Fight Facts: UFC 2022, a Year in Review

Tap, Not Snap

Return of the Jitz: At the conclusion of 2021, fighters that year had performed the lowest percentage of submission in league history. 2022 proved to be a major bounce back, as its 98 submissions accounted for more than any year in UFC history.

Brute Force Strangulation: In the main event of UFC Fight Night 205 in April, Jessica Andrade snared Amanda Lemos with an unusual standing arm-triangle choke. While many arm-triangles have been performed over the years, none had ever been completed while standing.

Tying Him Up in Knots: On the UFC Fight Night 214 undercard, Mario Bautista pretzeled Benito Lopez with a submission only once performed in the Octagon. His reverse triangle armbar joins Erick Silva’s, as Silva landed a similar maneuver on Jason High in 2013.

Yes She Ken: Cory McKenna throttled Miranda Granger with a Von Flue shoulder choke at UFC on ESPN 40 in August. This specific submission was the first to be performed by a woman under the UFC banner, while she is the fifth UFC fighter overall to land one.

Knee Eviscerator: At the same card as Andrade’s tapout of Lemos, Claudio Puelles snagged a kneebar on Clay Guida to earn his third tap of this kind in the Octagon. No other fighter has ever performed more than one in the UFC.

Oleynik Stuff: “The Boa Constrictor” Alexey Oleynik earned his 60th pro win in April by putting Vanderaa away with a scarf hold. He became the second fighter in company history – joining Mark Coleman – to land more than one of these subs, as he had previously tapped Anthony Hamilton with one in 2014.

Said on Said Subs: The final submission performed in the UFC in 2022 proved to be an unorthodox one: Said Nurmagomedov tapped Saidyokub Kakhramonov with a ninja choke at UFC Fight Night 216. His was the fifth recorded as such in company history.

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