With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from August 2026: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month award for August.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominee: Robert Valentin def. Dusko Todorovic at UFC Fight Night 283
Robert Valentin continued to crawl out of his bad octagon start with another win, this time against Dusko Todorovic.
After starting his promotional tenure with three consecutive defeats, Valentin (12-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) now has consecutive wins on his record after he went into Belgrade Arena and upset Serbia's own Todorovic (13-7 MMA, 4-7 UFC) with a guillotine choke submission inside the first round of their middleweight bout.
JUMPED GILLY AND GOT IT 😮💨
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 1, 2026
Robert Valentin makes it back-to-back wins inside the Octagon!
[ #UFCBelgrade | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/iTf45K29pR
Nominee: Quillan Salkilld def. Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Fight Night 284
Quillan Salkilld validated himself as a legitimate lightweight contender with a dominant victory over Mateusz Gamrot.
Salkilld (13-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) broke through into the next tier at 155 pounds with a first-round submission over one of the toughest matchups in the weight class in Gamrot (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), using shockingly superior grappling to take the back an finish with a rear-naked choke.
AUSTRALIA, YOU HAVE ANOTHER CONTENDER 🦘
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 9, 2026
Quillan Salkilld ends this one EARLY with a R1 submission!
[ #UFCVegas120 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/5oEO85TJzU
Nominee: Jeremiah Wells def. Myktybek Orolbai at UFC 330
Few combat sports homecomings had the level of drama that Jeremiah Wells experienced against Myktybek Orolbai in their welterweight bout.
For two rounds, things seemed to be going according to plan for Orolbai (16-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC). The heavy favorite dominated the grappling, slowly beating down Wells (14-4-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) with ground-and-pound. Down two rounds to three entering the third, Wells solidified his place in UFC lore for the special moment as he caught Orolbai with a punch – and then put him to sleep with a rare standing ninja choke in the third round.
JEREMIAH WELLS CHOKES ORALBAI TO SLEEP
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 15, 2026
📺 #UFC330 on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/JwznvaNmBr
Nominee: Chris Padilla def. Nasrat Haqparast at UFC Fight Night 285
Chris Padilla finished Nasrat Haqparast at the last possible moment in their lightweight matchup – literally.
Padilla (17-6-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) didn't leave it to chance. He got Haqparast (18-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a standing arm triangle choke in the final seconds, and when referee Frank Trigg heard the final sound, he pulled Padilla off his unconscious foe, resulting in a technical submission result at the 4:59 mark of Round 3.
RIGHT AT THE END OF THE FIGHT 🤯
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 22, 2026
Chris Padilla digs deep to find the submission at the horn!
[ #UFCSacramento | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/RMtCFFHeGg
The winner: Charles Johnson def. Eduardo Chapolin at UFC 330
Charles Johnson topped off a thrilling 130-pound catchweight bout with a third-round Scottish twister submission win over days’ notice fill-in Eduardo Chapolin.
Although Johnson (20-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) walked away victorious, the win didn’t come easy. Chapolin (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) proved to be a worthy test and will be one UFC fans circle on the bout sheet whenever he returns with a full camp.
Chapolin flowed well in the early stages of the fight, though he fouled Johnson with an illegal knee that resulted in a point deduction from referee Jason Herzog. The second round turned into a bit of a banger, with both men showcasing the elite speed and technical abilities the UFC's lightest male division is known for.
CHARLES JOHNSON TWISTER SUBMISSION
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 16, 2026
📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/nSF1TVo3h3
After the win, Johnson dedicated the performance to Allan Nascimento, the UFC flyweight fighter who died earlier in August from a heart attack. Johnson was originally scheduled to face Nascimento's teammate Jose Ochoa on the card, but Ochoa withdrew earlier in fight week.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for August: A surprise Scottish Twister
