While knockout victories in the UFC get a substantial amount of plays and clicks on the Internet, submission victories can be equally exciting stuff to watch. Sometimes, most notably in the case of someone like Ronda Rousey, a submission win can be the stuff of legends.
Anytime you sit down on the couch for a show from MMA’s top promotion and access ESPN+ to watch the night’s proceedings, the classic quote from the Oscar-winning picture Forrest Gump comes to mind:
“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
Whether it’s an exhilarating fight that goes the full 15 or 25 minutes in length to the scorecards, a first-round knockout, or one that results in a contestant getting tapped out, UFC fights are a mixed bag.
Five Noteworthy UFC Submission Artists Due to Make The Walk in 2025
With 2025 now almost two months old, there are still plenty of fights to be had inside the famous Octagon and still plenty of competitors who have yet to enter the arena for their bouts. Today, we’ll take a look at a few of the contestants who are primed to score a submission inside the distance inside the Octagon as this year continues.
Hyped Submission Artists in 2025: Ikram Aliskerov
Middleweight Ikram Aliskerov (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was already slated to make the walk to the Octagon on Feb. 1 during the Fight Night event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but due to circumstances surrounding his opponent, Andre Muniz, being unable to secure a passport ahead of the show, the bout was cancelled. Subsequently, Aliskerov was rebooked to appear on April 26 versus Muniz during the promotion’s show in Kansas City, MO.
At the moment, sportsbooks have yet to open up betting on this fight, but you can gather that a submission might be in the offing for Ikram Aliskerov once the cage door closes. A submission is, after all, how he got to this point in his career.
Numerically speaking, Aliskerov has locked in five submissions inside the cage, including a kimura in 2022 to secure a UFC promotional contract. If he can drop Andre Muniz down in their rescheduled tilt in April, the sky is the limit for this young man.
Hyped Submission Artists in 2025: Manel Kape
As we move down to the flyweight division, we’ll find Manel Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who is currently booked to fight on March 1 at the UFC Apex versus 23-fight veteran Asu Almabayev (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC.) Almabayev is a replacement for Kape’s original foe in that night’s contest, Brandon Royval, who withdrew from the contest due to injury.
With this contest being almost a week away as of this writing, many bettors for Kape vs. Almabayev are looking for a $10 min deposit casino.
Currently, Kape is favored to win by the oddsmakers at -246. Kape, much like Aliskerov, has secured five wins by way of submission throughout his career. Will he be able to make Almabayev tap out this time?
Hyped Submission Artists in 2025: AJ Cunningham
Moving along to the featherweight ranks, AJ Cunningham is certainly a submission artist on the rise in MMA’s No. 1 organization. Cunningham (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) hasn’t made the walk to the cage in a year, but will be headed back to the Octagon on March 15 vs. Su Young You (14-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC.)
While no betting odds for the fight have been released as yet, from a statistical standpoint, AJ Cunningham has finished four fights with a submission throughout his career. Back in May of 2023, he secured a rear-naked choke in the third round of his fight versus Jason Mullen (6-5 MMA.)
It’s still early days in his UFC tenure, but a win by submission could cause Cunningham’s stock, and hype, to rise.
Hyped Submission Artists in 2025: Marvin Vettori
Staying on the March 15 card but moving up to middleweight, No. 8 contender Marvin Vettori (19-6-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) will make the walk in the main event of the evening. That night, he’ll draw Roman Dolidze (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at the Apex.
He’s already got nine submissions to his credit in his career, including a rear-naked choke vs. Karl Roberson back in 2020. Vettori is a seasoned veteran of 26 fights. Can he score the 10th submission of his career in mid-March?
Hyped Submission Artists in 2025: Jalin Turner
Finally, we end our trip with a stop in the lightweight division, where we find Jalin Turner, who is booked to appear on UFC 313 on March 8 vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC.) Turner, who’s sporting a 14-8 record in the sport, has recorded four submissions in his career.
His last submission was recorded on July 2, 2022 against Brad Riddell in Las Vegas. Currently, sportsbooks have yet to release odds for the Turner vs. Bahamondes fight that evening, but he’s already notched three submissions in Dana White’s promotion.
Can he make Ignacio Bahamondes tap out on March 8? Only time will tell.