This year saw a string of MMA fighters execute some amazing submissions. The massive Richard Hale caught Nik Fekete overlooking his submission prowess and locked on a tight inverted triangle choke that put the talented wrestler to sleep at Bellator 38. Chan Sung Jung, or as most now know him, “The Korean Zombie” pulled off one of the most rare submissions you’ll see in the sport, as he applied the powerful “Twister” to an unsuspecting Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24; it was hands down one of the most brilliant finishes in the history of the sport.

But the spectacular finishes weren’t confined to American based cages, or promotions for that matter. Russian fans were witness to a remarkable modified gogoplata that Vinny Magalhaes pulled out of thin air, cranking the neck of Red Devil product, Viktor Nemkov and forcing the submission, and he did it all from the mount! Shinya Aoki also kept his Japanese fans more than appeased, as he finished his first three fights of 2011 with his patented neck crank. Perhaps Vinny and Shinya should book a lunch and juggle submission dialogue.

He may very well go down as one of the best submission artists in UFC history with numerous highlight reel finishes.  I am talking about former heavyweight champion Frank Mir.  Over the past few years we have had the pleasure of seeing Frank Mir at the top of the mountain and down to the point of obscurity.  Many wrote him off after his fatal motorcycle accident.  However, like a true warrior, Mir overcame the odds and losses exploding back onto the MMA scene.

At UFC 81, a resurging Mir shocked the world when he submitted Brock Lesnar.  This led to his coaching role on the 8^th season of The Ultimate Fighter.  Mir was pitted against fellow heavyweight and Interim Title Holder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  Mir showed his first stage of evolution in their match up at UFC 92 when he defeated Nogueira by TKO. This was the first time Nogueira was ever defeated in that fashion.

UFC Ranking: Heavyweight
see: UFC Ranking: Lightweight
see: UFC Ranking: Welterweight

If you look back on the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division, it was consistently one of the worst as far as UFC ranking weight classes in the company.  If you asked me a couple months back, I would have said it was in the same spot due to injuries and other factors.  The announcement that Junior Dos Santos would fight Brock Lesnar after coaching in The Ultimate Fighter brings the division back, even after losing its champion to injury.