The UFC is home to some of the greatest submission specialists of all time. Throughout its history, the company has also seen its fair share of unique and brutal submission holds. There’s likely plenty of fighters who come to mind when thinking about the greatest submission victories, but those fighters tend to favor one or two specific holds.

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There’s no shame in specializing in a few holds that work, but shocking both fans and an opponent with a unique hold can be incredibly beneficial. While some of these submissions have appeared in the UFC before, it’s possible for many fans to have missed them entirely due either to their lack of overall use or their unsuccessful use.

10 Flying Armbar

It shouldn’t be a surprise to any UFC fan that any move that includes the term “flying” is sure to be a difficult one to lock in effectively. A quick search for the move online is likely to turn up any number of flashy uses of the beautiful hold, but it’s quite rare to see it used at a high level.

There’s plenty of reasons as to why its use is so rare, ranging from the difficulty of pulling it off, to the potential negative outcomes if someone is ready for the move or able to counter it. Whenever any fighter leaves their feet in the octagon, that’s a lot of time to have little control over your body’s momentum.

9 Banana Split

While the banana split is a silly name for a submission hold, the actual damage inflicted is far scarier than the name suggests. The hold is specifically designed to stretch the muscles within an opponent’s groin. Aside from the obvious crotch damage, the hold can do serious damage to a fighter’s hips.

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While the move is incredibly effective it’s not the easiest to actually put an opponent in. Many practitioners suggest shifting from a calf slicer to the banana split, but the calf slicer is already difficult to pull off mid-match.

8 Omoplata

An omoplata can be a devastating move if a fighter manages to pull it off. The issue with actually utilizing the move is that the conditions that must be met to most easily get the hold on an opponent are far from favorable. While fighters can transition from triangle choke to an omoplata, a skilled grappler will be aware of that.

The highest likelihood of getting the hold is from a closed guard, but even then the fighter still has to deal with a fighter who may have a plan to make the omoplata attempt fruitless.

7 Calf Slicer

The calf slicer may be one of the most popular moves that is rarely used in the UFC, thanks in part to famed wrestler, AJ Styles. Anyone who’s ever been put in the hold knows that it’s one of the most excruciating submission holds that a fighter could ever be put in.

It’s likely that the name comes from the feeling that the hold inflicts on the unfortunate victim. The intricate and difficult to lock in hold creates a feeling like someone is cutting through a fighter’s calf muscle with a knife.

6 Hammerlock

UFC fans know how important it is for fighters to maintain control of their body throughout their fights. It’s a fighter’s awareness of where all their appendages are at any given time regardless of where a fight goes that makes UFC ground-game one of the most intense portions of a fight.

That is why a move like a hammerlock is so tough to put on anyone. The incredibly painful move can result in permanent damage to a fighter faster than many other holds. A quick search will turn up plenty of bouts where fighters are screaming in pain due to expertly placed hammerlocks.

5 Bicep Slicer

While the calf slicer is the more famous of the slicer submission holds, the bicep slicer/cutter is equally as dangerous. While the move is somewhat easy to lock in during a practice, the idea of utilizing this against some of the greatest grapplers in the world makes it a lot more difficult.

The concept of the bicep slicer is similar to a calf slicer, with tons of pressure being put on an opponent’s bicep. The overall goal is to make an opponent touch their shoulder with their hand, but that much pressure isn’t even likely to be required.

4 Flying Scissor Heel Hook

Another “flying” move that is incredibly risky and difficult to trap an opponent in. Something that will come as a surprise to plenty of submission enthusiasts is that Anderson Silva was once a victim to the flashy submission hold, though it was outside of the UFC.

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Fans that search out the video may wonder why Silva was so quick to tap to the move, but an ordinary heel hook is actually one of the most dangerous leglocks in MMA. The move has the potential to end the career of anyone who doesn’t tap quickly enough.

3 Gogoplata

While the gogoplata has seen use across MMA, the move itself is incredibly rare for a number of different reasons. It can be incredibly effective when pulled off, but if something goes even slightly wrong then a fighter has essentially given their opponent free rein to grab on to any appendage they’d like.

The move can be an option while in guard, but with plenty of other options that offer less risk and are more reliable, it’s generally best to avoid the gogoplata. Greats like Nick Diaz have won with the move, but even that win was eventually overturned.

2 Leg Scissor Choke

There are a number of reasons as to why leg scissor chokes are so rare in MMA, but the biggest likely has to do with the practicality of the move. While all MMA grappling could be considered somewhat awkward, the leg scissor choke requires some interesting maneuvering.

While the move is likely something neat to have in your back pocket, if a top-tier fighter has the opportunity to get a hold of their opponent’s head, they’re probably going to go for a more reliable hold that could be done in most situations.

1 Japanese Necktie

The Japanese Necktie offers fighters a great way to attack fighters that have covered up on the ground, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best option available. The move itself is just a sneaky way to choke a guarded opponent.

The risk comes from attempting the hold only for an opponent to not be as damaged as a fighter thought. There are a lot of other options that could be more beneficial for a number of fighters based on the holds and strikes that they already know.