With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best submissions from January to December. Here are the top five and the winner of MMAjunkie’s “Submission of the Year” for 2017.

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Honorable mentions

5. Georges St-Pierre def. Michael Bisping at UFC 217

Georges St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) promised to make history against Michael Bisping (30-9 MMA, 20-9 UFC), and he delivered by becoming just the fourth fighter in UFC history to win belts in two weight classes when he claimed the middleweight belt at UFC 217 in November.

Former longtime welterweight champ St-Pierre was successful in his return from a four-year layoff when he defeated Bisping by third-round technical submission via rear-naked choke, tying the record for most wins in UFC history.

4. Aleksei Oleinik def. Viktor Pesta at UFC Fight Night 103

Aleksei Oleinik (55-11-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) became the first fight in UFC history to finish a fight with a rare Ezekiel choke when he tapped a visibly stunned Viktor Pesta (12-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) in the first round.

Amazingly, it was the 11th Ezekiel choke finish in Oleinik’s lengthy career. But it’s a submission that’s more common in jiu-jitsu tournaments since it involves using the gi to tighten up the choke. He did it at UFC Fight Night 103 in January, though, and put himself on the radar in the heavyweight division.

3. Brian Ortega def. Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 123

The book on Brian Ortega (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is if he gets your neck, it’s pretty much game over. Cub Swanson (25-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) found that out against the unbeaten featherweight contender at UFC Fight Night 123 in December.

Swanson was having some success in the standup game against his opponent, but when Ortega latched onto his neck in the second round with a brilliant guillotine choke, Swanson had to tap.

2. Brett Johns def. Joe Soto at TUF 26 Finale

Welsh bantamweight Brett Johns (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) kept his perfect record intact at December’s The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale event, needing just 30 seconds to tap out a legitimate grappler in Joe Soto (18-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) with a technique used just once prior in UFC history.

Soto turned to his wrestling early in the bantamweight bout, but it was his undoing. As Johns stuffed the takedown, he expertly locked his left leg around his opponent’s as they transitioned to the floor. With the limb secure, Johns finished the setup, sat back and torqued the leg for the quick finish via calf-slicer.

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Winner: Demetrious Johnson def. Ray Borg at UFC 216

In what may go down as the slickest finish in his record-breaking title reign, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (27-2-1 MMA, 15-1-1 UFC) tapped Ray Borg (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) with a fifth-round armbar.

Just when it appeared Johnson was going to cruise to an easy decision win, “Mighty Mouse” lifted Borg, grabbed his left arm in one fluid motion, and got a tap-out from an armbar at the 3:15 mark of the fifth round.

Johnson was listening when Borg said in a pre-fight interview he liked to upset his opponents’ balance to initiate winning scrambles. When he saw an opportunity to do the same, Johnson seized it and pulled off his eye-popping armbar.

“A couple of weeks ago, he was saying when somebody’s planted, you have to shift their weight, and when they shift their weight, they’re light,” Johnson said following the pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “So I kneed him, and then I shook his weight. I shifted his weight, and when he shifted, he went back and threw and elbow, and I was like, ‘Got you.’”

It wasn’t the first time Johnson had pulled off such a move, which he dubbed the “Mighty Armbar,” as improvisational as it seemed. He had pulled it off several times in practice for UFC 215, where he was originally scheduled for his try at the all-time UFC record before Borg fell ill and was forced to withdraw the day before the fight.

But the general public never knew it was coming since Johnson has a strict rule of secrecy when it comes to his work in the gym.

“You see a lot of people that are doing their (video blogs), but I don’t show any of my training,” he said. “I just don’t do it. It’s none of your guys’ business what I’m doing in the gym. But we do have the ‘(UFC) Embedded’ crew come out there, and I show my warmup, and they’re like, ‘Dude, you need to let us film your sparring because the stuff you’re doing in sparring, you’re actually doing in the octagon.’

“When I was in Edmonton (for UFC 215), I was practically throwing people up. I do it all the time in the gym.”

Also see:

• MMAjunkie’s ‘2017 Gym of the Year’: New entrant makes immediate impact
• MMAjunkie’s ‘2017 Coach of the Year’: Former champion becoming standout instructor
• MMAjunkie’s ‘2017 Robbery of the Year’: The MMA gods giveth, and they taketh away
• MMAjunkie ‘2017 Round of the Year’: Absolutely menacing highlight
• MMAjunkie’s 2017 ‘Newcomer of the Year’: Despite late slip-up, Californian made mark in hurry
• MMAjunkie’s ‘2017 Breakout Fighter of the Year’: UFC newcomer wasted no time rising up
• MMAjunkie ‘2017 Upset of the Year’: Thug Rose! Thug Rose! Thug Rose!
• MMAjunkie’s ‘2017 Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year’: A champion before joining UFC
• MMAjunkie’s ‘2017 Comeback of the Year’: Darren Elkins lives up to ‘The Damage’ nickname
• MMAjunkie’s ‘2017 Comeback Fighter of the Year’ is a pretty obvious choice

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