MMA
Which Fighter Has the Most Submission Wins in UFC History?
This article analyses the top ten fighters with the most submission wins in UFC history.
Jim Miller of the United States of America/Getty Images
Which Fighter Has the Most Submission Wins in UFC History?
Everybody in combat sports loves an all-out war or a devastating knockout. Equally, in MMA, fans also love to see brutal fight-ending submissions.
With submission experts, a victory is almost inevitable as soon as they land a takedown and tie up their opponent. Whether they specialise in taking backs and sinking in chokes, or latching onto limbs, or all the above, fight fans can usually sense the end of a fight.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and other grappling disciplines have changed the way modern day MMA is fought. Nowadays, even if you are a good striker, you must still possess decent grappling skills if you are to become a successful UFC fighter.
Take Charles Oliveira for example. The Brazilian has the most submission wins in UFC history with 16. Yet, he is still known for his excellent stand-up skills.
In this article, we have analysed the fighters with the most submission wins in UFC history, using the statistics from the UFC official stats website.
A Comparison Table for UFC Fighters with Most Submission Wins
| Fighter | Weight Class | UFC Career Span | Total Submission Wins | Notable Techniques |
| Charles Oliveira | Featherweight, Lightweight | 2010-present | 16 | Rear-naked choke, Guillotines |
| Jim Miller | Welterweight | 2008‐present | 13 | Rear-naked choke, Guillotines |
| Demian Maia | Welterweight | 2007-2021 | 11 | Rear-naked choke, Triangle choke |
| Gerald Meerschaert | Middleweight | 2016-present | 11 | Rear-naked choke |
| Nate Diaz | Lightweight, Welterweight | 2007-2022 | 10 | Guillotine, Armbar |
| Frank Mir | Heavyweight | 2001-2016 | 8 | Kimura, Armbar |
| Michael Chiesa | Lightweight, Welterweight | 2012-present | 8 | Rear-naked choke |
| Gunnar Nelson | Welterweight | 2012-present | 8 | Rear-naked choke |
| Islam Makhachev | Lightweight | 2015-present | 8 | D'Arce Choke, Rear-naked choke |
| Kenny Florian | Featherweight, Lightweight | 2005-2011 | 7 | Rear-naked choke |
Fighter With the Current Most Submission Wins in UFC History
Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira has recorded 16 submission wins in a total of 34 UFC bouts. While he is well-known for his supreme level of BJJ, he is somewhat of a freestyle fighter due to his ability to mix up his attacks.
The former UFC lightweight champion has a plethora of submission techniques in his locker. Over the past decade, we have seen him squeeze the life out of his opponents with rear-naked chokes and guillotines. But, he can also pull off more advanced moves such as the calf slicer or Anaconda chokes.
Some of Oliveira's most notable submission wins came in 2021 and 2022 when he submitted Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje back-to-back, using the rear-naked choke technique. These were his two most recent submission wins, so heading into 2025 he is due a submission victory.
Breaking Down Fighters Who Have the 10 Most Submission Wins in UFC History
In this segment, SportsBoom has provided a breakdown of all the fighters who have the 10 most submission wins in UFC history.
- 1
Charles Oliveira - 16 Wins
Charles Oliveira secures a rear choke submission/Getty Images
Charles Oliveira is undoubtedly one of the best Jiu-jitsu artists to ever grace the UFC octagon. Oliveira's outstanding submission skills has seen him rise to the top of the lightweight division, winning the title in 2021 and defending it once before being stripped of the title after failing to make weight for his second defence.
Also known as “Do Bronx”, he isn't scared to stand and bang with dangerous strikers such as Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier. If Oliveira gets knocked down, he dares fighters to go down to the ground where he lures people into his guard so he can submit them off of his back.
- 2
Jim Miller - 13 Wins
Jim Miller is an absolute legend of the UFC because of his longevity in the sport, but also the way he conducts himself. He is an old school type of fighter - doesn't have much to say in terms of trash talking, but when it's time to fight, he turns into a killer.
While the American has never won UFC gold, he has recorded the most wins in the company's history and has appeared in the highest number of fights in UFC history.
- 3
Demian Maia - 11 Wins
Demian Maia made a name for himself after submitting top grappler, at the time, Chael Sonnen, at UFC 95. That earned the southpaw a title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 112, where he got dominated for five rounds in a unanimous decision loss.
He has the most submission wins in UFC welterweight history, and for much of Maia's MMA career, he relied purely on grappling to win fights, and despite being one dimensional, he was a consistent top contender in the UFC's 170-pounds division.
- 4
Gerald Meerschaert - 11 Wins
Gerald Meerschaert, similar to Demian Maia, is extremely one-dimensional. He offers very little in terms of striking. But, once he gets the fight to the mat, you know it's only a matter of time before he latches onto a hanging limb or your neck to choke you out
- 5
Nate Diaz - 10 Wins
Nate Diaz made a name for himself when he accepted a fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on very short notice.
The two put on an electric performance, slinging it out from minute one, but Diaz caught McGregor with a punch that forced him to take the fight to the ground to try and survive. Diaz would win the fight via a rear naked choke.
The California native was known for three things: insane toughness, great cardio, and an elite ground game. And all of these things play into each other. Diaz often weathered onslaughts and wore his opponents down before bringing the fight to the mat and choking his opponent out.
- 6
Frank Mir - 8 Wins
The former UFC heavyweight champion was known for his big rivalry with Brock Lesnar. The two first faced off at UFC 81, where Lesnar was dominating early with a takedown – but Mir got a hold of the wrestler's knee and made him tap just a minute and a half into the fight. Lesnar would win the rematch by knockout.
Mir still holds the record for the fastest submission win in UFC heavyweight history (45 seconds). He also holds the record for the most submission wins in the UFC heavyweight division with eight.
- 7
Michael Chiesa - 8 Wins
Michael Chiesa is a fighter that's had a very up and down career in the UFC which has forced him to change weight classes in order to try and rediscover some form.
However, one thing has always remained consistent, and that's the threat of his takedowns and then sinking hooks in to maintain back control. From there, Chiesa can easily lock up a rear naked choke. Or, with his superb BJJ skills, he can easily transition to an armbar.
- 8
Gunnar Nelson - 8 Wins
Gunnar Nelson was a savage during his prime years in the UFC. His aggressive style of striking and his elite ground game allowed him to be a top contender in the welterweight division for years.
One thing he never got to do though was fight for a title, and this was because Nelson was essentially a gatekeeper to the 170-pounds division.
- 9
Islam Makhachev - 8 Wins
Islam Makhachev vs Alex Volkanovski/Getty Images
With the way things are going for current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, he may well drop up a few places on this list over the next couple of years.
The Russian is an absolute monster. He has excellent grip strength, takedowns and he can submit fighters from various positions including half guard and side control. We thought Khabib Nurmagomedov was a beast, but it seems like his student has even overtaken him in terms of dominance.
- 10
Kenny Florian - 7 Wins
Making up the top ten is the man that competed on the first-ever season of The Ultimate Fighter, Kenny Florian.
Florian was quite a cerebral fighter, so it's no wonder he went on to be a UFC analyst for Fox after he retired. But one of his other standout attributes was his submission skills. Eight of his 14 career wins came via submission, and seven of those were in fact from his signature rear naked choke.
Submission Records in Different Weight Classes
The great thing about mixed martial arts is that there is a real diverse skillset on show in every different fight. This includes each weight class. But, in this section, we have listed the fighters who hold the most submission wins in each weight division.
Flyweight: Alexandre Pantoja & Demetrious Johnson - 5 Wins
Arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever, Demetrious Johnson, managed 5 submission wins throughout his illustrious UFC career. However, the current flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja is level with him and will likely move up to six before his career is over.
Bantamweight: Rani Yahya & Urijah Faber - 6 Wins
One name that might not be well-known to UFC fans is the Brazilian Rani Yahya. Nevertheless, he has the joint-most submission wins with the MMA legend, Urijah Faber. Both of these men are no longer in the UFC so can't increase their tally.
Featherweight: Charles Oliveira - 6 Wins
Even though Charles Oliveira is mostly known as an elite lightweight, he actually has the most submission wins in UFC featherweight history. Obviously, with him not fighting at 145-pounds in a number of years, he will not be able to improve on this number.
Lightweight: Jim Miller - 11 Wins
Jim Miller is your favourite fighter's favourite fighter. Why? Because of his workmanlike attitude both in the cage and out of the cage. The American is very close to retiring, and with Charles Oliveira just one behind him, this record looks in jeopardy.
Welterweight: Gunnar Nelson - 7 Wins
Gunnar Nelson has not fought in the UFC for two years, where he claimed an armbar submission win at UFC 286. Nelson is scheduled for a return in 2025, so we shall see if he can add another sub to his collection.
Middleweight: Gerald Meerschaert - 11 Wins
Out of all of the elite fighters we have seen in the middleweight division, Gerald Meerschaert has the most submission wins in this division. To put it kindly, the American was extremely limited on the feet, but his grappling skills more than made up for that.
Light-Heavyweight: Glover Teixeira - 7 Wins
One of the oldest champions in UFC history, Glover Teixeira's 7 wins is enough to still put him as the best submission expert the 205-pounds division has ever seen. This is mainly due to this weight class being mostly dominated by strikers.
Heavyweight: Frank Mir - 8 Wins
Frank Mir has not fought in the UFC since 2016. Despite this, his 8 submission wins still stands as the record for the most in the heavyweight division. Heavyweights rarely look for fight-ending submissions because they all back their ability to knock their opponents out with one strike.
Conclusion
Being a submission expert is arguably the greatest asset you could have in MMA because you would have a clear advantage over the vast majority of your opponents. Additionally, if you get your opponent to the ground then it limits the risk of you getting caught with anything damaging.
These fighters on these lists above have managed to carve out great careers for themselves, and you may notice that they have great longevity in the sport too. This is because they have barely taken damage throughout their careers.
References
The Official UFC Stats Website. http://statleaders.ufc.com/, Accessed 25th February 2025.
Jake Staniland is a sports writer who excels in covering a wide range of sports: football, combat sports and the NFL - All three subjects are his lifelong passions.
Jake is a boyhood Sheffield United fan, which is often a curse that he thanks his family for. His favourite Blades player ever is Billy Sharp