Knockouts are great, I know, but nothing is more alpha than forcing your highly-trained opponent to quit in combat.
Making jiu-jitsu popular around the globe was the main reason why the Gracie family created the UFC in 1993 — and promoted other forms of challenges decades before that in Brazil — and the martial art (and its variations) continues to amaze us decades later with jaw-dropping finishes.
The No. 1 submission of 2025 received the top vote for two-thirds of the panel, but the votes were all
over the place to complete the top 5. It was so tight that two submissions ended up sharing the final position, leaving two others out of the final list by only one point. And the silver medalist somehow forced us to break our own rules this year!
1. Costello Van Steenis def. Johnny Eblen (PFL Africa 1)
There were plenty of flashy, incredible, and nasty submissions in 2025, but no one did it better than Costello Van Steenis.
“The Spaniard” rebounded from a loss to ex-Bellator champion Douglas Lima with back-to-back finishes in 2024, and with that, he earned a shot at the PFL middleweight belt. He flew to Africa to headline PFL’s first-ever show on the continent against the reigning, defending, undefeated 185-pound titleholder Johnny Eblen. And he made history.
Things were not looking good for the challenger at first. Down on the scorecards heading to championship rounds, Van Steenis needed to do something. He started stuffing the takedowns in the fourth, but had to be more emphatic. With just two minutes left in the final round, Eblen shot for a takedown against the cage and was comfortable in that position. 120 seconds, and he’s walking away with the victory.
The referee wasn’t happy as the crowd began to boo with the lack of action, so Eblen began to work. He finally put Van Steenis down on the ground, and the challenger seemed hopeless.
That all changed at the 4:13 mark, with Van Steenis rolling to his right and immediately taking Eblen’s back. Both fighters looked exhausted, but Van Steenis knew that was his final chance. With both hooks in and time running out, the Spanish middleweight managed to put his right forearm under the chin and choke Eblen as hard as he could. Van Steenis had 24 seconds to get the tap, or he would leave with no belt, but there was no way Eblen could survive that long.
Out cold.
Submission of the year. Comeback of the year. “The Spaniard” is the new PFL middleweight champion.
2. Valter Walker vs. legs
What Valter Walker did this year was so unprecedented that MMA Fighting decided to break its own rules. For the first time ever, we’re not celebrating a single submission, but the body of work of Walker in 2025.
Johnny Walker’s brother finished off 2024 with a first-round heel hook victory against Junior Tafa in enemy territory, and he decided to make that his thing.
He became the heavyweight version of Rousimar Palhares.
First, Don’Tale Mayes tapped out in under two minutes in February. Five months later, another heel hook to the books versus Kennedy Nzechukwu. Mohammed Usman was going to be next in October, but withdrew from the Rio de Janeiro card during fight week. The UFC wasted no time finding a replacement and matched Walker up two weeks later against Louie Sutherland.
Guess what? Another heel hook. Four in a row!
“I don’t think anyone does it better than me, especially at heavyweight,” Walker said of his heel hooks. “When people get too afraid of something, that’s what ends up happening.”
While the Brazilian national team seeks its sixth FIFA World Cup trophy in 2026, Walker jokes he wants six feet in a row in the UFC.
Who has a better chance of turning it into reality?
3. Jean Silva def. Bryce Mitchell (UFC 314)
Bryce Mitchell became a topic of discussion in the MMA world for disgusting comments made online, and of course, the UFC capitalized on that by booking him against rising sensation Jean Silva. The Fighting Nerd was known for his knockout power, and the match-up was treated as one of those classic striker vs. grappler clashes.
But it was a classic matchup with new trappings. Silva brought a globe for the pre-fight press conference, and Mitchell said the Brazilian sent “legions of demons” to haunt his dreams. Absolute cinema.
They were alone inside the octagon at UFC 314 in April, and Silva dismantled Mitchell like never before. Silva pieced him up on the feet and hurt his body in round two to make Mitchell desperately go for a takedown. And that’s when Silva proved to be more than just a striker, securing a ninja choke that put Mitchell to sleep.
4. Sean Brady def. Leon Edwards (UFC London)
Three of Sean Brady’s seven UFC wins have come via decision, but Leon Edwards was a former champion who had never been submitted before in 26 pro fights going into their UFC London showdown. Brady was a man on a mission, though, and he made history in London.
Headlining a Fight Night event in enemy territory against a former titleholder was the coming-out party for Brady, who cemented his position as a force to be reckoned with in the 170-pound division.
Brady destroyed Edwards for three rounds, landing nearly 60 significant strikes, and put an end to Edwards’ misery in the fourth. Brady scored his fifth takedown early and worked from side control before attacking the neck, forcing “Rocky” to tap out with a nasty guillotine from the mount.
Superb work.
T5. Kayla Harrison def. Julianna Peña (UFC 316), Jake Pilla def. Shawn Johnson (Combat FC 9)
Tied in fifth were two incredible submissions from two different stages of the game.
On one side, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison finally realized her UFC dream by making Julianna Peña quit with a brutal kimura with seconds left in the clock in the second round of their UFC 316 bout in June.
The other finish came from the regional scene, where featherweight Jake Pilla improved to 6-2 as a professional with a rare kneebar variation from the back of Shawn Johnson. When you need a replay to really understand what the heck just happened, you know you’re witnessing something special.
Here is how voting for MMA Fighting’s 2025 Submission of the Year played out
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley via north-south choke, UFC 316
- Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Dolidze via rear-naked choke, UFC Vegas 109
- Henrique Madureira def. Eriglent Prizreni via inverted triangle choke, OKTAGON 80
- Shinebaatar Bat-Erdene def. Kai Yoshida via scissors choke, GLADIATOR 29
- Hadley def. Mattos via Scottish twister, PFL 2
