#10. Jake Shields
[Pro Record 24-4 draw(s) 1]



The current Strikeforce Middleweight Champion is one of the best submission fighters. Before winning the middleweight championship Jake was on a twelve fight win streak, half of those wins by submission. This streak included a first round submission via Guillotine choke in just over two minutes on lethal striker Robbie Lawler. The Ruthless one was not the only dangerous striker Shields has submitted. Jake caught one of now UFC's most devestating knockout artist Paul Daley in a deep armbar just a little under a year before the Robbie Lawler fight. He has also been the Shooto Middleweight Champion and the EliteXC Welterweight Champion winning both titles by submission. He has never been submitted himself throughout his entire MMA career due to his outstanding wrestling and jiujitsu skills.*I believe Jake Shields earns a spot on the list of best submission fighters.

#9. Kazushi Sakuraba
[Pro Record 26-12 draw(s) 1 NC 2]



Of Sakuraba's 26 wins 19 wins have come by way of submission. Many popular names are on his resume of submission victories, such as Carlos Newton, Vernon White, Kevin Randleman & Renzo Gracie. *He has even submitted the likes of Quinton "Rampage'" Jackson.

#8. Demian Maia
[Pro Record 12-1 draw(s) 0]



Demian Maia seems to submit his opponents with ease. His jiujitsu is up there among the best with only 12 wins under his belt, many people are already relating him to a modern day Royce Gracie. A win over the current UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva on April 10th, 2010 would sky rocket his career.

#7. BJ "The Prodigy" Penn
[Pro Record 15-5 draw(s) 1]



The former UFC Welterweight Champion, winning the belt with a rear naked choke in the very first round over Matt Hughes and current UFC Lightweight Champion, only the second fighter to hold two titles in two separate divisions in the UFC. Many records have been set by this Hawaii native. He earned his black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu within 3 years, in addition to being the first non brazilian to win a major brazilian jiujitsu competition, he has submitted nearly every top contender put before him via smooth rear naked choke one of the most difficult submissions to pull on your opponent and looks forward to more of the same against lightweight top contender, Frankie Edgar, on April 10th, 2010.

#6. Alistair Overeem
[Pro Record 32-11 draw(s) 0 NC 1]



He became the first Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion with a submission over Paul Buentello due to knees to the body, one submission win among his nineteen submission wins overall. With all those wins by submission most were completed in the opening round, several being chokes. Alistair Overeem is a top submission fighter in MMA and many people look for to what he will do in the future.

#5 Frank Mir
[Pro Record 13-4 draw(s) 0]



You leave an opening he will take it, add a heavyweight's strength to that talent and his submission attempts are pretty much unstoppable, from something as small as a toe hold to an ankle lock to a kimura. He even spoiled the UFC debut of the current Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar, by a smooth transition to a knee bar from the bottom. No doubt Frank Mir is one of the top submission fighters in MMA.

#4. Shinya Aoki
[Pro Record 23-4 draw(s) 0 NC 1]



Shinya Aoki's submission game is by far one of the most impressive in MMA. This current DREAM Lightweight Champion has the ability complete submissions such as the flying armbar, hammerlock, neck crank, gogoplata, triangle choke, you name it, within a few minutes in the opening round. He has even competed in an exhibition grappling match with one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, who is nearly twice his size, and did not go down without a fight. His next fight will be against Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship on April 17th, 2010. If Shinya Aoki can submit Melendez quickly that will solidify his spot as one of the best submission artists out.

#3. Fedor Emelianenko
[Pro Record 32-1 draw(s) 0 NC 1]



Pretty much any Heavyweight top contender and former MMA Champion you can think of have loss to this man, most by way of submission. Fedor has been on a crazy win streak ever since his one loss due to a cut in 2000, since then he has won 28 bouts, half of the wins by submission. Fedor Emelianenko's spot on the list of best submission fighters in MMA is well-deserved.

#2. Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
[Pro Record 32-6 draw(s) 1 NC 1]



The submission he is most known for his infamous triangle choke accompanied by an armbar he used in a Pride FC bout to defeat UFC Hall of Famer, Mark Coleman. This guy is like a submission magician he could be losing a fight terribly and still find a way to submit his opponent and pull off the victory, sometimes he is in good positions where he could finsh fights by t(KO) but he chooses to make his opponent tap like its a badge of honor for him to submit his opponent. It does not matter if he is on top or bottom fighting his opponent, you are in danger if at anytime you choose to deal with the ground game of Big Nog.

#1. Royce Gracie
[Pro Record 14-3 draw(s) 3]



Of course this comes as no suprise. Royce Gracie is the inspiration behind many of the submission specialist out today. Royce Gracie was in the Octagon in the 90's fighting guys twice his size and submit them in an instant back when brazilian jiujitsu was not a popular fight discipline, He brought BJJ to the mainstream and is without a doubt the best submission fighter in UFC history and maybe MMA history.

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"I get my energy, from my inner G"
~Lupe Fiasco (2010)

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"I get my energy, from my inner G"
~Lupe Fiasco (2010)

__________________

__________________

"I get my energy, from my inner G"
~Lupe Fiasco (2010)

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