T-Berg's Top 10 11.06.09: Week 7 - Top 10 Submission Specialists

Posted by Todd Bergman on 11.06.2009

Just who is MMA’s Best Submission Specialist? Fedor, Maia, Big Nog, BJ Penn, and more battle for the top spot in this edition of T-Berg’s Top 10. Click inside for all the details.

In this week's edition of the Top 10, I'm taking a look at the guys who dominate the sport when in regards to their spectacular submissions. The sport of MMA was founded on the principles of submissions in the early days of the UFC. Royce Gracie captivated audiences world wide with his ability to neutralize bigger opponents with something as simple looking as a submission hold. Whether it was an arm bar, rear naked choke, or lapel choke, Gracie had the world in his hands. Flash forward almost 19 years later and the sport of MMA is still controlled and dominated, for the most part, by the art of the submission lock. Some won't and don't see the sport as being dominated by the submission but by kickboxing and Muay Thai. While striking has come a long way in MMA, it's still light years behind boxing‘s striking ability. It's not a slam on the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, it's just realizing that these fighters have to focus on more than just striking; therefore, their individual striking may not be as sharp as it could be if they didn't have to worry about takedowns, clinches, and submissions.



So without further ado, I present the list of the Top 10 Submission Specialist in MMA. Keep in mind that when you see this list some who appear may not have the highest credentials compared to others, but they use submissions much better and more effectively than those whose achievements might be higher. I mentioned above that without Royce Gracie, and the Gracie family for that matter, the sport of MMA wouldn't be where it is at today. However, Gracie won't appear on the list because he hasn't fought in two years. I usually don't mention people that won't be included into a list, but Gracie and his family's strategies will always be the blueprint for the success of these fighters that are mentioned below.



10.) Hatsu Hioki & Jacare

When I originally did the research and proposed this list, I didn't have either one of these fellows on the list. However, when I began digging deeper, I realized that both guys had to be on here. Since, I couldn't put one guy over the other, I just decided to have a tie at the 10 spot. Hioki doesn't have the Jiu-Jitsu pedigree that Jacare has, but Hioki is a terror on the ground. Winning nearly 50% of his fights on the ground, Hioki is crafty and extremely creative to boot. The double-submission victory over Chris Manuel really showed the ground skills of Hioki. Hatsu is also a rare breed of ground fighter who can dominate whether he has top control or is on the bottom. Fans of Hioki will want to check him out this weekend at Sengoku 11th Battle as he takes on Omigawa.

The other half of this tie is Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, you know, the alligator guy. Either he's the alligator guy or he's got a man crush on Tim Tebow. While that might seem crazy, I've witnessed many of tough guys developing huge man crushes on Tebow. Winning nearly 90% of his fights by submission have landed Jacare in the 10 spot. It's possible that Jacare could've been higher up on this list but he's only competed in 13 total fights; therefore, it wouldn't be fair to rank him so high unless he had made a bigger splash within the MMA community with his submission skills. Remember that sentence because it will come in handy later. If you want to see how creative Souza is on the ground, please check out the Galesic fight. Souza catches Galesic sideways and simply begins twisting and pulling on his arm. It was simply a nasty submission that reminded many of us of the Frank Mir shoulder lock on Pete Williams. Souza recently signed with Strikeforce to compete in their surging Middleweight Division. I'm sure the exposure that Strikeforce has within America will give Jacare more fans and eventually a chance at the winner of this weekend's Jake Shields vs. Mayhem Miller fight.



9.) Frank Mir

Remember when Frank Mir was the up-and-coming ground wiz-kid? For some of us, that statement really makes us feel old. For the rest of you, do some research!! As mentioned above, the shoulder-lock submission of Pete Williams was as equally nasty as it was as thing of beauty. Mir is one of the rare fighters that, when it comes to submissions, is more about power than technique. That theory is proved again by the nasty arm-break submission that ended a Tim Sylvia title reign and gave Frank Mir his first UFC title run that ultimately ended in tragedy, but I'm sure by now, you have already heard this story. 2008 was by far the best year of Mir's career. He started the year by submitting Brock Lesnar in a fight that meant more to the credibility of MMA than any true MMA fan will ever tell you. Then he capped off the year by knocking out Big Nog in what many called a huge upset. I say some because yours truly took a lot of flack but did pick Mir and celebrated greatly when he finished Nog. Mir isn't higher up on this list because he's more of a top-control fighter as opposed to a dual threat. Mir has been roughed up in his guard a few more times than I would like to have see. Call it a weak chin or call it sheer laziness on the part of Mir ,but his chin will again be tested in his upcoming fight with Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee. Kongo has long been known as a great striker, who has awful brain farts in fights. Mir's true submission skills should be on display in this fight, even though Kongo has never been submitted. Then again, Kongo has never fought anyone who has a BJJ background like Mir‘s either.



8.) Dustin Hazelett

Being blessed with the baby face and the ability to grow a tremendous beard aren't the only things that Dustin is good at. He's quite the ground wizard and equally as creative with his submissions. Much like the guys before him, Hazelett has been creative when it counts inside the Octagon. The crazy flying-armbar submission of Josh Burkman mixed with the elbow snapping reverse armbar of Tamden McCrory, land the Ohio native in the Top 10. Also winning nearly 75% of his fights by submission and being only 23 years old, leaves Dustin with a lot of time to continue improving his craft. There have only been a few people within the UFC that have stolen the spotlight like Hazelett has. The upcoming showdown with Karo Parisyan will really show the ability of "McLovin." For all the justified hate that Karo has earned, he's never been submitted, so it might be a tremendous opportunity for the up-and-coming Ohio native.



7.) Miguel Torres

The power of the mullet compels us! Having a total of 22 submission victories is something that sets you apart from most fighters. However, most of those submission victories came against fighters who are below average on the food chain. Growing up near the Illinois/Indiana borders of Chicago, Torres is a veteran with a total of 37 total fights. Torres shocked the MMA world with the easy ass-kicking that he laid on then WEC Champion Chase Beebe at WEC 32. It seemed that the MMA world had fallen in love with the mullet-wearing Hispanic fighter. Hell, even Frank Mir developed a huge man crush on him. Torres is one of those rare breed of fighters that can finish you even when you think you have the advantage. Recently, Torres might have fallen in love with his stand-up after he finished some average fighters. However, the loss to Brian Bowles showed that Torres wasn't as great on the ground as he might have thought. There's still hope that Torres will get the dream showdown with Faber at some point in the next year, but much like the Bowles fight, Torres will have to remain active on the ground and not become complacent or think that other fighters are scared of his guard.



6.) Demian Maia

I'm already sensing that there is going to be a lot of hate over me ranking Maia this low. However, I need to see Maia in some more high-profile fights before I can rank him any higher. It is a cheap way out of putting him in the Top 5 or even at number one, but that's my prerogative. When Demian Maia was scheduled to make his UFC debut against Ryan Jensen at UFC 77, very few people knew about it. I can attest to this fact because I was there and not much of the crowd seemed to care. In fact, a good portion of the fans there thought that Jensen would be able to finish Maia. That was a huge mistake on their part and a huge mistake for many people. Not only has Demian Maia captivated the MMA world but at one point, people were talking about him being the guy who would defeat Anderson Silva. You and I might not have thought that, but we all know that people were talking about it. The degenerate MMA fans were thinking that Maia would pull off some crazy submission victory against Silva much like Chonan did. I use the term thought because the Nate Marquardt defeat really hurt the chances of Maia as it pertains to getting that shot at Silva. It now appears that Silva will retire in the next year or two before Maia can get to another title shot. For all the negative things that the last defeat brought to Maia, his future is still insanely bright. All of his UFC victories have been impressive, but the Chael Sonnen victory really stands out as Sonnen has recently emmerged as a contender in the UFC Middleweight Division with victories over Dan Miller and Yushin Okami.





5.) BJ Penn

It's hard being a BJ Penn fan and having to rank him at number five on this list. I honestly think that BJ is so talented on the ground that he could be at any number within the Top 5. However, I'm sticking with five because I think that the guys ahead of him might have done more and are all-around better submission specialist. That doesn't mean that Penn isn't as dangerous as the other four guys ranked before him. It just means that I think that Penn's boxing can dictate a lot more of the fight than the other guys. The upset victory of Matt Hughes will always be a special moment in the career of BJ Penn. It was at that moment that Penn rekindled the Gracie-factor in a fight. The UFC was being dominated by strong wrestlers who would blanket their opponents and either pound them out or simply lay and pray for the decision. Penn showed Matt Hughes that he needed to get back into the gym and train more submissions. "The Prodigy" and his crazy elastic-like flexibility is only equaled by a couple of other fighters in the world. In his submission victory over Jens Pulver, Penn showed what having great flexibility can do when trying to secure position. While he did lose the rematch fight with GSP, there is something to be said about a man's guard when his opponent has to allegedly cheat to gain the upper hand. Say what you want about BJ Penn but realize that the guy has submitted some of the best fighters on the planet.




4.) Fedor

When you watch Fedor destroy Bret Rogers this weekend, it might bring back some of the memories of PRIDE. You know, watching Fedor pull off some crazy arm-breaking submission on a 400-pound guy. Some of you might think that Fedor should be even higher up the list, but I don't because Fedor's strikes have led to a great deal of submissions. Yes, that is the point of MMA, but remember that this list is for the best submission specialists, not the best fighters. It's a concept that makes making lists very difficult to produce and, for some of you, hard to understand. But I digress. Fedor has 16 submission victories which roughly equals out to 53% of his fights ending in submissions. Whether it's an arm bar, kimura, or even a rear naked choke, Fedor has finished fights every which way. My favorite submission victory of his will always be against Choi. It wasn't the best fighter that Fedor has ever fought, but just the image of Choi swinging Fedor around on that tree branch that he calls an arm is an image that I will never forget. Fedor's big debut in America also presented fans with a tremendous submission victory over former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman and cemented his already growing legacy here in the states. Even receiving a pile driver into the mat on his head couldn't stop Kevin Randleman from being submitted by Fedor. All of these nice and impressive things that Fedor has done still make me sad that he isn't fighting in the UFC. Will it ever happen? I'm not sure, but I highly doubt it. The UFC is in business for itself and rightfully so; they have built their own market and they shouldn't have to share it with a company that isn't established. After all, did you see the turnout for the M-1 show in Kansas City? Seriously, who's the genius that thought that K.C. was a real fight town anyway?




3.) Sakuraba

It seems like every single list that I'm producing features Sakuraba in it.
Unlike a lot of guys on this list, Saku tends to take a lot of punishment in order to gain the submission. That doesn't mean that it always happens, but it appears that Saku enjoys letting his opponents get comfortable before he ends their night. A few weeks ago, he did just that against Zelg Galesic at DREAM 12. When the fight was over, all Galesic could do was smile because he knew that he was baited in by one of MMA's original pioneers. The 73% victory by submissions total still doesn't show you the true abilities of Saku. Nicknamed "The Gracie Hunter" meant, at the time, that Saku was going in there with the best submission fighters in the world and would come out victorious. Saku's submission defense is the true reason that he ranks so high on this list, but it should be noted that the best defense is a great submission offense. His submission victory against Renzo Gracie really showed the power and technique of Saku. Was that his best submission victory of all time? That's for all of you to tell me below!



2.) Shinya Aoki

I'm not sure if it's the crazy pants or the crazy Samurai style that dictate how Shinya Aoki approaches submissions in MMA, but I can't get enough of it. Aoki earns the 2nd spot on this list due to his ability to lock on a submission regardless of what's going on in the fight. Aoki isn't afraid to jump onto his opponent and try to get the fight to the ground. In his last fight with "Hellboy" Hansen, Aoki finished the fight in the last few seconds. Was Aoki going to get the decision in the fight? I highly doubt it, but MMA Judging is pretty questionable at best. The "Tobikan Judan" possess a never-say-die attitude and is constantly looking for submissions throughout any bout. That's something that can't be said about many fighters including a lot who fight within the UFC. Thirteen submission victories and two of those coming by the way of the patented Aoki-plata. When you have a move named after you, you know that you are a legitimate and iconic Submission Specialist. Why doesn't Aoki rank #1 on this list? Well, while I love the stretchy pants, they might actually help with the submission process. Some people use Vaseline, others use stretchy pants.



1.) Big Nog

Big Nog looks like he's been through hell. And, for the most part, he has. Nog's strategy of taking a lot of punishment to get a submission is very much like Sakuraba's. Whether you're a fan of it or not, you have to give your respect to Nog for being so successful within the sport. While PRIDE's Heavyweight Division will more than likely be remembered as Fedor's playground, Big Nog was equally as dominate within the same division. Arguably his greatest submission victory in PRIDE history, Big Nog ended the misery-led run of Mirko Cro Cop with a textbook armbar submission. I think that it's safe to say that Nog was getting his ass kicked in that fight but somehow managed to get Cro Cop to play his game. That would be VINTAGE NOGUEIRA. But hey, that's what being MMA's Best Submission Specialist is all about. Some of you might have questions about why Fedor ranks lower than Nog even though Fedor beat Nog twice within PRIDE. It should also be noted that Nogueira is only one of three guys total ever to submit Dan Henderson. That in itself should earn him some sort of ribbon. To top off all of the things that you can add about the greatness that is Big Nog, also figure in that he trains the best of the best on the ground. With the recent addition of Demain Maia to the training team, it appears that Team Nogueira is slowly taking over the world of MMA. Some of you also won't be familiar with Nog's days in PRIDE, but you should be familiar with his recent run in the UFC. Simply take the Tim Sylvia-comeback victory and amplify it by 20 and you essentially have what was Nog's run within the Japanese promotion.

Honorable Mention

Obviously, I couldn't include everyone in this list for various reasons. I'm sure that the hate will come and some genius will tell me that I suck and shouldn't be allowed to write on the site. Then someone will say that I'm the worst writer ever, but you're not saying anything that I don't already know. All I ask is that you actually read the opening and blurbs about the guys before you start bitching. Here's who I considered but, alas, didn't make the list.

Babalu Sobral
Jeremy Horn
Nate Marquardt
Jeff Monson
Kenny Florian
Matt Serra
Fabricio Werdum
Dean Lister
Thales Leites
Jake Shields
Matt Hughes
Anderson Silva
Ricardo Almeida
Ricardo Arona
Nick and Nate Diaz

So there's your list of MMA's Top 10 Submission Specialists. I hope that everyone enjoys the Strikeforce and Sengoku shows this weekend. Have a suggestion for a future Top 10 list? Add a comment below. Remember to support your local MMA and keep your tapping hand strong.