This is a list of the top ten submission fighters currently in the UFC. This is not a list of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, instead it focuses on fighters who consistently finish their fights with submissions.

10. Gabriel Gonzaga – He’s been competing in the UFC since 2005 and is known more for his head-kick knockout over Mirko Cro Cop than his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. However, Gonzaga is a BJJ black belt with 13 wins to his name, 8 of those via submission.

9. Anthony Perosh – At 39 years of age, Perosh is one of the older men in the UFC. His Mixed Martial arts game might be rather basic as a whole, but his ground game is phenomenal. He’s a 3rd degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Machado. Like Gabriel Gonzaga, he has 13 wins, but 9 of his have come by way of submission.

8. Nate Diaz – Here’s a guy who has some real momentum behind him right now. After dropping back down to the Lightweight division, Diaz has won his last three fights and is close to a title shot. His boxing is great, but his ground game is even better. Diaz is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie. 11 of his 16 wins have been by submission.

7. Rousimar Palhares – The heel hook monster. Palhares makes it clear what he wants to do in a fight, and that’s get it to the ground and grab a hold of your leg. And more often than not he is successful. He’s a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Murilo Bustamante, and 10 of his 14 wins have come by way of submission.

6. TJ Waldburger – Probably not a name you expected to see on a list like this. Especially not above Diaz and Palhares. At 24 years of age, Waldburger’s Mixed Martial Arts game is still a work in progress. He might be young, but he’s a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and in his last fight he submitted Jake Hecht in just 0:55 seconds. 12 of his 15 wins have been by submission.

5. Rani Yahya – A Brazilian Bantamweight. He came over to the UFC when Zuffa absorbed the WEC. His last few fights haven’t been great, but he’s an exceptionally talented submission fighter. Yahya is an ADCC Gold Medalist and 2nd degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He’s won 16 fights and 14 of those have been by submission.

4. Carlos Eduardo Rocha – He came to the UFC as an undefeated fighter who had never been to a decision. Since then he has been on the losing end of two, but he’s talented submission artist, and he showcased his slippery ground-game against Kris McCray, submitting him via kneebar in the first round of their fight. Rocha has 9 wins with 8 submission victories.

3. Jimy Hettes – A relative newbie to the UFC. He has only two fights under his belt so far, but he won them both fairly easily. Hettes is a relentless 25 year old who effortlessly blends Judo with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He might only be a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, but 9 of his 10 wins have been by submission.

2. Cody McKenzie – Another Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt who ranks highly on this list. A competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck, McKenzie made a name for himself by submitting opponents with a modified guillotine choke he calls, “The McKenzietine”. It might sound like a gimmick, but 12 of McKenzie’s 13 victories have been by submission, and 11 of those have been by his “McKenzietine”.

1. Paul Sass – Aren’t British fighters supposed to have bad ground games? Apparently Paul Sass didn’t get the memo. In truth, the number one spot was a toss-up between Sass and McKenzie, but in the end I chose Sass because he has had more success in the UFC. A purple belt in Luta Livre and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sass tops the list with 12 of his 13 victories coming by way of submission. Like McKenzie, Sass has his own signature move, a triangle choke he calls, “The Sassangle”. He’s had three fights in the UFC so far and they’ve all ended in the first round by submission.

Honorable mentions: Joe Lauzon (21 wins – 17 submissions), Frank Mir (16 wins – 9 submissions), Fabricio Werdum (15 wins – 8 submissions), Demian Maia (15 wins – 8 submissions)