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

#2. Bryce Mitchell vs. Matt Sayles – UFC on ESPN 7

Bryce Mitchell used the ultra-rare twister to submit Matt Sayles in late 2019

When ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung made his UFC debut by submitting Leonard Garcia with the infamous twister – a hold that essentially applies a dangerous level of torque to the spine – most fans suspected that the move would never be used in the octagon again.

After all, not only does it require some serious skill to set up, but it’s also a hold that gives an opponent plenty of time and room to escape, something that the injured and exhausted Garcia simply wasn’t capable of finding.

The suspicions of those fans were quieted, though, in 2019 by prospect Bryce Mitchell. At the time, despite being 2-0 in the octagon, ‘Thug Nasty’ was more well-known for a nasty accident that saw him tear his scrotum with a power drill.

However, in his fight with Matt Sayles, Mitchell immediately made people forget about his horror accident when he became only the second man to submit an opponent in the octagon with a twister – and incredibly, he pulled it off in the first round.

Whereas ‘The Korean Zombie’ essentially capitalized on a hurt and tired opponent, Mitchell appeared to outright set the move up, taking Sayles’ back before baiting him into giving his right arm. From there, he quickly hooked his own arm over the neck of his opponent, torquing the spine and forcing him to tap out.

The move showed a remarkable amount of poise and skill. Considering Mitchell’s reputation as a somewhat eccentric trash-talker, it essentially took everyone by surprise. ‘Thug Nasty’ has since become a genuine featherweight title contender, but this remains his signature finish.

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#1. Aljamain Sterling vs. Cody Stamann – UFC 228

Aljamain Sterling left Cody Stamann in agony after using a unique leglock to submit him in 2018

Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is widely seen as the most effective and dangerous grappler in his division right now, with his wins over the likes of Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen and Renan Barao largely coming due to his work on the mat.

However, his most impressive submission win came back in 2018, as he used a little-known leglock to take out a tricky opponent in the form of Cody Stamann, leaving ‘The Spartan’ in pain and nursing an injured knee in the process.

The hold in question is usually known as the ‘Suloev Stretch’, named after former UFC fighter Amar Suloev, who reportedly innovated it in his fight with Paul Cahoon in 2002. Essentially, it resembles a kneebar from the back mount, but rather than simply targeting the knee, it also unnaturally stretches the hamstring.

Sterling was able to catch Stamann in the hold in the second round of what had been a back-and-forth fight. With ‘The Funk Master’ abusing him from back mount, Stamann decided to desperately attempt to stand up, but that only left him open for the hold.

Somehow, Sterling reached down, grabbed Stamann’s left leg, and wrenched on it – pulling it slightly sideways in the process – and instantly, ‘The Spartan’ was forced to tap out.

Incredibly, later on in the same show, featherweight prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov used a variation of the same hold to submit Brandon Davis, making UFC 228 the only show to feature two Suloev Stretches. Due to the nasty nature of it, Sterling’s remains the more memorable of the two.