With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from January 2026: Here are the nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month award for January.

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

Nominee: Pierre Manzo def Nicolas Santos at ARES 38

Pierre Manzo continued the strong start to his young career with a tenacious choke out of Nicolas Santos in a welterweight regional bout in France.

Once Manzo (2-0) snatched onto an anaconda choke, he was relentless. He wouldn't let go of Santos' (4-2) neck until the fight was over, all of which happened in just 94 seconds.

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Nominee: Jonathan Micallef def. Oban Elliott at UFC 325

Jonathan Micallef rallied to score a conclusive stoppage in his second octagon appearance against Oban Elliott.

Micallef (8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) became the first to submit Elliott (12-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in MMA competition when he put him to sleep with a rear-naked choke less than four minutes into the second round of a fight he was losing.

JUST LIKE THAT 💥

Jonathan Micallef gets the submission victory in round two! #UFC325

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/m9QX7dEu2I

— UFC (@ufc) February 1, 2026

Nominee: Billy Elekana def. Junior Tafa at UFC 325

Billy Elekana picked up his third UFC win in a row when he submitted Junior Tafa in the second round of their light heavyweight.

The first round was a slugfest as both men slung leather toward the other. Tafa (6-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) landed his fair share of hard blows, but Elekana (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) neutralized danger, got the fight to the ground and finish with a rear-naked choke.

Make that 3 in a row for Billy Elekana 👊

He's leaving #UFC325 with the submission victory!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Q05S8fqAcg

— UFC (@ufc) February 1, 2026

The winner: Quillan Salkilld def. Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 325

Quillan Salkilld continues to look like the real deal as a future lightweight contender with a one-sided finish of Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 325.

After making waves in his previous octagon appearance with a vicious head kick knockout of Nasrat Haqparast, Australia's Salkilld (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) reminded everyone that his ground game is serious, too, when he took Mullarkey (18-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) down early, moved to the back and forced a tap due to what was announced as a rear-naked choke, but looked like a neck crack.

Wasted no time in this one tonight 😤@QuillanSalkilld gets the submission victory in round one! #UFC325

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/PoMvr4be8a

— UFC (@ufc) February 1, 2026

Although it wasn't the most flashy finish, Salkilld became the first to submit 15-year veteran Mullarkey in MMA competition, and at 26, is showing signs of being the next great Australian fighter.

"Sometimes it ends nice and simple in the first round," Salkilld said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. "I come into these fights expecting everything. We're staying active and we're getting that top 15 opponent next. We don't care who it is."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for January: Quillan Salkilld

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from January 2026: Here are the nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month award for January.

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

Nominee: Nikita Krylov def. Modetas Bukauskas at UFC 324

Not that he needed to, but Nikita Krylov avoided the judges' scorecards with a very late finish of Modestas Bukauskas.

Krylov (31-11 MMA, 12-9 UFC) outpointed Bukauskas (19-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) for a majority of the fight. Just when it seemed the scorecards would determine the winner, Krylov ended the fight with three seconds remaining on the clock.

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Nominee: Keiichiro Nakamura def. Sebastian Szalay at UFC 325

The Road to UFC featherweight final Saturday ended in violent fashion.

Japan's Keiichiro Nakamura pulverized Australia's Sebastian Szalay with a big knee knockout. It was a big stepping left knee that sealed the deal with just over a minute left in the second round and secured Nakamura a UFC contract.

"HE HAS TURNED THE TIDES FOR A CONTRACT" 😮‍💨

Keiichiro Nakamura is the #RTU featherweight winner!

[ #UFC325 | LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/w0EGKkLVEN

— UFC (@ufc) January 31, 2026

The winner: Mauricio Ruffy def. Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325

Mauricio Ruffy vs. Rafael Fiziev was the high-level striking affair many had anticipated. In the end, Ruffy prevailed with a beautiful finish.

The matchup of ranked lightweights was a competitive chess match while it lasted. Ruffy (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) found his opening in the second round and landed a huge right hand that put Fiziev on skates. He chased after him and eventually landed enough strikes to get the referee to jump in for the TKO stoppage at 4:30 of Round 2.

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Ruffy won MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Year for his spinning wheel kick finish of King Green at UFC 313 in March. His hype was derailed by a submission loss to Benoit Saint Denis in September, however, and there were many questions about how he would rebound.

The 29-year-old did so impressively, netting the most high-profile win of his career against Fiziev and opening 2026 as the first Fight of the Month winner.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for January: UFC 325's sniper

Check out this week's "Spinning Back Clique," MMA Junkie's weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week's panel of Brian "Goze" Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

• Alexander Volkanovski did it again. "The Great" defended his UFC featherweight title in his rematch with Diego Lopes in the main event of Saturday's UFC 325. It was a dominant victory that got Volkanovski's second title reign rolling, and got many fans labeling him now as the GOAT at 145 pounds. We break down Volkanovski's big win, and what should be next in his career, along with other key results from the card in Sydney, Australia.
• We take a look at the notable fight bookings made last week, and the news that popped up in MMA. This includes Shavkat Rakhmonov's unfortunate injury, Patchy Mix's surprise UFC release, and much more.
• PFL hosts its first event of 2026 with PFL Dubai. The card is headlined by two championship fights, with lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov taking on 2025 PFL tournament winner Alfie Davis, and Ramazan Kuramagomedov and Shamil Musaev fighting for the vacant welterweight title. We break down these matchups and give our predictions for the fights.
• Lastly, we preview UFC Fight Night 266. In the main event, Mario Bautista looks to bounce back from his defeat to Umar Nurmagomedov and halt the momentum of Brazil's Vinicius Oliveira. In the co-main event, top flyweight contenders Amir Albazi and Kyoji Horiguchi throw down in hopes of getting the next shot at gold. We break down all the notable matchups, and give our picks for the card.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Spinning Back Clique: Volkanovski adds to GOAT case, PFL Dubai preview

During their training camp before UFC 325, Alexander Volkanovski and Mauricio Ruffy spent a lot of time together.

Ahead of his UFC 325 clash against Rafael Fiziev, the exciting Brazilian striker, well-known for being part of the popular ‘Fighting Nerds’, chose to change his fight camp.

Ruffy needed a win in Sydney to stay ranked after his rough loss to Benoit Saint-Denis.

And that is exactly what he did. The 29-year-old put on a strong display and stopped Fiziev in the second round.

Alexander Volkanovski shares that Mauricio Ruffy battled the flu during fight week

Even though he has strong ties to the ‘Fighting Nerds’, Ruffy realised after his defeat to Saint-Denis that he needed a change if he was going to get back on track.

He decided to spend his training camp in Australia with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who was preparing for his main event against Diego Lopes. The move paid off, as Ruffy looked sharp going into his fight.

But things did not go smoothly behind the scenes. Volkanovski later explained that fans were fortunate just to see the 29-year-old make it to the Octagon, highlighting several hurdles the Brazilian had to overcome during camp.

‘The Great’ said during the post-fight press conference: “Man, Ruffy, you know what I will tell you all something, I don’t even know if you know, I knew Rafa vs Ruffy was going to be an incredible fight but put it this way, we’re lucky that Ruffy even turned up this week.

“If you knew half the stuff he went through, he had influenza like legit influenza at the start of the week like crazy fevers, I didn’t even know if he was going to be able to do the weight cut so we had to mentally get him through that.

“Then he had some troubles even (on fight day), big troubles, he couldn’t move but I told him he’s just got to mentally get himself in there, got himself around it and then was able to go and do what he does against someone like Rafa, incredible man. A lot of respect for him to even turn up tonight.”

What is next for Mauricio Ruffy?

Ruffy’s win not only helped him stay in the lightweight rankings, but he might also move into the top 10 with this week’s update.

Going into the fight, Fiziev was ranked ninth, while the Brazilian star was sitting just outside the top 10 at 14th.

With that strong showing against Ataman, there is talk of Ruffy moving up to face a top-eight opponent next. Mateusz Gamrot could be a sensible option.

Diego Lopes revealed the extent of his injuries after a brutal title fight loss at UFC 325, with his manager’s comments shining a stark light on just how punishing the rematch with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski was.

Lopes’ post-fight reaction quickly spread online, underscoring the physical toll of mixed martial arts at the highest level.

His manager’s words captured the reality that for some fighters, a night in the cage can lead to either celebration or serious medical consequences.

Manager Jason House reveals Diego Lopes suffered severe injuries after UFC 325

In a social media post shared publicly by SpinninBackfist, Diego Lopes’ manager, Jason House, wrote candidly about the aftermath of UFC 325.

“Looks like we broke both feet. Some nights you’re at the afterparty, some nights you’re at the ER. But every morning I give thanks for the opportunity to live this life with my best friends,” House wrote.

The comment highlighted the brutal physical cost Lopes paid for stepping into the Octagon against one of the sport’s all-time greats.

Lopes was transported to a hospital following his UFC 325 loss for precautionary evaluations, including imaging on his foot, underlining the severity of what he endured.

Such hospital visits are not uncommon after high-impact contests, particularly when fighters sustain heavy damage over five rounds, but the suggestion of broken feet speaks to how intense the bout was.

Alexander Volkanovski dominated UFC 325 rematch with a unanimous decision

At UFC 325 in Sydney, Alexander Volkanovski successfully defended his UFC Featherweight Championship against Diego Lopes by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring in his favour.

Volkanovski’s performance was technically superior throughout the five rounds, as he used movement, pressure, and precise striking to keep Lopes from gaining momentum.

The three scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45, reflected the champion’s control of the fight from the early stages to the final bell.

This rematch in Sydney was the second consecutive main-event matchup between the pair, following their original meeting in April 2025.

Between the dominant performance by Volkanovski and Lopes’ visible injuries, the fight was both a showcase of elite skill and a reminder of the brutal physical demands of championship MMA competition.

Read more:

UFC 325 results, highlights as Alex Volkanovski defends title over Diego Lopes originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

In a rematch of their 2025 UFC title fight, Alex Volkanovski earned a unanimous victory over Diego Lopes to retain his 145lb belt and etch another moment into his Hall of Fame career.

For the first time since 2017, Volkanovski fans got to see their hero live in action, with the 37-year old delivering on everything fans could want.

In the co-main event, Benoit Saint-Denis had a statement-making stoppage in the third round, leaving a bloodied Dan Hooker in his wake.

MORE: UFC 324 Stock Watch: Biggest risers and fallers after Gaethje vs. Pimblett

Check out the full coverage and results below as Sporting News reported live from Octagon-side at Qudos Bank Arena.

UFC 325 Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 results, highlights

VOLKANOVSKI RETAINS THE BELT. The champ gets the job done in front of his hometown crowd, via unanimous decision (49-46,49-46,50-45).

Round 5: Lopes is significantly picking up the tempo here, trying to engage the champ but, early on, it's ineffective. There's always the hint of danger, though and Lopes links a jab with a takedown. Volkanovski returns to his feet and immediately takes the challenger down, although it looks more like putting his weight on Lopes back rather than a real attempt. Then Lopes does the same. Both fighters return to their feet and, with a minute left, Volkanovski is just sitting on Lopes' chest and raining down punches while egging the crowd on. Mental behaviour and that'll be ballgame, if you're a fan of mixed metaphors. SN Unofficial scorecard: Volkanovski 49-46

Round 4: Lopes controls the middle, Volkanovski circles, left jab, back out of range. Lopes is still making contact on his shots, just not to their potential. His left eye is starting to significantly swell. Late in the frame, Lopes attempts to walk  the champ down and cops a straight right for his troubles. Yet his reaction is minimal. An accidental low blow temporarily pauses proceedings with 55 seconds left and, after the first real back-and-forth exchange with 15 seconds to go, the horn sounds and we're off to the final round. SN Unofficial scorecard: Volkanovski 39-37

Round 3: Both fighters are far more willing to trade yet no-one is getting much work in u til Volkanovski lands massive right hand in the third minute. Lopes barely reacts and it was flush. Volkanovski circles back out of danger with both fighters staying at range and switching stances until, with 30 seconds left, Volk slips (maybe? It was hard to tell in real time but there didn't appear to be contact) and quickly jumps back up. EDIT: Lopes got him on the chin and dropped him. That was quick. SN Unofficial scorecard: Volkanovski 29-28

Round 2: Volkanovski begins round two circling the challenger, with work being directed at Lopes' lead leg. At this early stage, it seems lead leg kicks, left jabs and getting the heck out of dodge when a Lopes bombs is about to be dropped is the game plan. It's working well. Lopes catches Volkanovski with a jab and the champ's eye immediately swells. The duo then trade half-in submissions and we're off to round 3. SN Unofficial scorecard: Volkanovski 20-18

Round 1: Both fighters tentative in the opening minutes with Volkanovski staying at range, throwing feints and lopes content to do the same. The action is coming in flurries with the champ potentially getting the best of the brief action. A late takedown attempt from Volkanovski is defended and the round ends with the champing circling Lopes, planting two consecutive jabs right on the snout. SN Unofficial scorecard: Volkanovski 10-9

3:25pm AEDT: Bruce has entered the Octagon. See you on the other side.

3:02pm AEDT: To borrow some local parlance, this place will be wildly oscillating between feral and berko when Men at Work's "Land Down Under" kicks in. The wait is almost over.

3:00pm AEDT: Saint-Denis ends it early and Captain New Zealand ends up on the wrong end of a TKO. And now we wait.

2:40pm AEDT: With Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Dan Hooker underway, we're edging ever closer to the main event and it can't come fast enough. Qudos Bank Arena is a loud, potentially structurally-impacted arena right now.

UFC 325 Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 fight card and results

Main Card

• Alex Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes for the UFC Featherweight title
• Benoit Saint-Denis def. Dan Hooker (via TKO)
• Rafael Fiziev def. by Mauricio Ruffy (viaTKO)
• Tai Tuivasa def. by Tallison Teixeira (unanimous decision)
• Quillan Salkilled def. Jamie Mullarkey (via submission)

Prelims

• Junior Tafa def. by Billy Elekana (via submission)
• Cam Rowston def. Cody Brundage (via TKO)
• Jacob Malkoun def. Torrez Finney (via unanimous decision)
• Jonathan Micaellef def. Oban Elliott (via submission)

Early Prelims

• Kaan Ofli def. Yizha (via majority decision)
• Sangwook Kim def. by Dom Mar Fan (via unanimous decision)
• Keichiro Nakamura def. Sebastian Szalay (via TKO)
• Sulangrangbo def. by Lawrence Lui (via split decision)

UFC 325 full card results from Alex Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

In a rematch of their 2025 UFC title fight, Alex Volkanovski earned a unanimous victory over Diego Lopes to retain his 145lb belt and etched another milestone into his Hall of Fame resume.

For the first time since 2017, Volkanovski fans got to see their hero live in action, with the 37-year old delivering on everything fans could want.

In the co-main event, Benoit Saint-Denis had a statement-making stoppage in the third round, leaving a bloodied Dan Hooker in his wake.

MORE: UFC 324 Stock Watch: Biggest risers and fallers after Gaethje vs. Pimblett

Check out the full coverage and results below as Sporting News reported live from Octagon-side at Qudos Bank Arena.

UFC 325 Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 fight card and results

Main Card

• Alex Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes (unanimous decision)
• Benoit Saint-Denis def. Dan Hooker (via TKO)
• Rafael Fiziev def. by Mauricio Ruffy (viaTKO)
• Tai Tuivasa def. by Tallison Teixeira (unanimous decision)
• Quillan Salkilled def. Jamie Mullarkey (via submission)

Prelims

• Junior Tafa def. by Billy Elekana (via submission)
• Cam Rowston def. Cody Brundage (via TKO)
• Jacob Malkoun def. Torrez Finney (via unanimous decision)
• Jonathan Micaellef def. Oban Elliott (via submission)

Early Prelims

• Kaan Ofli def. Yizha (via majority decision)
• Sangwook Kim def. by Dom Mar Fan (via unanimous decision)
• Keichiro Nakamura def. Sebastian Szalay (via TKO)
• Sulangrangbo def. by Lawrence Lui (via split decision)