The rear-naked choke is the most reliable submission in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts, this is because it is applied from the most dominant position in either sport — the back mount. It takes less than 10-seconds to strangle an opponent unconscious, leaving no time to work on an escape, nor can a competitor tough it out like a joint lock.
The Rear-Naked Choke is the #1 Submission in MMA
ADCC 2017, 2019 and the UFC from Jan 1st to December 31st, 2020
The numbers on the previous two events of the premier no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu no-gi competition, ADCC, as well as the last year of the UFC, backs up the notion that the rear-naked choke being the most reliable submission.