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<\/a><\/p>\nNASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JULY 12: (R-L) Valter Walker of Brazil secures a heel hook submission against Kennedy Nzechukwu of Nigeria in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Bridgestone Arena on July 12, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n
5. Valter Walker vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu<\/p>\n
As the first man to ever win four fights in a row via heel hook, Valter Walker had to be included somewhere. Okay, technically one of those heel hook wins came in 2024, and we\u2019re talking about submitting Heavyweights who can\u2019t grapple, but still \u2026 that\u2019s a record that\u2019s not going to be matched any time soon!<\/p>\n
Of his trio of heel hooks in 2025 proper, I would rate Nzechukwu as the top scalp. He\u2019s been a UFC veteran for a long time, and just this month, he managed to grapple quite a bit with BJJ legend Marcus Buchecha. Buchecha landed in some great positions \u2014 including some leg entanglements \u2014 and yet couldn\u2019t finish Nzechukwu in their back-and-forth draw.<\/p>\n
As for Walker? The tap came in a mere 54 seconds.<\/p>\n
MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 12: (L-R) Jean Silva of Brazil works for a submission against Bryce Mitchell in a featherweight bout during the UFC 314 event at Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Cooper Neill\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n 4. Jean Silva vs. Bryce Mitchell<\/p>\n Like Ilia Topuria before him, Silva submitted the submission ace.<\/p>\n This win hits the trifecta of important bout, great performance, and slick technique. Silva was a feared prospect before torching \u201cThug Nasty,\u201d but this is the win that shot him up the rankings and sent Mitchell down to Bantamweight. The whole victory was brutal: Silva beat Mitchell from pillar to post while defending his takedowns with ease.<\/p>\n Mitchell\u2019s takedowns grew more and more desperate as the damage built up, and he left his neck. In one fluid motion, Silva attacked with the guillotine variation known as the ninja choke, which only works if the wrestler pushes forward into the strangle.<\/p>\n Like a rabbit in a snare, Mitchell sprinted into his own doom.<\/p>\n NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 07: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia secures a submission against Sean O\u2019Malley in the UFC bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 316 event at Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Michelle Farsi\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n 3. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O\u2019Malley<\/p>\n The great criticism against Merab Dvalishvili historically is that he doesn\u2019t do much with his top position. He\u2019s not known for thudding elbows like Arman Tsarukyan, nor is he great about advancing position in a jiu-jitsu context. He is, however, hanging onto the neck more and more, and that creates opportunity.<\/p>\n Dvalishvili\u2019s rematch with O\u2019Malley was so much more one-sided than the first bout less than a year prior. He hit him more often on the feet, landed his takedowns easily, and rarely absorbed a significant blow. O\u2019Malley tried to wrestle up to his feet late in the third, and Dvalishvili kept him down with the threat of a guillotine choke. \u201cSuga\u201d tried to roll to his back to defend, but Dvalishvili maintained his rear naked choke grip, resulting in the first north-south choke in UFC title history.<\/p>\n INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 18: Islam Makhachev of Russia submits Renato Moicano of Brazil in a lightweight title fight during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n 2. Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano<\/p>\n The only thing keeping this from the No. 1 spot is the strange short-notice circumstances of it all. Despite the chaos, Moicano was a genuine Top 10 Lightweight and longtime BJJ black belt when Islam Makhachev submitted him inside a round with his second short D\u2019arce in two fights.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing about the short D\u2019arce: it\u2019s not a new technique. It\u2019s an alternate finish to the classic D\u2019arce that doesn\u2019t require the attacking fighter to sink their arms as deep, which makes it an easier finish for short-limbed grapplers. I remember learning it in 2010!<\/p>\n The problem is \u2026 it doesn\u2019t work that well. For most people. It\u2019s generally easier to secure but much harder to finish than the classic D\u2019arce. Makhachev and his absurd back muscles are quite literally built different, however. When Makhachev locks in the short D\u2019arce and sags his weight down into the squeeze, opponents tap QUICKLY! He didn\u2019t submit Jack Della Maddalena, but the mere threat of the short D\u2019arce kept \u201cJDM\u201d much more stationary in Makhachev\u2019s second title fight of 2025.<\/p>\n It\u2019s now a signature weapon in the resume of (maybe) the best fighter active right now.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n