The multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion continued his seemingly inexorable march towards a title shot, wrapping up his fourth pro MMA win in ONE – all of them first-round finishes, with three submissions.

The win made the Brazilian one of the top contenders in ONE’s heavyweight division, and cemented him as one of the biggest submission threats in MMA.

He also paid an emotional tribute after the fight to his late friend and training partner Leandro Lo who died in a tragic shooting at a nightclub in Brazil in August, saying it had been the most challenging time of his life to stay focused.

4. Reinier de Ridder

Reinier de Ridder also showed off his submission chops this year.

He defended his middleweight belt by submitting former champ Vitaly Bigdash with an inverted triangle choke inside a round.

His latest fight in Manila might not have panned out, but De Ridder by far remains one of the promotion’s biggest submission threats.

3. Shamil Gasanov

Featherweight MMA prospect Shamil Gasanov also put himself in the running for our 2022 submission of the year award when he tapped South Korean contender Kim Jae-woong with a rear-naked choke in just over two minutes in October.

Beating a fighter like Kim, who was once considered the featherweight division’s top contender, is commendable under any circumstances.

The fact the unbeaten Russian “Cobra” (13-0) did it in his ONE debut made it all the more impressive.

Chinese champion Tang Kai certainly has plenty of threats lurking heading into 2023, and a showdown with fellow Tiger Muay Thai representative Gasanov could be one of them.

Runner-Up: Tye Ruotolo

The 19-year-old American Tye Ruotolo and his twin brother Kade – both accomplished BJJ blackbelts – took ONE’s new submission grappling divisions by storm in 2022.

The brothers went 5-0 in the Circle, and took home a combined US$150,000 in post-fight bonuses. And while Kade was the only one to win a belt – he’s now the ONE lightweight champ – it was Tye who pulled off one of the best subs of the year.

It happened in his debut at ONE 157 on May 20 in Singapore. His opponent on the night was Garry Tonon, one of the top submission grapplers of the last decade, and one of the promotion’s best featherweight mixed martial artists.

Despite Tonon’s accolades on the mat, Tye won the fight with a D’Arce choke – his signature attack and one of the more difficult subs in grappling – inside two minutes.

Winner: Angela Lee

There were many reasons to doubt atomweight MMA champ Angela Lee (11-3) ahead of her title defence against Stamp Fairtex at ONE X in Singapore in March.

It was the Canadian-American’s first fight back after the birth of her first child, and she admitted several times to having some difficulty getting back into fighting shape. Concerns about her suffering from the dreaded “ring rust” were rampant too, as she had been out more than two years all told. And her opponent Stamp was on fire at the time, having just won ONE’s atomweight grand prix with a submission of Indian wrestling champion Ritu Phogat.

It had the potential to be a rough night at the office for the 26-year-old champion, and early on, it looked like that was the way things would go, as she was badly hurt by a first-round body shot from her Thai challenger.

Yet in a remarkable display of heart, Lee surged back in the second, attacking a slew of submissions in succession – including a rare twister – until she finally locked up a rear-naked choke to end it. The comeback win was good for a US$50,000 bonus courtesy of ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

The win over Stamp marked Lee’s fifth defence of the atomweight belt, which she won with a decision against Mei Yamaguchi in 2016, when she was just 19, and silenced the doubters that questioned her ahead of her comeback.

Be sure to check back over the next two weeks for the rest of our ONE Championship 2022 awards, including best KO, fighter of the year, and plenty more.