With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from July 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for July.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN 48
In his first promotional appearance in almost two years, Kevin Lee (19-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) was dropped and submitted by Rinat Fakhretdinov (22-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in what ultimately turned out to be his final fight before retirement.
A right hand from Fakhretdinov dropped Lee to the canvas in the opening seconds. As Lee tried to get back to his feet, Fakhretdinov grabbed hold of a guillotine choke and cranked. While Lee’s hands were tied around Fakhretdinov, referee Herb Dean checked his limbs and determined a loss of consciousness. The bout was stopped and Lee was left with his face on the canvas.
Rinat Fakhretdinov puts Kevin Lee to sleep inside the first minute of the fight 😳 #UFCVegas76 pic.twitter.com/pno0kuqSvP
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 1, 2023
Nominee: Mayra Bueno Silva def. Holly Holm at UFC on ESPN 49
Mayra Bueno Silva (11-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) potentially set herself up for a title shot in the women’s bantamweight division when she choked former UFC champion Holly Holm (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC).
With Amanda Nunes recently retired, Bueno Silva won a crucial contender bout against Holm. After a competitive first round, the Brazilian took advantage of her opponent trying to pressure her against the fence by locking in a ninja choke from a standing position and forcing Holm to tap out in a fight for the first time since 2015.
A BIG submission win for Mayra Bueno Silva over Holly Holm at #UFCVegas77 😤 pic.twitter.com/iGYvWRAmUg
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 16, 2023
Nominee: Julija Stoliarenko def. Molly McCann at UFC Fight Night 224
Julija Stoliarenko (11-7-1 MMA, 2-5 UFC) was viewed by many as a gimme opponent for Molly McCann (13-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) to get back on track in front of her home crowd in London, but the underdog had other plans in the women’s flyweight bout.
Stoliarenko decided to get the fight to the ground early in the opening round, and took McCann’s back quickly. McCann was able to get her opponent off her back, but she wasn’t out of danger yet. Stoliarenko isolated an arm in the scramble and locked in a deep armbar. McCann tried to escape, but after rolling over, she had no choice but to tap.
Put an end to this fight just 2️⃣ minutes into round one 🤯 #UFCLondon
— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023
Nominee: Kevin Holland def. Michael Chiesa at UFC 291
Kevin Holland (25-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC) didn’t use much time to finish Michael Chiesa (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) in their welterweight bout but he still managed to show off his long sought-after takedown defense.
From the opening bell, Holland came out aggressive against Chiesa, who looked uncomfortable on the feet and was desparate for a takedown. At distance, Holland leaped in for a knee. Holland said after the fight the knee didn’t land, but Chiesa dropped to the canvas on all fours. Holland landed on top of his opponent and locked in a D’Arce choke – and got the tap.
KEVIN HOLLAND BY SUBMISSION 😨@Trailblaze2top submits Chiesa in Round 1! #UFC291 pic.twitter.com/5x3pJL3uOT
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
Nominee: Bobby Green def. Tony Ferguson at UFC 291
Tony Ferguson’s (25-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) return to the win column would not come on Bobby Green’s (30-14-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) watch, and instead the former interim UFC lightweight champion was choked unconscious for his sixth straight loss.
After being controlling by Green for the majority of the fight, Ferguson looked to roll for a leg in the final round, but Green was ready for it and took top position again. A moment later, he began hunting for an arm-triangle submission, and steadily tightened his squeeze until Ferguson stopped moving and the referee stopped it.
BOBBY GREEN SUBMITS TONY FERGUSON! @BobbyKGreen gets the finish with seconds left at #UFC291! pic.twitter.com/HuRLRFYIRH
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
The winner
The winner: Mayra Bueno Silva
Bueno Silva pulled off the biggest win of her career by tapping former UFC champion Holm, and then proceeded to call out another former champ.
The women’s bantamweight bout served as the headliner of UFC on ESPN 49 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Bueno Silva entered the fight with high confidence that she would upset the former champ, and she proved herself correct by tapping Holm just 38 seconds into Round 2.
Holm got the action started with a blitz forward, testing the defense of her opponent early. Bueno Silva was ready and returned fire with a solid inside leg kick. Holm threatened a takedown attempt, but the fight remained standing. Striking exchanges continued throughout the first with both fighters having moments, but the round concluded with Holm pressing Bueno Silva against the cage in the clinch.
Holm closed the distance and looked to get the fight to the ground early in the second. Just as Holm changed levels, Bueno Silva got her left arm under the neck, and quickly slapped on a slick ninja choke. Holm was trapped, and couldn’t escape the standing submission despite her best effort. The former champ had no choice but to tap.
Overwhelmed with emotions, Bueno Silva, 31, dropped to the center of the canvas to process her third-straight submission win, which came on the biggest stage of her career thus far. On her current run, Bueno Silva has won four straight, and may have another big stage to perform on in the near future.
During her post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, “Sheetara” called her shot for the vacant women’s bantamweight title, and called out another former champion Julianna Peña.
