Some of these fighters won belts with a single armbar; others built whole careers on leg locks and chokes nobody saw coming. Early-UFC pioneers share the bracket with modern record-holders.
1Royce GracieGracie jiu-jitsu pioneer who choked and armlocked bigger men to win three of the first four UFC tournaments.1000pts
2Charles OliveiraBrazilian former UFC lightweight champion who holds the UFC record for submission wins.847pts
3Ronaldo SouzaMultiple-time BJJ world champion known as Jacare who carried his grappling to Strikeforce and UFC middleweight gold contention.794pts
4Joe LauzonNew Jersey lightweight famous for scrambles and a stack of submission-of-the-night bonuses.794pts
5Ken ShamrockPancrase and early UFC star whose leg locks and chokes made him the first King of Pancrase.716pts
6Glover TeixeiraLate-blooming Brazilian who submitted Jan Blachowicz to become UFC light heavyweight champion at 42.661pts
7Rousimar PalharesBrazilian grappler whose ferocious heel hooks made him one of the most feared leg lockers in MMA.600pts
8Islam MakhachevDagestani lightweight champion whose sambo-based grappling finished elite opponents with arm triangles and chokes.529pts
9Antonio Rodrigo NogueiraPride and UFC heavyweight champion famed for surviving punishment and pulling off submissions from his back.529pts
10Gillian RobertsonCanadian flyweight and strawweight who holds the UFC women's record for submission wins.448pts
11Ronda RouseyOlympic judo medallist whose signature armbar ended most of her UFC and Strikeforce title fights inside a round.353pts
12Shinya AokiJapanese grappling wizard with dozens of submission wins, including rare finishes like the gogoplata.353pts
13Fedor EmelianenkoPride heavyweight king whose sambo armbars finished a long line of heavyweight contenders.353pts
14Jim MillerUFC lightweight veteran who ranks among the promotion's leaders in submission victories.353pts
15Kazushi SakurabaJapanese catch wrestler nicknamed the Gracie Hunter for his Pride wins over four members of the family.353pts
16Demian MaiaBrazilian black belt whose relentless back takes and chokes made him a perennial UFC welterweight contender.240pts
17Fabricio WerdumFormer UFC heavyweight champion who submitted Fedor and Cain Velasquez with his elite jiu-jitsu.240pts
18Tony FergusonUnorthodox former interim lightweight champion known for his d'arce and brabo chokes.240pts
19Frank MirTwo-time UFC heavyweight champion who snapped limbs with armbars and kimuras against some of the division's best.0pts
20Brian OrtegaFeatherweight contender who built an unbeaten run on comeback guillotines and triangles.0pts
Photo credits
- Ronaldo Souza — Em Tempo, CC BY 3.0
- Ken Shamrock — Mike Kalasnik, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Glover Teixeira — Senate Democrats, CC BY 2.0
- Rousimar Palhares — Rhdesantana, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Islam Makhachev — Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY 3.0
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira — Grook Da Oger, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Gillian Robertson — Island Fights, CC BY 3.0
- Ronda Rousey — Shared Account, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shinya Aoki — Yoccy441, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fedor Emelianenko — Bruno Massami, CC BY 3.0
- Kazushi Sakuraba — Yuzunet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Demian Maia — Peter Gordon, CC BY 2.0
- Fabricio Werdum — Web Summit Rio from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, CC BY 2.0
- Frank Mir — grenwail, CC BY 2.0
- Brian Ortega — MMAnytt, CC BY 3.0
