Submission of the Year: Toby Imada's Inverted Triangle

Toby Imada registered one of the most spectacular submission finishes in the history of MMA this past May when he applied an inverted triangle choke against Jorge Masvidal to advance to the finals of the Bellator lightweight tournament.

Imada's submission is the easy choice for submission of 2009 -- and rightfully so. However, let's not forget some of the other great finishing holds unraveled inside the ring and cage this past year. Read about Imada's finish and others as I count down the top five submissions of 2009.

Honorable Mention: Naoyuki Kotani vs. Daisuke Nakamura, ZST.22
A move more fitting in the pro wrestling's squared circle, the leg scissors choke made a cameo in MMA last month when ZST veteran Naoyuki Kotani rendered Daisuke Nakamura unconscious with the maneuver. The move is taught in a basic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class, but rarely attempted in MMA because it carries a low success rate. Kotani showed it's not necessarily a move to completely neglect.