Royce Gracie and the Top Submission Aces in MMA History

The knockout still remains the ultimate fan favourite, but a slick submission can arouse a crowd just as well.

Royce Gracie single-handedly began a revolution in MMA that saw the focus of fighters from traditional martial arts like tae kwon do and karate begin training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

As fighters continued to evolve, the ability to submit an elite-level fighter became harder. That didn't stop the fighters on this list as they were always a step ahead of the curve.

Calling someone an ace is in reference to pilots shooting down several enemy fighters. Although the number has varied through the year, it generally refers to at least five confirmed kills.

The fighters on this list could qualify as "Submission Aces" due to taking down numerous foes with their grappling ability.

Shinya Aoki

When you can consecutively defeat two tough veterans with neck cranks, you know you're a submission ace. Shinya Aoki is one of the best lightweights in the world and certainly the best fighter from Japan at the moment.

Even though he's not had as much success in the United States, Aoki's grappling prowess goes without question. When most people look for an example of Aoki's grappling ability, most are pointed to his bout with Mazuto Hirota where Aoki snapped Hirota's arm and went on a Brock Lesnar-like post-fight tirade.

Aoki will look to submit another top lightweight for the second time when he takes on Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 66.

Rickson Gracie

Rickson Gracie may be more famous for his claim of being in over 400 fights, but there's no denying the man had some serious submission skills.

He defeated Rei Zulu twice to begin his MMA career and also defeated top-level grappler Masakatsu Funaki.

An eighth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and son of the great Helio Gracie, Rickson is one of the true pioneers of MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Masakatsu Funaki

Before the UFC took over as the top organization in MMA, that honor went to Pancrase. Having amazing talent under its umbrella, Pancrase was a platform to showcase some of the best fighters in the world.

One of those superstars was Masakatsu Funaki. He was arguably the biggest star in Pancrase, and it's not hard to see why. Funaki has submitted the likes of Frank and Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten and Yuki Kondo.

Funaki's last bout occurred in 2008 against his former student and fan favourite, Ikuhisa Minowa.

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko is more renowned for his impressive punching power and lack of emotions, but he also possesses a dangerous submission game.

Perhaps what makes Emelianenko a submission ace most of all, besides all the wins via tapout, are the many ways in which he went about it. Triangles, arm bars, chokes---the man has done it all.

The Sambo specialist has submitted top fighters like Tim Sylvia, Mark Coleman, and Kevin Randleman among his many victories.

Renzo Gracie

Renzo Gracie may have not been the most active in MMA of the Gracie family but there's no denying he's one of the best submission artists to put on the four-ounce gloves.

Gracie has won via submission in eight of his 13 victories, which include wins over Maurice Smith and Oleg Taktarov.

His legacy will not be that he was a revolutionary fighter or could pull off a submission in lightning-quick fashion like some of his other family members but rather that he will likely go down as one of the best jiu-jitsu instructors of all time.

Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum will always go down as the man who defeated Fedor Emelianenko, but his career as a submission ace should also be remembered.

Werdum brought truly world-class submission skills, as he is a multiple-time medalist in the ADCC and has won countless other titles.

Besides the tapout of Emelianenko, Werdum has also submitted the likes of Alistair Overeem, Aleksander Emelianenko and has defeated numerous other great submission artists.

Look for Werdum to make a title run in 2012 after a strong showing in his UFC return against Roy Nelson.

Alistair Overeem

What? A K-1 champion mixed into this list? Well if you check the facts, Alistair Overeem actually qualifies as one of the best submission fighters in recent memory.

Granted, he would rather stand and use his technical striking but Overeem possesses a crushing guillotine. He's used the maneuver to tap out Igor Vovchanchyn and Vitor Belfort.

Overeem will have a chance to add the UFC Heavyweight title to his trophy case when he takes on Junior dos Santos at UFC 146.

BJ Penn

Likely to go down as one of the most decorated Americans in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, BJ Penn is a true MMA legend.

With excellent boxing and a great submission game, Penn has submitted every kind of fighter from Hall of Famers to other BJJ black belts. Fighters like Matt Hughes, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian and Jens Pulver, among others, have all had to tap out against "The Prodigy."

Having Penn on your back (or in a grappling situation at all, really) was considered certain death for a fighter. It seemed once "The Prodigy" got the fight to a mat, it was just a matter of time before he would secure a submission.

Kazushi Sakuraba

"The Gracie Hunter" himself, Kazushi Sakuraba has become one of the legends of the sport by making his adversaries tap out on numerous occasions.

His battles with the Gracies are legendary, but Sakuraba has also submitted a number of other top fighters. Some of his victims who don't have the last name of Gracie were Masakatsu Funaki, Kevin Randleman, Quinton Jackson and Carlos Newton.

Fans of today may not know how great Sakuraba once was given his recent history in MMA, but you can't mention the phrase "submission ace" without saying Sakuraba.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

It'd be hard for any MMA fan to talk about Brazilian jiu-jitsu in MMA and not mention Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

One of the greatest BJJ artists to compete in the sport, Nogueira will go down as arguably the best heavyweight submission ace of all time. Nogueira has won titles in both PRIDE and the UFC while submitting big names like Heath Herring, Mirko "Cro Cop" and Mark Coleman.

Nogueira is a shell of his former self nowadays, which makes newer fans not respect the legacy "Big Nog" will leave behind. If anyone needs a reminder of the talent Nogueira had in his prime, check out an episode of The Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship.

Paulo Filho

Before his personal demons got the best of him, Paulo Filho was one of the top Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars in MMA.

With a black belt in BJJ and great training partners at Brazilian Top Team, Filho used his grappling prowess to submit the likes of Chael Sonnen, Yuki Kondo, Murilo Rua and Melvin Manhoef, among others.

The former WEC champion last fought in September when he battled Satoshi Ishii to a draw.

Frank Mir

A stalwart in the UFC heavyweight division and former UFC champion, Frank Mir has beaten some of the best in MMA.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Mir had a ton of promise and potential after defeating Tim Sylvia for the UFC belt. A motorcycle accident caused Mir to be on the shelf for a while, and he took some time adjusting to a life of competition.

Since he regained his dedication to training, Mir has been on quite a run that includes the breaking of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's arm and a nasty guillotine choke against Cheick Kongo.

Renato Sobral

Renato Sobral is known for his aggressive fighting style that combines solid wrestling with elite-level submission skills. "Babalu" is also known for his ability to secure high-risk submission maneuvers.

The Carlos Gracie Jr. black belt has tapped out the likes of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Mike van Arsdale and Chael Sonnen.

Sobral's most high-profile submission was against David Heath, where he refused to let go of an anaconda choke even after Heath had passed out and the referee attempted to intervene.

Since leaving the UFC behind, Sobral has enjoyed great success, with losses only to Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi.

Jeremy Horn

A true pioneer of the sport, Jeremy Horn was tapping out cavemen when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Horn has bested former UFC champions like Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin while submitting other top fighters like Chael Sonnen, Dean Lister and Gilbert Yvel.

The most surprising thing about Horn's illustrious career is that he's only lost 21 times in over 100 professional bouts (that we know of).

He will never probably get the credit he deserves considering he never achieved much success in the UFC, but Horn will always be known as one of the submission aces in MMA history.

Roger Gracie

The world's current best Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor, Roger Gracie, hasn't fully committed to the sport of MMA just yet.

That figures to change when he makes his UFC debut and fans should be very hyped for the Brazilian's debut in the UFC. He's only competed in five MMA fights, but all four of his wins have come via submission with all but one occurring in the first round.

In his BJJ competitions, Gracie has defeated a number of top grapplers like Robert Drysdale, Jon Olav Einemo and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

Ronaldo Souza

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza is arguably the second best middleweight in Strikeforce. The X-Gym member is also one of the great submission aces in MMA.

Souza holds the distinction of being a five-time World Jiu-Jitsu Championship winner and an ADCC champion, among his other accolades.

"Jacare" just won his last fight via submission and has submitted the likes of Robbie Lawler and Matt Lindland, among others.

Look for Souza to rematch the winner of the rumored Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy bout.

Demian Maia

Demian Maia is one of the most accomplished grapplers in the UFC right now. The 2007 ADCC Champion has used his Brazilian jiu-jitsu to climb into the ranks of the middleweight elite.

Maia earned Submission of the Night awards in four out of his first five fights in the UFC. One of those submissions came against the second best middleweight in the world, Chael Sonnen.

The past few years have seen Maia work on his standup in order to become a true mixed martial artist, which has caused his submission rate to drop. 

Regardless of his lack of submission victories lately, fans shouldn't question the submission skills of Maia.

Royce Gracie

At UFC 1, an unassuming man stepped into a cage to square off with opponents who dwarfed the Brazilian. Instead of showing off spinning and jumping kicks, Gracie took his opponents down and forced them to tap out.

If TiVo was around in the early 1990's, people would've been using it a lot during Gracie's bouts. The way he was able to take opponents down and nearly snap off an arm or choke them out amazed fight fans.

Gracie has won 12 of his 14 professional bouts via submission and has never been submitted himself.