cerrone is one of the most underrated submission artists in the lightweight division.

Matt Hughes

One of the most dominant welterweights in UFC history, Matt Hughes has always been known for his strength and powerful wrestling style.  However, few talk about how fantastic his submission game really is.

The former UFC Welterweight champion has 20 submission wins that account for almost half of his victories.  Hughes has beaten some of the best grapplers at their own game, proving that he is more than just a wrestler.

In his last win, Hughes defeated the experienced Renzo Gracie black belt Ricardo Almeida with a front headlock, which he attributes to Dave Schultz.  The win earned him Submission of the Night and made Hughes the first person ever to submit Almeida.

Hughes also has submission wins over Georges St. Pierre, Frank Trigg and Joe Riggs.

Jon Jones

The reigning UFC Light-Heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has gained a lot of attention for his unorthodox striking style.  But for every spinning back elbow and jumping roundhouse kick, he also has a slick submission under his sleeve.

With an accomplished wrestling background, it is easy to see why Jones picked up the submission game so easily, especially with trainer Greg Jackson by his side.  Despite not having formal training in jiu-jitsu, a third of his victories have come via submission.

Jones has submitted some of the best in the sport, choking out both Lyoto Machida—a jiu-jitsu black belt—and Quinton Jackson in his last two fights.  This was the first time that either champion had ever been submitted in the UFC.

Making the transition into MMA after such brief training, it will be exciting to see how Jones' grappling game evolves in the coming years.