Most Submission Attempts in a UFC Fight
The most submission attempts ever recorded in a single UFC fight — relentless hunting for the finish, whether or not the tap came.
50 record performances
1
Cole Miller vs Leonard Garcia
10
Sub Attempts
2
Hermes Franca vs Richard Crunkilton
9
Sub Attempts
3
Ivan Salaverry vs Andrei Semenov
8
Sub Attempts
4
James Wilks vs DaMarques Johnson
8
Sub Attempts
5
Damon Jackson vs Mirsad Bektic
7
Sub Attempts
6
Stefan Struve vs Denis Stojnic
7
Sub Attempts
7
Louis Smolka vs Ben Nguyen
7
Sub Attempts
8
Chas Skelly vs Sean Soriano
7
Sub Attempts
9
Evan Dunham vs Sean Sherk
7
Sub Attempts
10
Alex Caceres vs Edwin Figueroa
7
Sub Attempts
11
TJ Waldburger vs David Mitchell
7
Sub Attempts
12
Tim Credeur vs Nick Catone
7
Sub Attempts
13
Ryan Hall vs Darrick Minner
7
Sub Attempts
14
Tamdan McCrory vs Luke Cummo
7
Sub Attempts
15
Jason Black vs Matt Grice
7
Sub Attempts
16
Dustin Pague vs Yves Jabouin
7
Sub Attempts
17
Kendall Grove vs Ed Herman
6
Sub Attempts
18
Darren Elkins vs Steven Siler
6
Sub Attempts
19
Mark Bocek vs Alvin Robinson
6
Sub Attempts
20
David Mitchell vs TJ Waldburger
6
Sub Attempts
21
Martin Kampmann vs Carlos Condit
6
Sub Attempts
22
Rob Broughton vs Vinicius Queiroz
6
Sub Attempts
23
Loopy Godinez vs Elise Reed
6
Sub Attempts
24
Jacob Volkmann vs Danny Castillo
6
Sub Attempts
25
Joe Lauzon vs Brandon Melendez
6
Sub Attempts
26
Jessica Eye vs Kalindra Faria
6
Sub Attempts
27
Jim Miller vs Benson Henderson
6
Sub Attempts
28
Andre Petroski vs Hu Yaozong
6
Sub Attempts
29
Georges St-Pierre vs Dan Hardy
6
Sub Attempts
30
Nadia Kassem vs Alex Chambers
6
Sub Attempts
31
Rick Story vs John Hathaway
5
Sub Attempts
32
Luigi Fioravanti vs Brodie Farber
5
Sub Attempts
33
Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs Pete Williams
5
Sub Attempts
34
Naoki Inoue vs Carls John De Tomas
5
Sub Attempts
35
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Cody Durden
5
Sub Attempts
36
Miguel Baeza vs Khaos Williams
5
Sub Attempts
37
Per Eklund vs Samy Schiavo
5
Sub Attempts
38
Chris Lytle vs Josh Koscheck
5
Sub Attempts
39
Bryce Mitchell vs Charles Rosa
5
Sub Attempts
40
Ilia Topuria vs Youssef Zalal
5
Sub Attempts
41
Preston Parsons vs Evan Elder
5
Sub Attempts
42
Georges St-Pierre vs Josh Koscheck
5
Sub Attempts
43
Diego Sanchez vs Jon Fitch
5
Sub Attempts
44
Erik Koch vs Dustin Poirier
5
Sub Attempts
45
Matt Arroyo vs Dan Cramer
5
Sub Attempts
46
Matt Horwich vs Dan Miller
5
Sub Attempts
47
Marion Reneau vs Talita Bernardo
5
Sub Attempts
48
David Zawada vs Danny Roberts
5
Sub Attempts
49
Lyoto Machida vs Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
5
Sub Attempts
50
Polyana Viana vs Mallory Martin
5
Sub Attempts
The Most Submission Attempts in a Single UFC Fight
Some grapplers do not just control — they hunt. This record book ranks the most active submission performances in UFC history by total submission attempts in a single bout, by one fighter and by both combined.
A fight with eight or ten submission attempts is a relentless finishing chase, where a grappler threatens the tap from every position while an opponent scrambles to survive. Use the Single Fighter and Combined tabs and the division filter to explore the most dangerous grappling nights on record.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the record for most submission attempts in a single UFC fight?
The single-fight submission-attempts record reaches ten attempts, set by Cole Miller in a 2007 grappling clinic — an incredible rate of finish-hunting, threatening the tap over and over across the bout without ever letting his opponent settle.
What counts as a submission attempt?
A submission attempt is logged whenever a fighter actively applies or works for a submission hold — a choke, armbar, leglock, or similar — with real intent to finish. Fleeting grips are not counted; the stat reflects genuine finishing threats.
Why do some grappling fights have so many attempts without a finish?
Elite grapplers defend submissions as well as they attack them, so a top-tier scrambler can chain five, eight, or ten attempts against an opponent skilled enough to survive each one. Those fights become breathless back-and-forth chess matches that top this list.
Does the most submission attempts usually win the fight?
Constant submission threats typically sway the judges and often lead to the finish, but a determined defender can survive to a decision. Each row shows the result so you can see when the finish-hunting paid off and when the opponent escaped.