What is a Pillory choke in MMA? A look into the first time the rare submission was used in UFC

The Pillory Choke is a rare submission that was first seen in the UFC just over a dozen years back.

It transpired in December 2010 during a battle between Nick Pace and Will Campuzano as a part of The Ultimate Fighter finale for the 12th season.

Some have also come to dub it The Pace Choke because it's so unorthodox. Many just attributed it to the fighter who secured it as opposed to identifying it as a pillory choke right away.

Pace was a Bellator and WEC vet prior to embarking on his debut UFC effort here versus Campuzano. He was on the heels of losing in the WEC to future MMA great Demetrious Johnson and was looking to make a splash in his new organization.

In the closing moments of the final round of the contest, the one-legged triangle choke/ armless triangle/ hybrid gogoplata, as many writers have tried to articulate in the years since, was secured and Pace garnered the win.

The real-time commentary saw Joe Rogan remarking on how well Pace was controlling the posture of Campuzano and seemed enthusiastically surprised when it elicited a tap from the latter combatant.

Check out a clip of the aforementioned Pillory Choke below

The Pillory Choke and Other Rare UFC Submissions

The Pillory Choke closed out 2010 in an exciting way but MMA history is rich with unorthodox submission maneuvers.

'The Korean Zombie' utilized The Twister to finish Leonard Garcia in their UFC rematch following their initial WEC classic. Chan Sung Jung was the first to secure this maneuver inside of the octagon.

The Von Flue choke was first executed by its creator/ namesake Jason Von Flue. He initially secured the move in a WEC fight but Von Flue would bring his vaunted submission to the UFC circuit and bested Alex Karalexis with it at UFC Fight Night 3 in 2006.

The octagon's first Peruvian Necktie came courtesy of C.B. Dollaway over Jesse Taylor in 2008 at UFC Fight Night 14. It earned submission of the night honors and made history in the process.

Also, the first omoplata in UFC history is attributed to Ben Saunders who bested Chris Heatherly in 2014.