UFC 5 Submission Tips to Escape, Counter, Slam & Submit Your Opponent

If you're getting ready to dive in as a veteran or a newcomer, knowing how to handle submissions in UFC 5 can be crucial. Even if you're not looking to win by tapout, you'll want to know what to do when the UFC 5 roster serves you up a submission specialist.

In this comprehensive UFC 5 Submissions Guide we'll break down the controls and tips you need both on offense and defense. Work on your stamina management, learn how to counter when it matters, and maybe even attempt a Flying Armbar if you're feeling frisky.

UFC 5 Submissions Guide & Tips

If you're hoping to win by submission in UFC 5, that'll most likely (but not exclusively) be happening from the ground. That usually means the first thing you want to master is takedowns and transitions. You can't hope to lock on a submission if you can't get into position for it.

Even then, knowing the UFC 5 controls won't always be enough by itself. You'll have to learn how to manage your stamina throughout each moment, know when to try for reversals, and most importantly understand which moves your fighter actually has access to.

If you're playing in Career Mode, you usually start with only a few basic submissions, but you'll have to build relationships with other fighters and use the Invite Fighter option to learn new types of submissions from them. Similarly, upgrading your takedowns and transitions by executing them in fights will not only earn you Evolution Points but sometimes unlock access to more advanced maneuvers.

In this comprehensive UFC 5 Submissions Guide, we'll break down some of the ways you can go for submissions in the game and top tips to ensure your opponent is the only one tapping out. While you can still use full legacy controls, here we'll be talking about the new Grapple Assist and Hybrid options in the UFC 5 controls.

Submission Transitions & Stamina Tips

First off, one of the most crucial things when it comes to managing submissions and the ground game is maneuvering between transitions while monitoring your stamina. Every single action will drain stamina, and sometimes even if you're on the ground your fighter will have to stop and wait.

How you do that will vary by situation. You can stay on the ground and try to just hold position while stamina recovers and defend if your opponent tries to shift things. Alternatively, you may prefer to get away from the ground altogether and get up to allow your stamina to recover while standing.

When you do have the stamina to make things happen, especially as you're still learning movesets for a fighter, try to make a habit of pressing LT or L2 to check for submissions from basically every possible position. After every single transition, check to see what submissions are possible from that position whether you're on top or on bottom.

If you're having trouble getting submissions locked on, you may want to work on wearing your opponent down first with strikes (standing or while on the ground) until they're more stunned. Similarly, if you find yourself stunned, do your best to avoid landing in a vulnerable submission prone position.

How to Win by Submission in UFC 5

We'll get into more advanced techniques below, but winning by submission isn't actually as daunting as it may seem. Your strategy won't be that far off from trying to win by knockout or even a long-term decision, as you'll want to execute careful fighting and need to significantly damage your opponent before a win is possible.

Everything in UFC 5, just like real world mixed martial arts, is cumulative. Even if you don't secure the tap out right away, every single submission attempt is going to get you closer to victory. It'll wear down the stamina and body damage on them, and every consecutive attempt will be harder for them to get out of.

If you're in Career Mode, make sure to use your submissions liberally in sparring sessions whether they're drills or the longer fighter bouts where you're learning a new move. You risk ending the session with a completed submission, but it's often going to be worthwhile to at least make a few attempts as they'll upgrade the move itself.

Ultimately, this is a war of attrition. If you manage the right timed early strikes and have top-notch attributes you might submit someone early, but it could take multiple attempts. Keep fighting, keep struggling, keep going for every single submission you have access to, and before long you'll be tapping opponents out every single night.

How to Counter, Escape, and Slam in Submissions

You'll normally look to use the Right Stick (to the left or right) to escape out of submissions. While this won't always work as a skilled attacker can stop them, they tend to be quicker than more complex reversals and actions.

If you're specifically escaping from triangle to half guard, it can lead to you picking up your opponent and slamming them down to the mat. You'll move the Right Stick to the right looking for half guard which will then change to side control when you attempt the slam.

If you want to score a full submission counter, hold LT or L2 while moving the Right Stick to the left or right. Whether you have this option will depend on both the position you're in and the moves your fighter already knows. For example, a Guillotine can be countered into the Von Flue or you can turn the tides on a Heel Hook.

If you're having trouble with any of these ways out, the best option in an active fight may be to try and win the cardio war. Hold RB or R1 to struggle and it'll drain both you and your opponent's stamina, so ideally you want more stamina than your opponent when you try this.

Pulling Guard & Flying Submissions from the Clinch

Finally, for the most advanced techniques and ones that only specific fighters will have access to, you can look for flying submissions or pulling guard while in the clinch. For most of these, you'll need to be in a very specific position to have access to the maneuver.

For example, pulling guard will be done from the Over Under position which can be reached by pressing RT or R2 immediately after going for a Double Leg takedown. Once in position, press RB + X or R1 + Square to Pull Guard. If you want to instead finish that Guard Pull with a Sweep to Mount, press RB + Y or R1 + Triangle while in Over Under to execute that move.

If you're still struggling to get into the right spot, spend some time in Practice Mode, Fight Now, and the sparring drills in Career Mode practicing specifically clinch transitions and attacks. As for the flying submissions you can attempt, here are just a few to keep in mind:

As mentioned before, be sure to check your own fighters moves to have an idea of which of these you may actually have access to. If you're in Career Mode, you'll likely have to learn some of these from other fighters down the line.

That wraps up our overview in this UFC 5 Submissions Guide, but it'll take practice to really become an expert. Try switching up the difficulty to find the one that's most comfortable for you or make things a bit harder if things feel too simple. If you just can't stand submissions and even these tips aren't helping, you can always switch the game to Stand & Bang mode to go pure striking and disable all grappling and submissions.