Submissions for Suckas: The Twister
Matt Bricker takes a look at the twister submission.
In an ongoing series, MMASucka will break down the origins of a submission, talk about some of its famous users, and so much more. You might even get a video breakdown by fighters in the MMA world! Be sure to come back to see what will be the next Submission for Suckas. In this edition, we will look at The Twister. So far, here are our entries in the series:
The name says it all...your body is absolutely twisted from the top to the bottom. Though it may seem simple when you think about it for a quick second, there are only three officially recorded finishes by The Twister in the UFC of the nearly 1,200 submissions recorded in the organization's history.
The Origins of The Twister
The origins of "The Twister" actually takes us back well over 100 years to the 1920's. The manuever was originally callled the "wrestler's guillotine", created by Cornell University 1928 NCAA wrestling champion, Ralph Leander Lupton. It's creation was based on being used as a pinning move, rather than the submission move we know it as today in the world of mixed martial arts.
Lupton's idea for the creation of the move was to inflict so much pain on the spine that it would force you as the opponent to your back. Once on your back in wrestling, the count can begin. Though it requires a high level of skill to pull off on the mats (both in the world of wrestling and mixed martial arts) the maneuver is still taught in the world of wrestling today.
How Does The Twister Work?
The twister hold targets the neck all the way down the spinal column and takes place in different stages to accomplish. First, in back control, to prevent your opponent from rotating away, you want to secure your opponent's far leg. Next, you need to control the upper-body by securing the inside arm, moving it behind your head so you have a clear pathway for the final step at the opponent's neck. Finally, you secure an S-grip and crank on your opponent's neck, pulling him in toward you.
Adaptation of The Twister to MMA
In 1985 a young high school wrestler by the name of Eddie Bravo would learn the technique then known as the "wrestler's guillotine." While working his BJJ with legend Jean Jacques Machado, the move was later renamed by Machado to The Twister because jiu-jitsu already has a maneuver named, "the guillotine." Bravo felt this move would aid him in competition because many practitioners of the sport do not practice much on guarding the spine. Bravo would eventually put out a video series called, "Mastering the Twister" which is what would be used by two of the three fighters to finish a UFC bout with the move.
Usages of The Twister in the UFC
The first usage of The Twister came on March 26, 2011, when Chan Sung Jung (The Korean Zombie) utilized the finisher on Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24 in Seattle, Washington. Surprising the fanbase around the world with this unique finish, commentator Joe Rogan was delighted to see the finisher, even stating that somewhere Eddie Bravo is a very happy man. Of course, crediting Bravo with adopting the move to the world of BJJ/MMA.
It would be nearly eight years later until we see the finisher again, this time by the hands of Bryce Mitchell at UFC on ESPN 7 in December 2019. Mitchell would take home not only the $50,000 performance bonus but would also take home the 2019 Submission of the Year award by many major MMA media outlets.
The last and most recent time we would see The Twister as a winning maneuver was by Da'Mon Blackshear in August 2023. Blackshear locked up the move on Jose Johnson in the first round of their bantamweight matchup at UFC Vegas 78. In his post-fight interview, Blackshear credited film study with providing him the information needed to land the iconic finisher.
