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While the UFC’s top fighters are more than capable of using various submission holds, from armbars to leglocks, it’s probably fair to say that the rear-naked choke is the most commonly used submission in the promotion.
Given the frequency that the rear-naked choke is used inside the octagon, which UFC fighter has been able to score the most tapouts using the hold?
Unsurprisingly, the list of names here contains some of the most dangerous grapplers in the promotion’s history, meaning that for any fighter facing them, giving their back could prove fatal.
Here are the five fighters with the most rear-naked choke finishes in UFC history.
#5. B.J. Penn – former UFC lightweight champion (4 rear-naked chokes)
A number of fighters have recorded a total of four rear-naked choke wins in the UFC, including former light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira, lightweight veteran Jim Miller and submission ace Gerald Meerschaert.
However, because he recorded three of his four rear-naked choke wins in title bouts – and essentially invented a different variation of the hold – former lightweight and welterweight kingpin B.J. Penn makes it onto this list.
Penn entered the octagon for the first time in 2001 with a reputation for being a Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, but primarily used his strikes to take out his first few opponents. Remarkably, his first win via submission didn’t come until his eighth trip to the octagon, He pulled off one of the all-time great upsets by choking out Matt Hughes to claim welterweight gold.
‘The Prodigy’ then departed the promotion for a while, but after returning in 2006, quickly hit his stride when he moved back to the lightweight division.
He avenged his first career loss by choking out Jens Pulver and then won the vacant 155lb title by using the same hold to submit a bloody Joe Stevenson. On both occasions, Penn showed off his extreme dexterity by using one of his legs to trap one of his opponents' arms, leaving them essentially defenceless to the choke.
It’s a variant that has since been used by a handful of fighters in the octagon to great effect, including Paddy Pimblett in his recent win over Jordan Leavitt.
Penn’s final rear-naked choke victory came over Kenny Florian – a master of the hold in his own right – in the summer of 2009 in another lightweight title bout.
#4. Gillian Robertson – UFC flyweight contender (5 rear-naked chokes)
Canadian flyweight Gillian Robertson has now been with the UFC for almost five years, having debuted in the octagon in December 2017.
While she’s never risen into title contention and her 8-5 octagon record is patchy to say the least, she’s proven to be a genuinely ruthless finisher, particularly with the rear-naked choke.
‘The Savage’ has scored five finishes with the hold, with only three of her other wins ending via other methods.
Is it perhaps fair to suggest that Robertson’s victims haven’t been the best fighters in the world? In all honesty, yes. Her best win is probably Molly McCann, but that came back in May 2018 before ‘Meatball’ had really honed her skills. Overall, her victims have an octagon record of 17-23.
However, it definitely takes serious skill to be able to choke so many foes out in the world’s best MMA promotion, and it’s safe to say that any fighter who gives ‘The Savage’ their back is probably in serious danger.
#3. Charles Oliveira – former UFC lightweight champion (6 rearnaked chokes)
Given that he’s officially the most potent submission artist in UFC history, with a total of 16 victories coming via tapout, it should hardly be a surprise to see the top-ranked lightweight, Charles Oliveira, appear on this list.
‘Do Bronx’ has claimed six victories inside the octagon with rear-naked chokes, including his two most recent wins over arguably his toughest two opponents in Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier.
What is surprising in Oliveira’s case is that after he submitted Efrain Escudero with a rear-naked choke in his second UFC bout back in September 2010, he didn’t record another victory with the hold until his 2017 win over Will Brooks.
In fact, it could be argued that the Brazilian’s go-to submission hold is actually the guillotine choke, which has been responsible for five of his wins, seven if you include the anaconda choke as a guillotine variant.
Either way, the fact is that if any fighter decides to give ‘Do Bronx’ their back, they’re probably going to be in deep trouble. Put simply, any opponent looking to tangle with the Brazilian on the mat is making a serious mistake.
#2. Kenny Florian – former UFC lightweight contender (7 rear-naked chokes)
While he’s largely been forgotten by UFC fans these days thanks to an odd plagiarism incident that saw him lose his spot as a color commentator, Kenny Florian should probably be recognized as one of the most underrated lightweights in the promotion’s history.
Sure, ‘KenFlo’ never held a title during his six-year stint in the UFC, coming up short in two title bouts against Sean Sherk and BJ Penn, but he also picked up victories over some tremendous opponents.
More to the point, Florian was an absolute wizard at using the rear-naked choke to coax tapouts from his victims. Essentially, if he was able to take the back of his foe, then the fight was usually over.
Florian managed to defeat seven opponents with the hold during his tenure in the octagon, with high-level grapplers like Din Thomas, Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida amongst his victims.
Given that he was able to finish all but two of his 12 victories in the UFC, it’s safe to say that when ‘KenFlo’ famously screamed “I finish fights!” when he stopped Alvin Robinson in 2007, he wasn’t kidding.
#1. Demian Maia – former UFC welterweight contender (8 rear-naked chokes)
Given that he’s one of the most accomplished grapplers to ever set foot inside the octagon, with a countless number of accolades from the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu to his name, it’s hardly a surprise to learn that the most prolific rear-naked choke artist in UFC history is Demian Maia.
When the Brazilian debuted back in late 2007, he was basically as pure a jiu-jitsu artist as you could possibly find in the world of MMA, with his famous quote being that his aim was to “submit my opponent without him hurting me or me hurting him.”
Sure enough, it didn’t take him long to live up to that reputation, as he submitted his first five foes, with three of those wins coming via rear-naked choke. His submission prowess at that time even earned him comparisons to the legendary Rickson Gracie.
As his game rounded out and he focused more on his striking, Maia’s submission wins did dry up somewhat. Between 2010 and 2012, he won four fights via decision.
However, later in his career, he went back to his roots and began to submit foes again, particularly once he dropped to 170lbs. In 2019, despite being past his best – and past the age of 40 – he was able to tap Ben Askren with a rear-naked choke, setting a UFC record for the most wins with the hold in the process.
Maia has since retired, and so it’s likely his record will be broken, probably by Charles Oliveira, in the future. However, he remains one of the greatest examples of an almost pure grappler finding success in the UFC.
