With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from May 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for May.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Nominees
Nominee: Sage Northcutt def. Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10
It took over four years for Sage Northcutt (12-3) to return to the MMA cage for a fight, but he needed only 39 seconds to dispatch of Ahmed Mujtaba (10-3) once he got there.
Initially clipped with a short jab by Mujtaba, Northcutt grabbed hold of a leg and twisted. Northcutt’s torque dragged Mujtaba to the canvas and the tap came nearly immediately afterward.
He's BACK! "Super" Sage Northcutt 🇺🇸 submits Ahmed Mujtaba with a heel hook in 39 SECONDS! ⚡ @sagenorthcutt
Tune in to Prime Video NOW to catch the rest of ONE Fight Night 10!
LIVE NOW | #ONEFightNight10
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Watch LIVE on Prime 👉 https://t.co/1NTfXfMip4
🧑💻 Join the… pic.twitter.com/7aveZbd3XP— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 6, 2023
Nominee: Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Devin Clark at UFC 288
Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) proved he’s more than just a striker when he secured his first career submission win at the expense of Devin Clark (14-8 MMA, 8-8 UFC) in their light heavyweight bout.
After taking a hard shot on the feet that caused a bit of a panic, Nzechukwu composed himself and went right back in the fire with Clark. He saw the neck in the midst of an exchange and lathed on with a standing guillotine choke, using an incredible grip to sap the consciousness out of Clark and emerge with the brutal win.
NZECHUKWU PUT HIM TO SLEEP 😴 #UFC288 pic.twitter.com/8WG6trHATJ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 7, 2023
Nominee: Alex Morono def. Tim Means at UFC on ABC 4
Alex Morono’s (23-8 MMA, 12-5 UFC) improvisation paid huge dividends in his welterweight bout with Tim Means (32-15-1 MMA, 14-12 UFC).
In the second round, Morono looked to time a spinning backfist. The attempt caught nothing but air as Means ducked the strike, but Morono smoothly transitioned into a guillotine choke attempt as Means looked for a takedown. Morono jumped on the choke, and the tap soon followed after synching it up tighter.
ALEX MORONO LOCKS IN THE GUILLOTINE 🔒 #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/SaeAKI2Igi
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2023
Nominee: Jailton Almeida def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC on ABC 4
Jailton Almeida (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) didn’t need much time to win the first main event of his UFC career when he easily dispatched of Jairzinho Rozenstruik (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in their heavyweight clash.
After scoring an early takedown, Almeida began raining down heavy hammerfists, turning the few boos into loud cheers. Rozenstruik attempted to defend the strikes, but opted to turn to his side, giving Almeida the opportunity to take his back. The rear-naked choke submission was in tight a split second later. Completely flattened out with Almeida on his back, Rozenstruik couldn’t escape and tapped before going out.
JAILTON ALMEIDA FORCES THE TAP IN ROUND 1 😤 #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/qft905AkH3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2023
Nominee: Louis Glismann def. Melvin van Suijdam at OKTAGON 43
Louis Glismann (11-2) pulled off the unthinkable when he rolled and rolled opponent Melvin van Suijdam (14-6) for an ultra-rare submission in the first round.
The inverted omoplata sequence began when van Suijdam’s arm trapped was trapped between the legs of Glismann , who was on the back from the side. Glismann somersaulted forward, which caused van Suijdam to also take a nosedive. As Glismann finished his roll, he continued his torque but Suijdam’s roll was unable to continue. Glismann planted his forearm on the canvas, applied pressure, and got the tap
The winner
The winner: Kennedy Nzechukwu
In a light heavyweight prelim at UFC 288, Nzechukwu turned the tables on Clark to win by technical submission due to standing guillotine choke in the second round.
As he’s done often throughout his career, Nzechukwu overcame adversity to storm back and win. In the first round, Nzechukwu covered up after a stunning Clark punch. With his back up against the fence, Nzechukwu utilized the clinch to escape the onslaught and nearly finish Clark with repeated elbows.
Clark survived until the end of the round, but Nzechukwu’s clinch would once again prove successful in Round 2. When Clark shot for a takedown, Nzechukwu grabbed hold of his neck and squeezed. Clark attempted to hand-fight and escape, but no dice. Nzechukwu’s squeeze rendered him unconscious as he face-planted to the canvas.
Nzechukwu, 30, kept rolling as he extends his winning streak to three. Clark, 33, fell to 2-2 in his most recent four.
