MMAjunkie's 'Submission of the Month' for April: A Von Preux for you

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie looks at the best submissions from April.

Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for April.

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

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The Nominees

Charles Oliveira def. Will Brooks at UFC 210

Officially back in the lightweight division, submission specialist Charles Oliveira (22-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) made short work of former Bellator champion Will Brooks (18-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC).

Expertly using his grappling skills, Oliveira took full advantage of a lack of sweat to sink in and hold a standing rear-naked choke on Brooks. The finish moved the Brazilian into a tie for the second most submission wins in UFC history, just one shy of UFC Hall of Fame inductee Royce Gracie.

Zak Cummings def. Nathan Coy at UFC on FOX 24

Zak Cummings (21-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) brought his best stuff for his hometown crowd in Kansas City, which proved to be bad news for fellow welterweight veteran Nathan Coy (15-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC).

After stinging Coy with punches on the feet, Cummings locked up a guillotine choke off a Coy takedown attempt and squeezed it until his opponent lost consciousness. Coy went out before he could tap, and the referee shamefully allowed Cummings to hold the choke for several seconds before becoming aware of the situation and stopping the fight.

Rose Namajunas def. Michelle Waterson at UFC on FOX 24

Watch out, strawweight division. Rose Namajunas (6-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is on a mission for the title, and she scored a dominant win over Michelle Waterson (14-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in what was perhaps the most impressive and notable triumph of her career.

A head kick from Namajunas put Waterson down in the second round of their fight, but it was the choke that finished the job. Namajunas jumped to her opponent’s back and locked up the rear-naked choke when presented with an opening. Waterson fought the choke gamely, but couldn’t escape and was ultimately forced to tap.

Demetrious Johnson def. Wilson Reis at UFC on FOX 24

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1 MMA, 14-1-1 UFC) tied the promotion’s record for consecutive title defenses without much resistance. The way in which he did it, however, was downright demoralizing for opponent Wilson Reis (22-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC).

Johnson picked up his 10th straight UFC title defense – tying ex-middleweight champ Anderson Silva – with another masterful performance, battering Reis on the feet and on the ground before mercifully deciding to end the fight in the third round courtesy of a slick armbar.

Ovince Saint Preux def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC Fight Night 108

Former interim UFC light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux (20-10 MMA, 8-5 UFC) seems to have found a trademark finisher in the form of a submission rarely seen executed in MMA – let alone at the highest level of the sport.

For the second time in his UFC career, Saint Preux won with a Von Flue choke (http://mmajunkie.com/2017/04/ufc-fight-night-108-results-ovince-saints-preux-von-flue-choke-submission), forcing opponent Marcos Rogerio de Lima (15-5-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) to tap out nearly the midway point of the second time as he slickly applied the unorthodox choke on his hapless foe.

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The Winner: Ovince Saint Preux

Once Saint Preux took de Lima off his feet in their light heavyweight bout, he fared considerably better than while they were exchanging in the striking department.

Aided by the octagon and de Lima’s lack of jiu-jitsu defense, Saint Preux pulled off his second Von Flue choke in the UFC – and just the third overall in company history.

Lima, who came in four pounds overweight, tapped at the 2:11 mark of the second round, putting Saint Preux back in the win column after a 1-4 skid. Lima has hopscotched between wins and losses in his past six outings.

Initially, it appeared Saint Preux was having trouble pulling the trigger against the Brazilian, who spent the majority of the opening frame attempting to attack his legs, whirling around when they met air. Saint Preux snuck in a few right hands when de Lima tried to corner him, and he appeared to have a speed advantage with his fists. Seizing the initiative was his problem.

That wasn’t the case in the second round. Saint Preux snatched an early kick and converted it to a takedown, putting de Lima against the fence with plenty of time to work. With a cut bleeding generously over his left eye, Lima took a few elbows before tying up Saint Preux’s head. When he didn’t let go, Saint Preux shifted weight onto his shoulder, setting up the rarely seen Von Flue. When de Lima didn’t, or couldn’t get up, the air suddenly became too thin, and a tap followed.