MMA: The 25 Greatest 1st Round Submissions of All Time

Over the past several years, the sport of mixed martial arts has elevated itself into an elite category. It has quickly emerged as the world's fastest growing sport.

What sets MMA apart from other sports is the real-life, electrifying entertainment that it provides to its fans.

A major part of this entertainment is credited to the submission. The submission is arguably the most fascinating thing in all of sports and has helped put MMA in a league of its own.

What's even better than the submission itself is seeing it done in the very first round of action. Mix martial artists have been submitting opponents out since the sport first hit the stage.

In respect, the following slides display the 25 greatest first-round MMA submissions of all time.

Lets take a look.

25. UFC 132: Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader

In his first fight back in nearly a year, Tito Ortiz stepped foot in the Octagon to take on up and coming Light Heavyweight star, Ryan Bader.

With not even two minutes gone on the clock in the first round of action, Ortiz placed Bader in a tight Guillotine Choke.

Bader made every attempt to escape the submission but tapped at 1:56 of the first round.

Ortiz's submission ranks 25th on the Power Rankings.

24. Pride 26: DaijuTakase vs. Anderson Silva

One thing is for sure, anyone who submits the world's greatest fighter in Anderson Silva deserves to be on this list.

And, that is exactly what Daiju Takase did when he squared off with Silva at Pride 26 in June 2003.

At 8:33 of the first round, Takase placed Silva in a Triangle Choke that eventually led him to victory.

Takase's submission ranks 24th on the Power Rankings.

23. Affliction Banned: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia

After losing a fight for the UFC Heavyweight championship, Tim Sylvia was set to take on the world class talent in Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction Banned.

Unfortunately for Sylvia his night only lasted a whooping 36 seconds of the first round.

Emelianenko managed to get the back of Sylvia and placed in a Rear Naked Choke in front of a packed Anaheim crowd.

Emelianenko's submission ranks 23rd on the Power Rankings.

22. Pride 16: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mark Coleman

Two of mixed martial arts' legends entered the Octagon when Antonio Nogueira and Mark Coleman faced off at Pride 16 in September 2001.

Both fighters entered the Pride event on six fight win streaks but it was Nogueira who continued his winning ways.

At 6:10 of the first frame, Nogueira caught Coleman in a Triangle Armbar that left him victorious.

Nogueira's submission ranks 22nd on the Power Rankings.

21. WEC 47: Scott Jorgensen vs. Chad George

Scott Jorgensen was on his way to the top of the WEC Bantamweight division when he met Chad George at WEC 47.

In one of the quickest submission victories of all time, Jorgensen put a tight Guillotine grip on George within 20 seconds of the first round.

George attempted to escape but had to tap at just 0:31 of round 1.

Jorgensen's submission ranks 21st on the Power Rankings.

20. UFC 36: Frank Mir vs. Pete Williams

In just his second career UFC appearance, Frank Mir met MMA veteran, Pete Williams at UFC 36 in Las Vegas.

Mir wasted no time as he attacked Williams seconds into the fight.

Mir placed Williams into a deep shoulder lock that was too tight to escape from. Williams was submitted at just 0:46 of the first round and retired following his defeat.

Mir's submission ranks 20th on the Power Rankings.

19. UFC 3: Royce Gracie vs. Kimo Leopoldo

In just his first career mixed martial arts bout, Kimo Leopoldo had the honor of squaring off with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert in Royce Gracie.

While Leopoldo was close to escaping round one without being submitted, Gracie landed an Armlock with just 30 seconds remaining in the round.

With 20 seconds to go, the Armlock appeared to be too much as Leopoldo tapped.

Gracie's submission ranks 19th on the Power Rankings.

18. UFC 107: Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo

Two of the Heavyweight division's most dangerous fighters took the Octagon at UFC 107 in front of a jammed pack Tennessee crowd.

Sadly for Kongo, his evening came to an end quicker than he expected.

At just over a minute into the first frame, Mir connected on one of the greatest Guillotine Chokes in UFC history, forcing Kongo to a loss at 1:12 of the round.

Mir's submission ranks 18th on the Power Rankings.

17. UFC 51: Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia

Andrei Arlovski and skyscraper Tim Sylvia met in a match for the Interim Heavyweight championship at UFC 51 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sylvia was the favorite heading into their bout but Arlovski showed his expertise in the submission game by trapping Sylvia in a Achilles lock before the clock struck one minute.

Alovski's choke was too much for Sylvia as he was declared the new UFC Heavyweight champion at 47 seconds of round one.

Arlovski's submission ranks 17th on the Power Rankings.

16. UFC 136: Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard

Melvin Guillard was arguably just one victory away from getting his much desired Lightweight title shot when he circled the Octagon with Joe Lauzon at UFC 136.

Before no time, Guillard found himself in an unwanted position as Lauzon had his back just seconds into the first round.

With 41 seconds ticked off the clock, Lauzon tapped Guillard via Rear Naked Choke as UFC fans around the world stood in shock.

Lauzon's submission ranks 16th on the Power Rankings.

15. UFC 45: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg I

UFC legend Matt Hughes met Frank Trigg at UFC 45 in one of the most anticipated fights of 2003.

Both Hughes and Trigg exchanged strikes as the fight looked to be heading into the second round of action.

But, out of nowhere, Hughes found himself literally on the back of Trigg. At 3:54 of the first frame, Trigg was defeated via Rear Naked Choke.

Hughes's submission ranks 15th on the Power Rankings.

14. UFC 91: Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory

In one of the more under-appreciated fights of UFC 91, Dustin Hazelett and Tamdan McCrory faced off in a Welterweight bout.

Hazelett displayed one of the rarest submissions when he caught McCrory in a Helicopter Armbar.

The fundamental submission attempt left McCrory gasping for air as he tapped at 3:59 of round one.

Hazelett's submission ranks 14th on the Power Rankings.

13. UFC 117: Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida

While Matt Hughes has a mouth dropping 20 career victories via submission, there are few that top his UFC 117 win over Ricardo Almeida.

In front of an Oakland crowd, Hughes made his way in on Almeida attempting a Modified Anaconda Choke.

To his success, the choke was placed as tight as can be when Almeida was defeated at 3:15 of the very first round.

Hughes's submission ranks 13th on the Power Rankings.

12. Pride 15: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Quinton Jackson

The only two opponents that have ever submitted Quinton "Rampage" Jackson are Jon Jones and Kazushi Sakuraba.

Jackson was the heavy favorite heading into Pride 15 before he found himself in a bad position as Sakuraba had his back.

At 5:41 of the first round, Jackson was defeated via Rear Naked Choke.

Sakuraba's submission ranks 12th on the Power Rankings.

11. Pride 32: Mauricio Rua vs. Kevin Randleman

The only submission victory of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's career came when he squared off with Kevin Randleman at Pride 32.

Rua dominated action early as Randleman found himself in trouble when the fight went to the ground.

At 2:35 of the very first round, Rua connected on a Kneebar lock that submitted Randleman.

Rua's submission ranks 11th on the Power Rankings.

10. Pride Critical Countdown 04': Fedor Emelianenko vs. Kevin Randleman

Kevin Randleman found himself having the raw end of the deal when he met world class mixed martial artist, Fedor Emelianenko at Pride Critical Countdown in 2004.

It wasn't long until Emelianenko had Randleman trapped in a tight Kimura Choke.

Just 1:33 into Round One, Randleman was defeated as Emelianenko moved on to the Grand Prix Semifinal.

Fedor's submission ranks 10th on the Power Rankings.

9. Dynamite 09': Shinya Aoki vs. Mizuto Hirota

While Shinya Aoki vs. Mizuto Hirota may not be known to many MMA fans, it ranks as one of the greatest submissions of all time.

When the two former champions met at Dynamite 2009, it was Shinya Aoki who took advantage early.

At just 1:17 of the first round, Aoki put Hirota in a Hammer Lock that put the Japan crowd to their feet as he was declared the victor in the non title fight.

Aoki's submission ranks ninth on the Power Rankings.

8. UFC 50: Matt Hughes vs. Georges St-Pierre I

In arguably the biggest fight of his career, Matt Hughes squared off with Welterweight star, George St-Pierre at UFC 50.

In one of the most anticipated bouts of the entire year, it was Hughes who stole the show with one second remaining in round one.

Hughes caught St-Pierre in an Armbar and was declared the new UFC Welterweight champion.

Hughes's submission ranks eighth on the Power Rankings.

7. UFC 95: Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen

It was Chael Sonnen's first fight back in the UFC when he met Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu mastermind, Demian Maia at UFC 95.

The highly favored Sonnen found himself in an unwanted situation when Maia, from his back, connected on a Triangle Choke.

The submission was too tight for Sonnen to escape as Maia was declared the winner at just 2:37 of the first round.

Maia's submission ranks seventh on the Power Rankings.

6. UFC 52: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II

It was the second time Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg met as Hughes was the victor via Rear Naked Choke when the two first met at UFC 45.

History repeated itself when Hughes found himself on Trigg's back.

It was one of the most spectacular submission finishes in mixed martial arts history when Hughes was declared the winner via Rear Naked Choke at 4:05 of Round One.

Hughes's submission ranks sixth on the Power Rankings.

5. UFC 81: Frank Mir vs. Lesnar I

In of the most anticipated Heavyweight fights of 2008, Brock Lesnar made his UFC debut against Frank Mir at UFC 81 in Las Vegas.

Lesnar proved his lopsided Octagon skills when he was caught in a Mir submission attempt just a little over a minute into the fight.

At 1:30 of the first round, Mir forced Lesnar to tap via Kneebar submission capping off one of the greatest submissions in UFC history.

Mir's submission ranks fifth on the Power Rankings.

4. UFC 46: BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes I

It was the first of many meetings for Welterweight legends, BJ Penn and Matt Hughes when they circled the Octagon at UFC 46.

With Round Two in sight, Penn entered in on Hughes and eventually made his way to back control.

At 4:39 of the first round, Hughes couldn't escape the Rear Naked Choke as Penn won the first UFC championship of his career.

Penn's submission ranks fourth on the Power Rankings.

3. UFC 1: Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock

At the very first UFC event, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu mastermind Royce Gracie, fought three different opponents and defeated them all within the first round of each fight.

One of those victims was Ken Shamrock who found himself in a desperate situation not even a minute into their bout.

At 57 seconds of the first frame, Gracie submitted Shamrock via Rear Naked Choke.

Gracie's submission ranks third on the Power Rankings.

2. UFC 48: Frank Mir vs. Tim Sylvia

Frank Mir had won three consecutive fights which eventually earned him a Heavyweight title shot against Tim Sylvia at UFC 48.

Sylvia had never lost entering UFC 48 when he found himself trying to escape an Armbar submission attempt by Mir within the first minute of round one.

Sylvia wasn't going anywhere as the fight was stopped due to Sylvia's arm being broke at just 50 seconds into the fight.

Mir's submission ranks second on the Power Rankings.

1. Strikeforce 2010: Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko

Fabricio entered Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum as one of the biggest underdogs in mixed martial arts history.

Emelianenko was considered the world's most dangerous fighter at the time as he hadn't lost in nearly 10 years.

But, it was Werdum who shocked the world when he caught Emelianenko in a Triangle Armbar just over a minute into the first round.

Werdum's submission was too deep as he was declared victorious by a submission that would go on to earn Werdum Sherdog's 2010 Upset of the Year Award as well as MMA's Submission of the Year Award.

Werdum's submission ranks first on the Power Rankings.