Penick's Take
PENICK: 2012 Year-End MMA Awards - Submission of the Year
Jan 3, 2013 - 10:30:53 PM PENICK: 2012 Year-End MMA Awards - Submission of the Year

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

2012 has come and gone, but before we turn our attention to the new year, we'll look back this week on the best of last year in my 2012 MMA awards. Today we continue with the Submission of the Year.

2012 Submission of the Year: Nate Diaz's guillotine choke over Jim Miller (UFC on Fox 3)

There have been a lot of great submissions this year, and there are a lot of them that will be picked over this one, but Nate Diaz's ridiculous guillotine over a previously un-submittable Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3 is still my best for the year. It was my top pick at the midway point, and though one came close to taking over this spot in the second half of the year, I think this stands up more given Miller's performance in his return bout at UFC 155. The setup was beautiful for the choke, as he out-struck Miller, got the guillotine locked in with one arm, and used that to set it up even tighter as they rolled through. The sight of Miller's tongue hanging out, stuck, as the hold was on tight was scary, and was just a crazy finish to what is still Diaz's best career performance.


The Best of the Rest

Charles Oliveira's calf slicer over Eric Wisely (UFC on Fox 2): This is one of the most insane moments in MMA that I've witnessed live. Had Oliveira's calf slicer come in a higher profile fight against a more capable opponent, it would have been an even more impressive achievement, and would have taken the top spot on this list. As it stands, it's still the first calf slicer in UFC history, and it was a fantastic visual for fans. As he got Wisely's leg locked up with his shin behind the knee, he pulled him backwards, prompting the submission from the visibly painful hold. It's one of those moments that fans who saw it live may never forget.

Demian Maia's neck crank over Rick Story (UFC 153): In the same way Jim Miller suffered his first submission loss to Nate Diaz, so too did Rick Story to Demian Maia at UFC 153. Maia's second fight in the welterweight division was a display in dominance. He manhandled Story to a knee after landing some strikes, took his back, and looked for the rear naked choke. When Story defended his neck well enough, Maia wrenched his head viciously, causing Story's nose to bleed like a faucet as his head turned, and he had no choice but to tap. It was brutal, insanely impressive, and one of the best submission of the year.

Chan Sung Jung's D'Arce choke over Dustin Poirier (UFC on Fuel 3): In an absolutely epic back and forth fight on Fuel TV in May, "The Korean Zombie" made it clear that he's a legitimate title challenger in the featherweight division when he defeated Dustin Poirier. But he didn't just beat him; he out-classed him throughout much of the fight. Then, in the fourth round, Jung dropped Poirier with a flying knee, and locked up a D'Arce choke, forcing a quick tap. It was an awesome end to an awesome fight.

Ronda Rousey's armbar over Miesha Tate (Strikeforce "Tate vs. Rousey"): Rousey nearly finished this fight with an armbar early, as had been her M.O., but Tate survived the first attempt. However, the second was one of the more brutal arm-wrenches in MMA history, as Rousey bent Tate's elbow past where the joint should be bend. Tate's arm looked wrecked as Rousey continued contorting it, and Tate was finally forced to tap. Rousey's submission skills are no joke, and she added a second armbar in 2012 over Sarah Kaufman in August. All of that has led to her entrance into the UFC, which she'll make in February at UFC 157.

Jessica Eye's standing arm triangle over Zoila Gurgel (Bellator 83): Rousey wasn't the only female fighter to show off her submission prowess this year, and in an absolutely fantastic performance, Jessica Eye ragdolled Zoila Gurgel with a sick standing arm triangle. She got the hold locked on against the cage, and Gurgel went out before the ref or Eye realized it. That led to Eye throwing Gurgel's body around in the hold for 15 seconds before the ref caught on that Gurgel was out. It was a great submission, and a great visual.

Other notable submissions in 2012:

--T.J. Waldburger's armbar over Jake Hecht (UFC on FX 2)
--John Maguire's armbar over DaMarques Johnson (UFC on Fuel 2)
--Rousimar Palhares' heel hook over Mike Massenzio (UFC 142)
--Dustin Poirier's mounted triangle armbar over Max Holloway (UFC 143)
--Vaughan Lee's armbar over Kid Yamamoto (UFC 144)
--Paul Sass' triangle armbar over Jacob Volkmann (UFC 146)
--Glover Teixeira's arm triangle over Kyle Kingsbury
--Karl Amoussou's inverted heel hook over Bryan Baker (Bellator 72)
--Rani Yahya's north-south choke over Josh Grispi (UFC on Fox 4)
--Vinny Magalhaes' armbar over Igor Pokrajac (UFC 152)
--Jon Jones' americana over Vitor Belfort (UFC 152)
--Ricardo Tirloni's D'Arce choke over Rene Nazare (Bellator 77)
--Marcin Held's toe hold over Rich Clementi (Bellator 81)
--Ivan Menjivar's armbar over Azamat Gashimov (UFC 154)
--Scott Jorgensen's last second RNC over John Albert (UFC on Fox 5)
--Mike Rio's armbar over John Cofer (TUF 16 Finale)
--John Moraga's guillotine/D'arce on the cage over Chris Cariaso (UFC 155)