MMAjunkie's 'Submission of the Month' for January: Rare choke leads a diverse month of subs

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best submissions from January. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for January.

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

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Aleksei Oleinik def. Viktor Pesta at UFC Fight Night 103

Aleksei Oleinik (51-10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) became the first fight in UFC history to finish a fight with a rare Ezekiel choke when he tapped a visibly stunned Viktor Pesta (10-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) in the first round.

Amazingly, it was the 11th Ezekiel choke finish in Oleinik’s lengthy career. But it’s a submission that is more common in jiu-jitsu tournaments since it involves using the gi to tighten up the choke.

Tito Ortiz def. Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz (19-12-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) ended his long and decorated career on a triumphant note, submitting light heavyweight Chael Sonnen (29-15-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in the first round with a rear-naked choke.

Ortiz escaped from Sonnen’s early D’Arce choke and forced the trash-talking icon to give up his back. Ortiz then secured his fight-ending submission at the 2:03 mark of the opening frame.

Jason Gonzalez def. J.C. Cottrell at UFC on FOX 23

Jason Gonzalez’s (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) early success against J.C. Cottrell (17-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) came on the feet, but his skills on the mat ultimately decided the lightweight fight.

After rocking Cottrell with a well-timed uppercut early in the first, Gonzalez reversed Cottrell’s attempts to turn the fight into a grappling match and nabbed a D’Arce choke to force the submission at the 3:54 mark of Round 1.

Eric Spicely def. Alessio Di Chirico at UFC on FOX 23

Alessio Di Chirico (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) probably should have known to watch out for an Eric Spicely (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) submission in the first round of their middleweight bout.

Any time Spicely has tapped out someone, it’s been in the first frame. And that continued when he caught Di Chirico in a slick triangle choke, forcing the tap – with just the fourth just submission of its kind in UFC competition since early 2015 – at the 2:14 mark of Round 1.

Valentina Shevchenko def. Julianna Pena at UFC on FOX 23

Valentina Shevchenko (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) cut the line in the women’s bantamweight title picture, out-grappling Julianna Pena (8-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) to pitch herself as the next title contender with her first submission in more than a decade.

Shevchenko survived a first-round armbar attempt from Pena to exact revenge with the same hold in the second, bringing champ Amanda Nunes to her feet from her seat cageside to set up the future 135-pound title fight.

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Aleksei Oleinik and wife, Tatiana Oleinik

When Pesta shrugged off Oleinik’s best submission and manhandled him to mount, it looked like an easy night’s work was ahead.

Little did he know Oleinik didn’t need dominant position to pull off his signature move. Before Pesta could adjust, he was tapping to an Eziekiel choke.

The fight was over at the 2:57 mark of the opening frame as Pesta’s dominant position turned into his demise. Oleinik, 39 years young, pulled off his 11th win by Eziekiel choke and became the first UFC fighter to pull off the move in the octagon.

Pesta initially looked like he came prepared for his opponent’s tricks. He fired punches in close when Oleinik trudged inside and took top position after an Eziekiel choke was initiated as the two stood. Oleinik took a few good shots as Pesta punched at his back, and then advanced to mount.

But in the end, the position was nothing more than a setup as Oleinik reapplied the choke and got the tap. He moves back to the win column after a majority-decision loss to Daniel Omielanczuk this past July.

“It is an honor to have the first Ezekiel choke in UFC history,” Oleinik said. “However, this is a choke I have used many times in Russia. In fact, many in Russia call this the ‘Oleinik choke.’ I noticed that Pesta has a long neck and that he does not protect it, so I knew I could use this to my advantage.”