With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from September 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for September.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Volkan Oezdemir def. Bogdan Guskov at UFC Fight Night 226
Volkan Oezdemir (19-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) lived up to his nickname again when he wasted “No Time” putting away Bogdan Guskov (14-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their light heavyweight bout.
Former title challenger Oezdemir stunned Guskov on the feet and pounced on him for his first submission win in over 11 years. The rear-naked choke finish came less than four minutes into the fight, which was arguably Oezdemir’s most definitive win in recent memory.
Volkan Oezdemir locks in for the submission win 🔒 #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/GW6ITiVEWD
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 2, 2023
Nominee: Dione Barbosa def. Rain Guerrero at DWCS 61
Brazil’s Dione Barbose (6-2) secured her spot on the UFC roster when she impressed company CEO Dana White by tapping out Rainn Guerrero (5-2) inside the first round.
The Cris Cyborg training protege Barbosa tossed Guerrero to the mat after some striking exchanges. She transitioned to an armbar, then wrenched until Guerrero gave up.
Wasted NO time getting the first finish of the night! 🔥
Dione Barbosa locks in the arm bar in Round 1! #DWCS pic.twitter.com/fMijyeb8Dd
— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2023
Nominee: Loopy Godinez def. Elise Reed at Noche UFC
Surging strawweight Loopy Godinez (10-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) dominated Elise Reed (7-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and then finished her to punch a ticket in the official UFC divisional rankings.
Godinez dropped Reed and nearly submitted her with an armbar in the first round. Although Reed would see out the round, things only got worse in the second frame. Godinez continued to light up Reed on the feet and eventually took the fight to the ground to win by submission from a tight rear-naked choke
LOOPY GODINEZ PUT ON A CLINIC 😤 #NocheUFC pic.twitter.com/m8FI57wq1G
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 17, 2023
Nominee: Charles Jourdain def. Ricardo Ramos at UFC Fight Night 228
Charles Jourdain (15-6-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) showed he’s got more than just dynamic striking on Saturday when he submitted Ricardo Ramos (16-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) early in their featherweight bout.
Jourdain wasted no time engaging with Ramos on the ground in the opening round. He matched his Brazilian foe in every exchange before locking up a guillotine choke in the midst of a scramble to finish the fight.
CHARLES JOURDAIN BY GUILLOTINE IN ROUND 1 🔒 #UFCVegas79 pic.twitter.com/3IvOOEJfxA
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 23, 2023
The winner
The winner: Alexander Volkov def. Tai Tuivasa at UFC 293
Alexander Volkov is hunting for UFC gold, and his statement win over Tai Tuivasa kept his momentum going toward the top of the heavyweight division.
Volkov (37-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) faced Tai Tuivasa (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) in what proved to be a hard-hitting affair until the fight hit the ground. Volkov was able to put his slick grappling skills to use and tap Tuivasa with an Ezekiel choke at 4:37 of Round 2.
Tuivasa looked to get the action started quickly with a few hard leg kicks, but Volkov responded in kind as he utilized his range advantage. Successfully timing Tuivasa’s forward charges, Volkov was able to land sharp punches to bloody his opponent’s nose midway through Round 1. Both fighters mixed in attacks to the body during exchanges. In the closing sequence of the first round, Volkov teed off on Tuivasa as he covered up against the cage.
VOLKOV GETS HIS FIRST SUBMISSION WIN SINCE 2016 👏 #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/SvlSCXNwtz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 10, 2023
Tuivasa repeatedly attacked the lead leg of Volkov early in Round 2, causing the taller, longer fighter to adjust. Volkov caught Tuivasa with a clean punch that knocked him off balance, and followed to the ground for a submission attempt. Although he couldn’t secure the position and the fight returned to the feet, a few moments later Volkov ended up in full mount after catching a Tuivasa kick.
After securing the position, Volkov attempted an arm triangle, but switched to a sneaky Ezekiel choke. Tuivasa did his best to fight off the attempt, but he was trapped and had no choice but to tap to just the third Ezekiel choke in UFC history.
