2017's best of MMA so far: The 10 savviest submissions

As the year in cage fighting reaches its halfway point, theScore's MMA staff looks back at a time of chaos, controversy, and lots of people getting clobbered in the face.

2017's best of MMA so far:

• The most thunderous knockouts
• The most absurd, wild, and surreal moments
• The best fight thus far (July 2)

In the second installment of our four-part series, we look at 10 submissions from the past six months that left victims with no hope of escape:

10. Ben Nguyen def. Tim Elliott (UFC Fight Night 110, June 10)

Elliott entered this bout with the reputation of being an absolute animal on the mat. Nguyen needed just 49 seconds to tame him.

The two flyweights locked up immediately, with Elliott trusting that his scrambling ability would get the better of Nguyen. His plan didn't pay off as Nguyen soon jumped on his back and finished him with a rear-naked choke.

9. Diego Brandao def. Murad Machaev (Fight Nights Global 58, Jan. 28)

Twelve months after being released by the UFC, former "Ultimate Fighter" winner Diego Brandao showed that he still has skills worthy of the big show.

The fiery Brazilian combined his explosive strength and black belt jiu-jitsu to send Machaev airborne before catching him with an armbar on the way down that quickly forced a tap.

8. Zak Cummings def. Nathan Coy (UFC on FOX 24, April 15)

Once Cummings got a hold of Coy's neck, he wasn't letting anything get in the way of a submission win.

Showing fantastic reflexes and balance, Cummings fended off a Coy takedown by rolling around to regain top position, all the while working to maintain a guillotine choke. His efforts were rewarded when the move completely shut Coy down.

7. Jonathan Quiroz def. Michael Jackson (California Xtreme Fighting 6, Feb. 28)

An Imanari roll for you, sir?

No, it's not something you'd find on a sushi plate, but rather a slick setup for a submission that was demonstrated beautifully by bantamweight Jonathan Quiroz moments before picking up a win with a leglock.

Rarely has throwing yourself onto your own head in the middle of a fight been so effective.

6. Valentina Shevchenko def. Julianna Pena (UFC on FOX 23, Jan. 28)

Prior to her bout with Pena, all people wanted to talk about was Shevchenko's kickboxing. You couldn't blame them either as "Bullet" comes from a decorated Muay Thai background and she had recently out-struck the dangerous Holly Holm.

Maybe Pena bought into that hype because she did everything in her power to turn their main event encounter into a tactical grappling affair. For two rounds that strategy was working, but Shevchenko suddenly threw up a lightning fast armbar to submit Pena and secure a shot at the UFC women's bantamweight championship.

5. Iuri Alcantara def. Luke Sanders (UFC 209, March 4)

Sanders was soundly beating Alcantara for one-and-a-half rounds before getting a little too comfortable on the ground.

As he punched away at Alcantara from back position, Sanders couldn't prevent Alcantara from cleverly intertwining their legs to set up a gorgeous transition into a kneebar. As soon as the hold is sunk in, you can see Sanders calmly signal his submission as he realizes he's been caught.

4. Ajmal Atalwal def. Krzysztof Golaszewski (Octagon Fighting Sensation 11, March 4)

Future opponents of Atalwal better be careful, otherwise they could be next to get taken for a ride.

Guillotine chokes come in a variety of forms and Atalwal contributed his own unique addition to the collection with a "carousel" maneuver that had his poor opponent literally spinning in the air. Fortunately, the victim had the good sense to tap out before his head was twisted off of his shoulders.

3. Ali Bagov def. Bubba Jenkins (ACB 54, March 11)

Like a good punch, sometimes the most dangerous move is the one you don't see coming.

Jenkins is probably still wondering what devilry Bagov used to put him to sleep when they fought in March. It appears to be some variation of a triangle choke with elements of a gogoplata, but whatever it was it left Jenkins looking like someone who'd taken too much drowsy medication.

2. Suman Mokhtarian def. Rodian Menchavez (Hex Fight Series 9, June 23)

Um, awkward?

Getting your head stuffed between your opponent's legs in the middle of a fight is something you'd want to avoid in any circumstance, but Menchavez found out that the position could be as lethal as it is embarrassing.

Using what can only be described as a "teepee choke," Mokhtarian squeezed Menchavez's head with all of his limbs to turn the poor guy's lights off.

1. Aleksei Oleinik def. Viktor Pesta (UFC Fight Night 103, Jan. 15)

Traditionally, full mount is one of the most dominant positions in MMA, but for Pesta it was the beginning of the end.

The Czech heavyweight appeared to be in complete control as he got on top of Oleinik, only to be foiled by his opponent's grappling. Oleinik became human quicksand, refusing to give Pesta any room to breathe until he could set up a surprising submission.

Oleinik's arms formed a knot around Pesta's neck, setting up what would be the first successful Ezekiel choke in UFC history. It was the 42nd submission win of Oleinik's career, but it's hard to imagine any of the previous tapouts being sweeter than this one.