MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for December: Alexandre Pantoja strangles Kai Asakura

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from December 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month award for December.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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Nominees

Nominee: Chase Hooper def. Clay Guida at UFC 310

Chase Hooper (15-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) defeated Clay Guida in a grappling match in the past, and he repeated the result in the octagon in their lightweight bout.

Hooper showed continued growth in his striking game before outclassing Guida on the ground and locking up an armbar for the tap less than four minutes into the first round. As a result, Guida set a new record for most UFC losses in a career.

Nominee: Michael Chiesa def. Max Griffin at UFC 310

Michael Chiesa (18-7 MMA, 13-7 UFC) is no stranger to the rear-naked choke, and he made that known once again in his welterweight matchup with Max Griffin.

After controlling a majority of the action through two rounds, Chiesa got Griffin his most dangerous position on the ground. He locked in his trademark choke, and forced Griffin to submit for the first time in his MMA career.

Nominee: Vicente Luque def. Themba Gorimbo at UFC 310

After a brain bleed nearly ended his career several years ago, Vicente Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) showed he should not be written off yet when he destroyed Themba Gorimbo.

Luque moved into second place on the all-time welterweight finishes list when he rocked Gorimbo early in the fight. He then latched onto an anaconda choke that put his opponent out cold just 52 seconds into the contest.

The winner

The Winner: Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Asakura at UFC 310

Alexandre Pantoja denied Kai Asakura's opportunity to make history by becoming the first UFC champion from Japan.

Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) proved to be the superior fighter by choking out former RIZIN FF champion and UFC newcomer Asakura (21-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC). The rear-naked choke submission came at 2:05 of Round 2.

This fight started in a blur. Pantoja quickly closed the distance with strikes, prompting a counter jumping knee from Asakura. The champ responded with a big punch before things slowed down in the clinch. Pantoja took the fight to the ground, but not much took place before Asakura got back to his feet.

The challenger darted in and out with a variety of strikes while Pantoja patiently countered and charged forward with hard punches and kicks when he recognized an opportunity.

Pantoja came out aggressively in Round 2, using strikes to set up a takedown attempt. Denied initially, Pantoja scrambled his way to Asakura's back and quickly locked in a body triangle.

Soon, the rear-naked choke was slapped on, and the squeeze put Asakura to sleep.

Cast Your Vote!

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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for December: Alexandre Pantoja strangles Kai Asakura