5 current UFC stars who used unique submissions to tap out their opponents

#4. Aleksei Oleinik vs. Viktor Pesta – UFC Fight Night 103

Aleksei Oleinik remains the only fighter to use an Ezekiel choke successfully in the octagon

When aging veteran Aleksei Oleinik, who had been fighting professionally since 1996, inked a deal with the UFC in 2014 at the age of 37, nobody expected him to make much of an impact. However, in the years that have followed, those doubters have been proven very wrong.

Not only is ‘The Boa Constrictor’ still competing in the octagon at the age of 44, but he’s also the only man to pull off the unique Ezekiel choke in the history of the promotion. Incredibly, the native of Ukraine has utilized the hold to win two fights, but it was his win over Viktor Pesta that really put it on the map.

Bizarrely, to the uninitiated, it didn’t even look like Oleinik was winning the fight at the time that he caught Pesta in the hold. The Ukrainian was actually on the bottom, eating punches from Pesta, who had been able to trip him down and secure side mount.

That didn’t stop Oleinik from locking up the Ezekiel choke, though, a hold that compresses the trachea and carotid artery usually used by a fighter wearing a gi. Here, ‘The Boa Constrictor’ didn’t need any sleeves for leverage. When Pesta slid into full mount, somehow it only made the choke tighter.

When Pesta tapped out and the fight was called off, even the commentators were baffled by what they’d just seen, showing how unique the submission was. The fact that Oleinik was able to use it again a year later was even more remarkable still.

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#3. Charles Oliveira vs. Eric Wisely – UFC on Fox 2

Charles Oliveira used a calf slicer to take out Eric Wisely in 2012

Reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is widely recognized as the most deadly submission artist in the promotion’s history, with a total of 15 tapouts inside the octagon to his name.

While the majority of the Brazilian’s submission wins have come via common holds such as the armbar, guillotine choke and rear naked choke, his nasty finish of Eric Wisely back in 2012 bucked the trend entirely.

The bout, which was Oliveira’s first at 145lbs, saw ‘Do Bronx’ take the fight to his opponent from the off. As soon as the fight hit the deck, he attempted to lock up a heel hook.

Wisely did well to twist his way out of the dangerous hold, but he wasn’t out of the woods. When he attempted to pull his left leg free, Oliveira simply clamped down on it deeper. From there, he stunned everyone by turning the hold into a nasty calf slicer, a move never before seen in the UFC.

Wisely grabbed the fence out of desperation, but it was all for naught as he quickly followed that by tapping out, a grimace of pain etched all over his face at the same time.

The victory was only Oliveira’s third by submission in the octagon, meaning plenty more were to come. Despite it coming in a preliminary bout against a lower-level opponent, it still stands out today as his most unique, and one of his best, too.