Jul 12, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, United States; Kennedy Nzechukwu (red gloves) fights Valter Walker (blue gloves) in a heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

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UFC 2025 Recap – Top 5 Submissions Of The Year

Submissions are the purest form of domination in MMA. No punches. No kicks. Just technical mastery forcing an opponent to admit defeat. There’s something beautiful about watching a perfectly executed choke or a lock. The setup, the timing, the squeeze. Then comes the tap.

The year 2025 showcased grappling at its absolute finest. Fighters left opponents unconscious with deep chokes. Leg locks became a heavyweight’s signature weapon. We saw 91 submission finishes across UFC events this year, with everything from ninja chokes to heel hooks creating unforgettable moments. These are the Top 5 Submissions Of The Year that left fans stunned and opponents tapping frantically.

5. UFC 313 – Ignacio Bahamondes vs Jalin Turner

Nobody expected this fight to hit the ground. Bahamondes and Jalin Turner are both long, rangy strikers known for spectacular kickboxing. Everyone thought fans would see a stand up war. Instead, Bahamondes showed he’s dangerous everywhere.

IGNACIO BAHAMONDES SUBMITS JALIN TURNER IN ROUND ONE 🔥 #UFC313 pic.twitter.com/9ZpqramkgZ
— ESPN (@espn) March 9, 2025

The fight started with both men trading kicks and feeling out distance. Then Bahamondes initiated the clinch and the two spilled to the canvas. Turner ended up on top, which seemed like a good position. But Bahamondes wasn’t worried at all. The Chilean quickly worked back to full guard and immediately started hunting for a triangle choke. He shifted his angle perfectly to sink the hold in deeper. Turner tried to escape but the squeeze was too tight and the tap came quickly.

4. UFC 316 – Kayla Harrison vs Julianna Pena

Harrison is the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion. The two-time Olympic gold medalist dominated Julianna Pena in June at UFC 316 in Newark. Everyone knew Harrison would try to get the fight to the ground. What nobody expected was how utterly helpless Pena would look once it got there.

Harrison put Pena on the canvas in the first round and controlled her for most of the frame. Pena lost a point after landing illegal upkicks while Harrison was grounded. The former champion was desperate and making mistakes. Round 2 saw Harrison work her way inside and drag Pena to the canvas again. She looked for an arm triangle choke along the fence. It was close but not quite there. So Harrison switched to a kimura late in the round. The shoulder lock was immediately devastating. Pena tapped after just two seconds.

KAYLA HARRISON SUBMITS JULIANNA PENA IN THE SECOND ROUND! AND NEW! 🏆

A nasty transition to a Kimura! #UFC316 #ufc #mma #prelims #espn #ko #trending #fyp #andnew #kaylaharrison #submission #champ #judo #trending #fyp pic.twitter.com/fRnrHuPzsp
— BMF TALK (@BMFTALK) June 8, 2025

That’s how precise and powerful the torque was. Harrison only had the kimura locked up for two seconds before Pena knew it was over. The positioning was perfect. The technique was flawless. This is what makes Harrison such a fascinating force in the octagon.

3. UFC Vegas 109 – Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Dolidze

Anthony Hernandez put on an absolute clinic at UFC Vegas 109 in August. This wasn’t just a submission win. This was a complete destruction of Roman Dolidze over four rounds. Hernandez dominated from the opening bell. He outlanded Dolidze 120 strikes to 39 over four rounds. The grappling was even more one-sided. Hernandez landed 9 of 11 takedown attempts and controlled Dolidze for nearly eight minutes. He accumulated 30 ground-and-pound strikes while Dolidze looked completely exhausted. Late in the fourth, Hernandez fired knees along the fence and then just latched onto Dolidze’s neck.

Day 4 with no UFC 😞
So here's Fluffy Hernandez dragging Roman Dolidze across the octagon trying to pop his head off 😩 absolutely mad that this hasn't been nominated for Submission of the Year 😭 pic.twitter.com/bcOl6PVxEc
— RedWolf🐺 (@RedWolfMMA) December 17, 2025

He squeezed out the rear-naked choke while standing, actually stepping backward as an exhausted Dolidze tapped at 2:45. The Georgian was so worn down he couldn’t even defend anymore. This earned Hernandez a Performance of the Night bonus and serious title contender status. The stats were among the most one-sided of any UFC fight in 2025.

2. UFC 314 – Jean Silva vs Bryce Mitchell

There was serious bad blood between these two featherweights. Mitchell had said some stuff on his podcast that drew major backlash. Silva promised to retire him. In April at UFC 314, ‘Lord’ backed up every word with a brutal performance.Mitchell actually started well, landing good leg kicks and moving nicely. But Silva remained calm throughout. He stalked Mitchell and taunted him constantly. Late in round one, Silva snatched up a guillotine that was deep and had Mitchell in serious trouble.

Jean Silva submits Bryce Mitchell. Wow 🤯 #ufc314 pic.twitter.com/yZIQqN83UM
— Wafer (@waferred) April 13, 2025

Round 2 started with Silva jabbing at Mitchell before blasting him with a body kick. Then he dropped Mitchell with a straight right hand. Mitchell got desperate and started reaching for takedowns. Silva stuffed every attempt. Mitchell left his neck exposed while trying to get the fight to the ground. That’s when Silva clamped onto a ninja choke at 3:52 of round two. The squeeze was immediate and devastating. Mitchell tried to tap but it came too late. He went completely unconscious and lay face-up on the canvas with his eyes wide open. Silva stood over his lifeless body and barked at him before celebrating. The visual was haunting and unforgettable.

1. UFC 321 – Valter Walker vs Louie Sutherland

This is UFC history in the making. Brazilian heavyweight Valter Walker submitted Louie Sutherland with a heel hook at UFC 321 in October. That marked his fourth consecutive heel hook submission in the UFC. Nobody has ever done that before. The fight lasted just 1:24. Sutherland came out aggressive and landed a big overhand right. But Walker timed it perfectly and got the takedown against the fence.

#UFC321 Official Result: Valter Walker defeats Louie Sutherland via Submission at 1:24 of Round 1.

Complete Prelim Results ➡️ https://t.co/wIE5q9Z0X6 pic.twitter.com/1I2fb3vr9n
— UFC News (@UFCNews) October 25, 2025

Everyone knew what was coming next. Walker postured up, then dropped and rolled for the ankle. He secured the outside heel hook position. Sutherland tried to roll with it and escape. The tap came almost immediately. Walker is now 15-1 in his MMA career with four straight first-round heel hook finishes in the UFC. He previously submitted Junior Tafa, Don’Tale Mayes, and Kennedy Nzechukwu all with the exact same technique. Each time he uses different setups and executions. He’s constantly evolving the submission while keeping the same finish. It’s four consecutive first round finishes using the same technique against increasingly prepared opponents. That’s mastery.

(Image Credit: Steve Roberts – Imagn Images)

Anthony Hernandez

Bryce Mitchell

Ignacio Bahamondes

Jalin Turner

Jean Silva

Julianna Pena

Kayla Harrison

Louie Sutherland

Roman Dolidze

Valter Walker

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!