UFC/MMA best ‘Submissions of the Year’ 2023 – Top 5 List

Though rear-naked chokes and guillotines maintain a virtual monopoly on submission finishes in high-level mixed martial arts (MMA), the gentle arts can still produce their share of stunners. Indeed, 2023 featured no shortage of constricted airways and maliciously misaligned limbs, making the task of winnowing them down to five standouts a daunting one.

Daunting, but not impossible. Let’s take a look at our candidates for 2023’s “Submission of the Year.”

5. Da’Mon Blackshear Wins ‘Tall Guy Tussle’

It’s a twister, man.

How was I ever going to leave a twister off this list?

Though he was average (2-2) this year on paper, Da’Mon Blackshear has been a very pleasant surprise inside the Octagon, pushing top fighters like Farid Basharat and Mario Bautista to their limits, while scoring a pair of impressive finishes. The more impressive of the two came in Aug. 2023, when he manhandled Jose Johnson en route to one of the sport’s coolest submissions.

Hopefully, he’s just as busy next year.

4. Carlston Harris Hits ‘One Weird Trick’

I was torn between this fight and Shavkat Rakhmonov’s finish of Geoff Neal (watch it), but ultimately went with the former because of the comedy factor. Carlston Harris — whose arsenal comprises front chokes and profoundly ugly power punches — had exactly one way to beat Jeremiah Wells. Wells spent two rounds running roughshod over Harris, then ran headlong into the only move that could have snatched victory from his hands.

It was awesome.

Harris also deserves credit for somehow putting Wells to sleep when the choke was seemingly half as deep as it needed to be.

3. Alexa Grasso Lands ‘Ultimate Whiff Punish’

It may have been a rear-naked choke, but it was the rear naked choke of 2023 (watch it). After years of failing to live up to her considerable potential, Alexa Grasso perfectly timed one of Valentina Shevchenko’s signature spinning back kicks at UFC 285 to take her back and hand the champ her first-ever submission defeat.

Davey Grant, baby.