Rear-Naked Choke

The most-finished submission in MMA

The rear-naked choke (RNC) is the most common finishing submission in MMA. From a back-mount position, the attacker wraps a forearm across the front of the opponent's neck, locks a figure-four grip with the other arm, and compresses both carotid arteries to cut blood flow to the brain. The opponent loses consciousness within seconds if the choke is locked in correctly.

Khabib Nurmagomedov ended his career with multiple RNC finishes including the Justin Gaethje title-fight finish in his retirement bout (transitioned from a triangle to an armbar — the exception). His teammates Islam Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev, Belal Muhammad, and Magomed Ankalaev all have RNC finishes at UFC level. Charles Oliveira holds the UFC record for most submission finishes; the majority are RNCs.

Mechanics

• Position: back mount with both legs hooked inside the opponent's legs (both "hooks in"), or with a body triangle locked around the opponent's torso.
• Choking arm placement: the choking-arm forearm crosses the front of the opponent's neck, bicep on one side of the neck, forearm on the other. The hand of the choking arm grabs the bicep of the other arm.
• Locking arm: the other arm rotates over the back of the opponent's head, with the hand reaching behind the attacker's own head. This is the figure-four lock.
• Pressure: the attacker squeezes the elbows together while pulling the lock tight, with the chest expanded and the back arched slightly for additional pressure.
• Finish: the carotid compression cuts cerebral blood flow. The opponent loses consciousness in 6-10 seconds if the choke is fully locked in. They tap before that or they go unconscious.

Setup from back control

• Hands fight: the attacker fights the opponent's defensive grips on the choking arm. The opponent typically pulls down on the wrist or elbow of the choking arm to prevent it from crossing the throat.
• Chin tuck defense: the opponent tucks their chin to their chest to block the choke. The attacker counters by either prying the chin up with the forearm or transitioning to a different attack (armbar, triangle, mounted triangle, kimura).
• Body triangle: when the opponent is escaping the hooks, the attacker can lock a body triangle (one leg over the other, ankle behind the knee) to maintain back control while fighting for the RNC.
• Cross-face from back control: pulling the head with a free hand to expose the neck.

Common errors

• Choking the windpipe: if the forearm crosses the front of the throat at the Adam's apple instead of compressing the carotids on the sides of the neck, the choke becomes a slow air-choke rather than a fast blood-choke. The opponent has more time to defend.
• No grip on the bicep: without the figure-four lock, the choking arm has no leverage and the opponent can pull it off.
• Losing the hooks: as the opponent fights, the hooks can come loose. Losing one hook starts the slide back to half-back or scrambles.
• No pressure with the back: just squeezing with the arms produces a slow finish. The whole upper body — chest expanded, back arched — adds the compression.

Defending the RNC

• Hand fight early: prevent the choking arm from getting across the throat in the first place. Both of the defender's hands fight the attacker's choking-side wrist.
• Chin tuck: keep the chin pressed against the chest to block the forearm from sliding across the throat.
• Two-on-one wrist fight: both of the defender's hands on the attacker's choking-arm wrist, pulling down hard to keep the choke from setting.
• Escape the hooks: if the attacker is on the back without a body triangle, the defender can work to unhook the legs and slide down to half-back or guard.
• Roll into the choke: as the choke begins to set, rolling toward the choking arm can loosen the grip and create an escape opportunity.

Variations

• Body triangle RNC: a body triangle locks the attacker on the back; the RNC follows from that position. Used by Demian Maia and Brian Ortega.
• Standing RNC: the choke from back control while standing — the attacker has back-mount hooks while the defender is still on their feet. Famously hit by Cody Garbrandt and Jon Jones.
• No-hooks RNC: the rare RNC where the attacker secures the choke without leg hooks. Requires extreme grip strength and tight timing.
• Crucifix RNC: from a crucifix position (both of the opponent's arms trapped), the RNC is set without the opponent being able to hand-fight.

Exemplified by

• Khabib Nurmagomedov — the McGregor finish at UFC 229 (neck crank variant), the Poirier finish at UFC 242 (pure RNC), and the Dustin Poirier sequence in the Tsarukyan title defense.
• Charles Oliveira — UFC record-holder for submission finishes. Multiple RNC finishes across his lightweight career.
• Brian Ortega — body triangle and RNC chain that finished Frankie Edgar at UFC 222.
• Kamaru Usman — the welterweight title defense over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 ended in a KO, but the title win at UFC 235 over Tyron Woodley showed the back-take and RNC threat that defines his game.
• Demetrious Johnson — multiple RNC finishes across his flyweight career, including the Henry Cejudo win at UFC 197.

Drills

• Positional reps from back control: start with hooks in and the choking arm halfway across the neck; finish the RNC against a defending partner.
• Hand-fight drill: partner defends the choking arm with two hands; attacker works the hand-fight to get the choking arm in position.
• Chin tuck defense drill: partner attacks the RNC; defender practices chin tuck and two-on-one hand-fight to defend.
• Body triangle attack chain: drill the body triangle entry from back control, then the RNC finish from the body triangle.
• Live ground sparring from back control: 3 × 3 min rounds starting with one partner on the back; both work the attack and defense.