MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month for June: Dvalishvili taps O’Malley in rematch
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from June 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for June.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominee: Kevin Holland def. Vicente Luque at UFC 316
Kevin Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) flipped the script when he tapped Vicente Luque (23-11-1 MMA, 16-7 UFC) with a choke similar to the Brazilian’s signature maneuver in their welterweight bout.
Holland defeated Vicente Luque with an anaconda choke (officially announced as a D’Arce choke) just 63 seconds into the second round,. The submission came after a strong first-round effort put forth by Holland, as he stunned Luque with a big standing elbow that wobbled him. Holland swarmed, but Luque was able to evade and make it long enough to get submitted.
Nominee: Kayla Harrison def. Julianna Peña at UFC 316
First, an Olympic gold medalist. Then, a PFL champion. Now, a UFC champion. Kayla Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) added a new trophy for the case in emphatic fashion when she put away Julianna Peña (13-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) to claim women’s bantamweight gold.
The first round was all Harrison, as she dragged Peña to the canvas with relative ease. Though the moment proved not to matter in the end, referee Vitor Ribeiro deducted a point from Peña for multiple illegal upkicks to the grounded Harrison. Early in Round 2, Harrison dragged the fight back to the canvas, where she grabbed hold of Peña’s arm in a kimura and torqued until the submission came.
Nominee: Ronnie Gibbs def. Biaggio Ali Walsh at 2025 PFL World Tournament 7
One of the biggest upsets in PFL history – and the sport – was registered courtesy of Ronnie Gibbs (2-0) against Biaggio Ali Walsh (2-1)
Ali Walsh, grandson of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and one of PFL’s most promoted names, was submitted by promotional newcomerGibbs in a shocking result. Ali Walsh entered the bout on some sports books as high as a -2000 favorite. Gibbs was also fighting at lightweight, a weight class above his usual fighting weight of 145 pounds.
Nominee: Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Kara-France at UFC 317
Alexandre Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) is still on top of the UFC’s flyweight division after turning in another dominant title defense against Kai Kara-France (25-12 MMA, 8-5 UFC) .
The fight was one-way traffic throughout for the champion. Pantoja kept the pressure high by getting Kara-France to the ground early in Round 3. He once again found the back with plenty of time to work. This time, Pantoja went harder for the submission. He found the rear-naked choke opening and clamped down until the tap came.
The winner: Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley at UFC 316
Merab Dvalishvili is a “Machine.”
In the UFC 316 main event, Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defeated Sean O’Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) even more emphatically than he did the first time the two fought, as he retained his title via North-South neck crank. The stoppage came at 4:42 of Round 3.
Dvalishvili found success in the opening round, as he relied on his signature relentless pace and aggression. O’Malley tried his best to fend off takedown attempts, but they came repeatedly at him. Dvalishvili mixed in his striking in the clinch and on the ground.
In Round 2, O’Malley found increasing success. In one particular sequence he cracked Dvalishvili with a hard left hand on the break. But Dvalishvili kept moving forward. The round ended with a crazy spinning sequence from both fighters, who somehow ended up tied up with one another when the bell sounded. The crowd let them know their appreciation.
Round 3 saw Dvalishvili drag O’Malley down. Just as the crowd became restless, Dvalishvili shifted into North-South position, grabbed hold, and cranked. Then came the tap.
