With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from May 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for May.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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The Nominees

Thiago Moises def. Michael Johnson at UFC on ESPN+ 29

Thiago Moises (13-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) showed why one should never be counted out of a fight when he turned the tables on Michael Johnson (19-16 MMA, 11-12 UFC) for the biggest win of his career.

After getting picked apart for the first round, Moises came out in the second and bum-rushed Johnson. He managed to tie Johnson up and falling back into an ankle lock. The tap came quickly after, and Moises was awarded the victor in a stunning comeback.

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Thiago Moisés finaliza Michael Johnson e consegue maior vitória de sua carreira Brasileiro sofreu no primeiro round, mas resolveu rápido no segundo com chave de calcanhar. Após a luta, lutador pediu para enfrentar o ex-campeão Anthony Pettis. . . . “Acho que provei nesta noite que pertenço ao UFC. Desde que cheguei só me deram adversários muito difíceis, como Beneil Dariush e agora o ex-número 6 da categoria. Eu soube que Anthony Pettis quer voltar para o peso-leve, então gostaria de lutar com ele.” – afirmou @thiagomoisesmma Texto extraído: @globoesportecom #ufc #ufcbrasil #esquadrao #brasileiro #esquadraobrasileiro #combate

A post shared by MATE, Thiago ® (@_insta_mate_) on May 14, 2020 at 7:45am PDT

Cortney Casey def. Mara Romero Borella at UFC on ESPN 8

Cortney Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) picked up arguably the best win of her UFC career on Saturday when she finished Mara Romero Borella (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in resounding fashion at UFC on ESPN 8.

Casey not only finished Borella in the first round, but she did it with an armbar that caused the Brazilian to scream out loud while tapping out. The victory marked a successful move up to the women’s flyweight division for Casey after spending her previous 10 octagon appearances at strawweight.

Casey Kenney def. Louis Smolka at UFC on ESPN 9

Bantamweight prospect Casey Kenney (15-3-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) submitted veteran Louis Smolka (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) in perhaps the best performance of his career.

Kenney wobbled Smolka early in the first round and then sunk in a one-arm guillotine choke to finish the bout. With the win, Kenney rebounded from his first octagon defeat.

Brandon Royval def. Tim Elliott at UFC on ESPN 9

Former LFA champion Brandon Royval (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) took the first step toward getting to title contention at the highest level when he put away Tim Elliott (15-11-1 MMA, 4-9 UFC) in a “Fight of the Night” affair.

Royval submitted longtime UFC fighter and former title challenger Elliott with an arm-triangle choke. Royval was a slight underdog in the fight and got the stoppage at the 3:18 mark of the middle round.

Mackenzie Dern def. Hannah Cifers via kneebar at UFC on ESPN 9

Mackenzie Dern (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had to work through a relentless Hannah Cifers (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in the early going, but ultimately did what she does best.

Dern made relatively quick work of Cifers – but only after she was able to get the fight to the canvas, where she forced Cifers to tap with a kneebar. The finish for Dern, the biggest favorite on the card, was the first leg-related submission in a women’s UFC fight.

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Mackenzie Dern vs Hannah Cifers @mackenziedern win Submission (kneebar) @shockwavecifers #ufcvegas #ufc #ufcfightnight #ko #tko #knockout #mma #kickboxing #kick #boxing #jiujitsu #wearethechampions #champion #fitness #conormcgregor #wrestling #girls #martialarts #punch #girlsfighting #top #bellator #punch #sub #submission #wwe

A post shared by UFC (@ufc.ecl) on Jun 1, 2020 at 7:34am PDT

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The Winner: Thiago Moises

Moises picked up the biggest win of his career when he defeated Johnson in a stunning turnaround.

In the beginning of the fight it seemed the version of Johnson who owns victories over the likes of Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier had arrived. He stopped Moises’ takedowns and got his striking off in the first round of the lightweight bout, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

Then the second round came, and Moises was a different fighter. He rushed Johnson immediately and pulled guard when he was met with resistance. From there, he fell back and locked in a tight heel hook that forced Johnson to tap out at the 0:25 mark of Round 2.

The defeat put Johnson on a three-fight skid and dropped him to 3-8 in his past 11 UFC appearances. He appeared to suffer damage to his knee during the finish, too.

Moises, for his part, completed his UFC contract with a big finish. He made it clear he wants to stick around with a new contract, and called out former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis.

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