2011 Submission of the Year

[INDYjon22]

Much like the knockouts of 2011, there were a slew of slick submissions to compliment what might have been the most important year in mixed martial arts. We saw slick technical submissions, as well out of nowhere ones that shocked the world. The nominees are:

Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia II- UFC Fight Night Nogueira vs. Davis

Chan Sung Jung beat the bell when he locked on his twister on Leonard Garcia. Literally seconds before the end of the round. He saw an opening an locked it on to even their series of fights at one apiece.

Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida- UFC 140

I haven't seen a standing guillotine since Alistair Overeem's days in Pride. Jones sunk that sucker in their real fast and put the Dragon to sleep. I honestly thought for a few seconds that Jones had killed Machida.

Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader- UFC 132

We finally got to see the grave digger celebration once again when Tito broke his losing streak and possibly picked up the biggest upset of the year. Bader was a heavy favorite and Tito pretty much dominated the entire fight en route to the submission win.

Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin- UFC 129

I don't really remember this fight all that well, but the photo doesn't lie. That is one deep, sick triangle.

Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi- UFC 135

Nate Diaz went to work on Gomi in their 135 fight. Not only did he light Gomi up on the feet, but he also nearly took his arm off. Nate has been on a roll lately, and it began with this win right here.

TJ Waldburger vs. Mike Stumpf- UFC Fight Night 25

This is another fight I don't really remember, and I couldn't find a video of it during my short search, but that triangle looks hella tight and if that is any indication of what it looked like in live time, then it is no wonder why it was nominated.

Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira II- UFC 140

This was one hell of a fight. Nogueira honestly looked good until the end. I thought he was doing well on his feet, and was fairly close to a finish on the ground. But then Mir turned it around, reversed Nog and broke his arm in the process. Nasty finish by a guy I do not like, but impressive nonetheless. Mir is the only man to ever submit Nog.

Nick Diaz vs. Cyborg Santos - Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg

Diaz vs. Santos was another absolute war from beginning to end. Cyborg really took it to Diaz, but once Nick grabbed Cyborg's arm he just about ripped it off.

Yves Edwards vs. Cody McKenzie - UFC Fight Night 23​

I couldn't find a proper picture of this fight but it was an ironic fight from what I remember. McKenzie was the master of the guillotine choke, but ended up getting choked out himself by the master of thug-jitsu.

 

[jmt225]

For me this comes down to KZ/Garcia and Mir/Nog.

The Mir kimura on Big Nog was definitely the sickest submission of the year since it broke Nog's arm. It was also perhaps the most exciting since Mir was able to apply it after being knocked down and dazed.

Korean Zombie's twister, on the other hand, was the coolest submission of the year since it was something we had yet to see in the UFC, or in MMA period. It was just something the great Eddie Bravo showcased in a youtube video, and for KZ to actually pull it off in an actual MMA bout was spectacular.

So, it's a hard choice, and if I could split the vote I would, but I'm going to be a bit biased and go with the Korean Zombie here. What Mir pulled off was incredible, no doubt about it, but since these days I'm bigger fan of KZ and since Mir did it against someone I adore (not to mention there's some controversy surrounding Herb Dean's actions in that fight), I have to give my vote to the Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung.

 

[JWGunslinger]

Alot of good subs this year, and I want to give a shout out to Korean Zombie for an incredible sub but Mir's Kimura win over Nog was one of my favorite subs of all time. Not just the sub itself but the scramble before he looked it in. Frank was taking a beating and was close to being TKO'd but somehow locked the arm and when Nog rolled he rolled right there with him and when he finally cranked it man did it looks nasty. It was incredible sub that was even more impressive considering it was on one of the greatest sub specialists in the history of the division, all hail Mir the true heavyweight submission king.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

I am a Mir fan, and I'm not afraid to say it. But when I came in here the only sub I wanted to see on that list was the twister. I watched KZ crank that in and was like what the fuck is that? Nothing on the clock and he taps, god it even looked sick. Very cool submission

But I would also vote for Mir in a heartbeat if Kz hadn't pulled out that sick move. Frank Mir makes me cringe with vid recaps again. Thanks, I was just getting over the last arm you broke.