How does a submission work in MMA?
B · Beginner · How fights end and how they are scored · 4 of 6A submission ends the fight when a fighter gives up in a hold. That can be a tap with any part of the body, a verbal tap, which includes a scream of pain, or a technical submission, when a legal hold leaves the fighter unconscious or with a broken or dislocated joint.
How it works
- Tap out: the fighter physically uses the body to show they no longer wish to continue.
- Verbal tap out: the fighter says so, or screams in pain or distress, whether meaning to or not.
- Technical submission: a legal submission results in unconsciousness or a broken or dislocated bone or joint.
- The referee's part: seeing the tap and stopping the fight at once.
- After the tap: carrying on against an opponent who has tapped out is unsportsmanlike conduct and a foul.
- What may not be attacked: fingers and toes one at a time, the throat with the fingers and the eyes, mouth or nose.
- A slam out of a hold: a fighter caught in a submission who can lift the opponent may bring them down in any fashion.
The glossary has the submission, the tap out, the submission hold, the rear-naked choke, the small joint manipulation and the referee.
Tricky cases
A fighter cries out in pain in an armbar but does not tap. Is the fight over?
Yes. A scream of pain or distress, voluntary or not, is a verbal tap out.
A fighter passes out in a choke without tapping. What is the result?
A technical submission. A legal submission that results in unconsciousness ends the fight.
A fighter taps and then says they did not. Can the fight go on?
No. The fighter indicated that they no longer wished to continue. Whether there was a tap is the referee's judgement.
A fighter caught in a triangle choke lifts the opponent and slams them down head first. Is that the foul of spiking?
No. A fighter placed in a submission hold who can lift the opponent may bring them down in any fashion, because the fighter being lifted is the one in control of the hold and can let go.
Why the rule exists
Joint locks and chokes can do lasting damage in a second or two. The tap lets a fighter end the fight before that happens, and the rule counts a scream as a tap so that a fighter in real trouble does not have to find words or a free hand.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tap | Physical signal | ABC Types of decisions a |
| Verbal tap | Words or a scream | ABC Types of decisions a |
| Technical submission | Unconscious, or bone or joint broken or dislocated | ABC Types of decisions a |
| Small joints | Single fingers and toes may not be attacked | ABC Foul 15 |
| Slamming out of a hold | Legal | ABC Foul 6 |
From the rule book
Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports, Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (as amended 23 July 2024; California State Athletic Commission copy), the types of decisions (a) and fouls 6, 8, 15, 17 and 22. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the association's Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (adopted commission by commission).