MMA Junkie’s ‘Submission of the Month’ for July: The nastiest kneebar ever?

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from July 2020.

With another action-packed month in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from July 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for July.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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The Nominees

Makwan Amirkhani def. Danny Henry at UFC 251

[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has scored another submission victory in the UFC featherweight division against Danny Henry (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) — and he earned some points for good sportsmanship, too.

Amirkhani submitted Henry with his signature move, the anaconda choke. Amirkhani wasted little time finishing his opponent. Then he wasted even less time bringing him back to consciousness, as Amirkhani immediately helped officials raise Henry’s legs to bring back the blood flow back toward his head.

Ariane Lipski def. Luana Carolina at UFC on ESPN+ 30

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) promised to bring back the “Queen of Violence” against Luana Carolina (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), and that’s exactly what happened when she finished the women’s flyweight fight in the first round.

Lipski secured one of the nastiest kneebar finishes in UFC history against Carolina, doing so from a rather precarious position. They got tangle up on the mat and Lipski grabbed the leg of her opponent and pulled it in an awkward direction, forcing a screaming tap-out from Carolina.

Jack Hermansson def. Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on ESPN+ 30

[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career when he submitted Kelvin Gastelum (16-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a high-stakes middleweight bout.

Hermansson need just 78 seconds to lock in a tight heel hook on Gastelum and finish the fight. A clinch exchange early in the fight saw Gastelum end up on top. Hermansson’s didn’t just a small opening to make his move, though, and latched onto the submission that Gastelum couldn’t escape from without giving up.

Deiveson Figueiredo def. Joseph Benavidez at UFC on ESPN+ 30

[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) left no doubt he’s the top flyweight currently competing in the UFC when he obliterated Joseph Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) in the first round, this time officially claiming the UFC title.

Figueiredo missed weight for the first meeting and did not get a belt despite getting a knockout. He dropped Benavidez with strikes multiple times in the rematch, but was fishing for the submission. Figueiredo finally locked on a rear-naked choke that could not be escaped, and Benavidez was submitted for the first time in his career.

Fabricio Werdum def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on ESPN 14

43-year-old [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) showed he can still get the job done at a high level on the mat, as he spoiled the heavyweight debut of Alexander Gustafsson (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC).

The former UFC champ only needed one opening to take the fight to the mat, and when he did, it was game over. Werdum got into position for an armbar on Gustafsson, who fought mightily for roughly one minute. He could only resist Werdum’s jiu-jitsu prowess for so long, though, and eventfully the tap came.

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The Winner: Ariane Lipski

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Human knees are not meant to bend in the direction Carolina found her left knee going into against Lipski.

Lipski, an impressive competitor out of Brazil, saw an opening in a grappling exchange, straightened the leg out, and leaned all the way back, causing Carolina to tap at the 1:38 mark of the opening round in their UFC on ESPN+ 30 main card bout at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

That marked both the seventh first-round finish in Lipski’s career, and the second-fastest submission victory in UFC women’s flyweight history.

“She was trying to take my neck,” Lipski said in her post-fight interview. “I have trained this sub before then I pushed her leg and I was pretty sure it was working.”

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