Make your pick for the 2020’s best submission in Bloody Elbow’s Year-End Awards.
It’s back!
Over the next few days, Bloody Elbow is going to ask for your opinion on some of the best things that have happened in the MMA world over the course of 2020. There will be a total of eight different categories you’ll be asked to vote on. For the sake of simplicity we’re going to stick with high-level and relevant MMA stuff in these posts. While I’m sure there was a ludicrous knockout in an unscheduled MMA event at The Lumberyard strip club in Des Moines, or an insane pancreas lock submission on an obscure ZST! card in Japan, let’s just stick to stuff a lot of us have seen, okay? (If that spiel looked familiar, it’s because I’ve used the same one for ten years in a row. Originality? What originality? Also, is ZST! even a thing any more?)
It’s pretty simple. I’ll post 5-10 options in a category, you vote for what you think was the best. If you think I left something really important off my list, post it in the comments and we can add it to the poll if it’s deemed worthy. I can almost guarantee you won’t like all my suggestions, but narrowing down these lists is tough.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get onto the first poll – the best submission of 2020. There have been some excellent subs all over the MMA landscape this year, and getting the list down is very difficult. But I did, and here it is.
Khabib Nurmagomedov stops Justin Gaethje, UFC 254
Mackenzie Dern kneebars Hannah Cifers, UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns
Too good on the ground!
@MackenzieDern secures the RD 1 submission. #UFCVegas
Main card continues on @ESPN and E+ pic.twitter.com/i2BHp9Lu2F
— UFC (@ufc) May 31, 2020
Aljamain Sterling chokes out Cory Sandhagen, UFC 250
Aljamain Sterling with the statement submission @espnmma#UFC250 ?? https://t.co/ZLDxNVzbTe pic.twitter.com/cdeFfNURsb
— ESPN (@espn) June 7, 2020
AJ McKee neck cranks Darrion Caldwell, Bellator 235
AND JUST LIKE THAT!!
AJ McKee keeps his undefeated record alive with a first round submission! McKee will move on to the @BellatorMMA Featherweight World Grand Prix Finals! pic.twitter.com/heU9AyoH9p
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) November 20, 2020
Jack Hermansson heel hooks Kelvin Gastelum, UFC Fight Island 2
Jokers are WILD!
@JackTheJokerMMA needs just over a minute!
The main card finishes on E+ for #UFCFightIsland2 pic.twitter.com/vftPDUP5K2
— UFC (@ufc) July 19, 2020
Ariane Lipski kneebars Luana Carolina, UFC 255
THE VIOLENCE QUEEN.
Go step-by-step on @Ariane_Lipski‘s kneebar #UFC255 pic.twitter.com/7slTrOzTXn
— UFC (@ufc) November 18, 2020
Luis Felipe Dias ties up Vanilton Antunes, Shooto Brazil 100
Man just got turned into a knot in the Shooto main event. Reverse triangle + Suloev stretch.
Felipe Dias def. Vanilto Antunes via sub R1. New Shooto WW champ. #ShootoBrazil100 pic.twitter.com/cg6kB65xo8
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 24, 2020
Jimmy Flick flying triangles Cody Durden, UFC Vegas 17
LATE CONTENDER FOR SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR @jimmyflick just threw up a flying triangle #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/A61hbz2Il6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 19, 2020
Thiago Moises heel hooks Michael Johnson, UFC Jacksonville
Gameplan .
@ThiagoMoisesMMA flawlessly grabs the RD2 submission.#UFCJAX ?? LIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/cbOfLiLGpC
— UFC (@ufc) May 14, 2020
Alexandr Romanov forearm chokes Marcos Rogerio de Lima, UFC Vegas 13
Alexandr Romanov put him to sleep with a forearm choke #UFCVegas13 pic.twitter.com/GsczWtLNlA
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 8, 2020