- Ronda Rousey holds the record for the fastest submission win in UFC history with 14 seconds.
- Other fighters on the list include Marcus Aurélio, Terry Etim, Chas Skelly, and Dennis Hallman.
- All submission finishes on the list are under 20 seconds and below.
A submission finish in the UFC helps fans cash their tickets, especially when they pick the correct method of victory on the MMA odds board. In this approach, athletes with strong grappling backgrounds in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling are selected as constant favourites.
But who in the history of the UFC has recorded the fastest submission victory? Find out below.
Fastest UFC Submissions
| Fight | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano | Rousey with 14 seconds finish | 03/01/2015 |
| Marcus Aurélio vs. Ryan Roberts | Aurelio with 16 seconds finish | 04/03/2008 |
| Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto | Etim with 17 seconds finish | 11/06/2011 |
| Chas Skelly vs. Maximo Blanco | Skelly with 19 seconds finish | 09/18/2016 |
| Dennis Hallman vs. Matt Hughes | Hallman with 20 seconds finish | 12/17/2000 |
Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
Ronda Rousey displayed her incredible judo skills during her reign as the undisputed queen of the women’s bantamweight division. In fact, she recorded the fastest submission victory in the UFC when she defeated Cat Zingano in March 2015 for her fourth title defence.
Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano is the only UFC championship fight to not feature a single landed strike. #UFC184
— UFC (@ufc) March 1, 2015
Rousey immediately took down Zingano when the opening bell rang and worked her way into an armbar submission that forced the challenger to tap in just 14 seconds. This record by “Rowdy” is also the second-fastest finish in UFC title fights.
Marcus Aurelio vs. Ryan Roberts
In April 2008, Marcus Aurélio appeared in his third UFC fight and faced Ryan Roberts in a lightweight contest. Aurélio caught Roberts with a powerful, straight punch that sent him crashing down the canvas. He poured more punches on the ground to finish the fight via TKO.
However, Roberts was able to put more resistance, prompting Aurélio to jump on a submission attempt and uncork an armbar attempt, which he cranked hard, leaving him no choice but to tap for the 16-second stoppage.
Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto
Terry Etim scored a swift finish on Edward Faaloloto in November 2011, just 17 seconds into their lightweight clash. Etim landed a spinning head kick against Faaloloto that stunned him and made him scramble for a takedown.
However, the British athlete quickly jumped on a tight guillotine choke that made Faaloloto tap. It was his sixth victory in the UFC and (fourth via submission) since his promotional debut in 2007.
Chas Skelly vs. Maximo Blanco
Chas Skelly left everyone in awe with his quick finish of Maximo Blanco during their featherweight bout in September 2016. Skelly made a running start into the match and landed a front kick that knocked Blanco down the canvas.
“The Scrapper” took Blanco’s back while he was still shell-shocked by the kick he sustained. Skelly immediately transitioned into an anaconda choke that ended the fight in 19 seconds to bag his fifth win in the UFC.
Dennis Hallman vs. Matt Hughes
In December 2000, Dennis Hallman handed Matt Hughes his first loss in the UFC by submitting him via armbar 20 seconds into their welterweight fight. Hughes slammed Hallman twice in the opening phase of the match to inflict damage and potentially jump into a ground-and-pound finish.
Instead, he ran into trouble after giving up his arm, and Hallman fully maximized the opportunity to set up the armbar and eventually force a tap out of Hughes. It was a successful UFC debut for Hallman.
