MMA Fighting has released its midyear list of the top three UFC submissions of 2026, spotlighting a trio of standout finishes across recent events.
The list includes Murtazali Magomedov’s Scottish twister submission of Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC Vegas 119, which came in Magomedov’s UFC debut. He previously earned his UFC contract with a knockout win on the Contender Series.
Asu Almabayev also made the cut for his Suloev stretch submission of Charles Johnson at UFC Baku, a finish that followed two rounds of control. At the time of the article, Almabayev has one loss in eight UFC appearances.
Rounding out the top three is Alice Ardelean’s leg lock submission of Polyana Viana at UFC Vegas 117, referred to as a Capsule Lock. The article notes that Ardelean’s Capsule Lock was described as the first successful use of that submission in a UFC fight. Ardelean had previously lost UFC bouts to Shauna Bannon and Melissa Martinez before beginning a winning streak.
