Every time a UFC HW title fight has ended in submission

[650lb Sumo]

7/2/1997 - UFC 12: Mark Coleman defeated Dan Severn by scarf hold in Round 1 to claim the inaugural belt.

19/6/2004 - UFC 48: Frank Mir defeated Tim Sylvia by technical submission to armbar in Round 1 to claim the vacant belt.

5/2/2005 - UFC 51: Andrei Arlovski defeated Tim Sylvia by Achilles lock in Round 1 to claim the interim belt.

2/2/2008 - UFC 81: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeated Tim Sylvia by arm-in guillotine in Round 3 to claim the vacant interim belt.

3/7/2010 - UFC 116: Brock Lesnar defeated Shane Carwin by arm triangle in Round 2 to unify the belts (Brock had the normal belt and Carwin had the interim belt).

13/6/2015 - UFC 188: Fabricio Werdum defeated Cain Velasquez by arm-in guillotine in Round 3 to unify the belts (Werdum had the interim belt and Cain had the normal belt).

4/3/2023 - UFC 285 - Jon Jones defeated Ciryl Gane by arm-in guillotine in Round 1 to claim the vacant belt.

Only 7 HW title fights have ended in submission in 26 years.

The vacant normal belt has been won by submission.
The vacant interim belt has been won by submission.
The normal belt has been defended by submission, but only against a challenger who has the interim belt.
The interim belt has been defended by submission, but only against the champion with the normal belt (so the interim belt disappears).
The normal belt has changed hands by submission, but only to a challenger who has the interim belt.
The interim belt has changed hands by submission.

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Mir did it best

BWR Respect

 

[GBJohn]

Only seven submissions, and three of them were Big Timmy doing the tapping. That’s more noteworthy to me than any of the rest of it.

 

[Dionysian]

Nice. Nog/Werdum/Jon guillotine brothers.

 

[Dr Fong]

Nice. Nog/Werdum/Jon guillotine brothers.

Guillotine is the most unsatisfying finish in MMA and always has been.

I am aware that I will now be humped to death by a million angry people wearing rash guards.

 

[Dionysian]

Guillotine is the most unsatisfying finish in MMA and always has been.

I am aware that I will now be humped to death by a million angry people wearing rash guards.

Blasphemy

... and spoken like a dude who has clearly never guillotined someone

 

[gokmev]

Only seven submissions, and three of them were Big Timmy doing the tapping. That’s more noteworthy to me than any of the rest of it.

He didn't tap to arm bar though. Bad ass story it is. Mir broke Sylvia's fore arm. Herb Dean sees it and stops the fight. Sylvia doesn't realise he has a broken arm and argues with Dean about the early stoppage. After he goes to hospital and learns about the broken bone, he thanks Herb Dean for the stoppage.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

He didn't tap to arm bar though. Bad ass story it is. Mir broke Sylvia's fore arm. Herb Dean sees it and stops the fight. Sylvia doesn't realise he has a broken arm and argues with Dean about the early stoppage. After he goes to hospital and learns about the broken bone, he thanks Herb Dean for the stoppage.

LOL that was funny seeing him argue about it with his arm dangling around. He must not have noticed it or something but it was clear on video lol