Standing Rear Naked Choke

Last updated: June 20, 2026

What is a standing rear naked choke?

The rear naked choke is a chokehold applied from behind an opponent’s back, using only the arms with no grip on clothing. That last detail is where the word “naked” comes from: unlike many judo and gi-based chokes, this one needs nothing but the attacker’s own limbs. In Japanese martial arts, it goes by hadaka jime, or “naked choke,” and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners call it mata leão, Portuguese for “lion killer.”

The “standing” label simply tells you where it happens. Most rear naked chokes finish on the ground from back mount, but the same hold can be locked in while both fighters are upright, usually after one takes the other’s back in a clinch or during a scramble. The mechanics of the choke itself do not change. What changes is the position around it.

It is a blood choke, not an air choke. The pressure does not crush the windpipe so much as squeeze the two carotid arteries on either side of the neck, which is what makes it fast and, when released in time, recoverable. A reader who hears commentators mention a standing rear naked choke is hearing about this specific situation: the back taken, the arm in, the squeeze applied, all before anyone hits the canvas.

How the standing version works

The choking arm encircles the neck so the throat sits in the crook of the elbow, then the hand grips the attacker’s own opposite biceps or shoulder. The free hand braces behind the head. Bringing the elbows together draws the forearm and biceps into both sides of the neck, closing off the carotids. Done cleanly, unconsciousness follows in seconds.

On the ground, the attacker locks the position with a body triangle or by hooking the legs inside the opponent’s thighs, which removes almost every avenue of escape. Standing, none of that lower-body control exists. The attacker has the choke but not the cage of legs around the torso, so the opponent can still move, drop their weight, spin, or drag the fight down. That is why a standing rear naked choke is often a transition rather than a finish, a way to ride an exposed back until the choke either tightens or the action goes to the mat.

Speed is the reason it ends fights at all. One study cited by the University of Calgary on vascular neck restraint, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, examined how cutting carotid flow drops a person. According to a 2025 article in The Conversation, the carotid arteries each carry up to 590ml of blood to the brain every minute, and a rear naked choke takes about 8.9 seconds to render someone unconscious. Recovery, once the grip comes off, typically takes 10 to 20 seconds.

Standing vs. ground rear naked choke

The confusion most people have is whether the standing version is a different move. It is the same choke in a different place, but the place matters enough to shape how it plays out.

Factor	Standing RNC	Ground RNC
Position	Both fighters upright, attacker on the back	Attacker on the back, usually from back mount
Lower-body control	None; the legs are free	Body triangle or leg hooks lock the opponent in
Escape difficulty	Easier; the opponent can spin, drop, or drag it down	Very difficult once the position is sealed
Typical outcome	Often a transition toward a takedown or a tighter finish	High-percentage finish
Where you see it	Clinch exchanges, back takes against the cage, self-defense	The dominant ground finish in MMA and BJJ

The takeaway for a viewer is that a standing rear naked choke is a more fragile situation than the back-mount version, even though the arm position looks identical.

Is the standing rear naked choke effective?

It can be, but it carries a built-in weakness. With neither the legs nor the torso pinned, the person being choked keeps options that vanish on the ground: sinking their weight, fighting the choking arm, spinning out, or simply hauling the fight to the floor. Standing back chokes that leave the lower body free have a reputation as the easier ones to slip.

Even so, the choke is the same blood choke, and the same carotid pressure applies. If the back is well taken and the arm is in deep, the clock starts ticking, whether the fight is on the feet or the floor. The mata leão earned its “lion killer” name for a reason, and a standing application that gets sealed before the opponent can react ends the night just as cleanly as one from back mount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a standing rear naked choke a blood choke or an air choke?

A blood choke. The pressure targets the carotid arteries on the sides of the neck rather than the windpipe, restricting blood to the brain instead of air to the lungs.

How long does it take to pass out from a rear naked choke?

About 8.9 seconds on average when applied correctly, according to data reported in The Conversation. Recovery after release usually takes 10 to 20 seconds.

Why is it called “naked”?

The name refers to the absence of any grip on clothing. The choke relies only on the attacker’s arms, so it works the same with or without a gi.

Is the standing version common in the UFC?

Less common as a finish than the ground version, because the standing position is harder to hold. It shows up more often as a transition after a fighter takes an exposed back in the clinch or against the cage.

---

Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Rear naked choke.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_naked_choke
2. The Conversation. “The anatomy of fight-ending blows and chokes in combat sports.” February 2025.
   https://theconversation.com/the-anatomy-of-fight-ending-blows-and-chokes-in-combat-sports-248382
3. Mitchell, J.R. et al. “Mechanism of loss of consciousness during vascular neck restraint.” Journal of Applied Physiology, 2012.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22096121
4. Evolve MMA. “BJJ 101: How to perform the rear naked choke.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://evolve-mma.com/blog/bjj-101-the-rear-naked-choke/
5. Jits Magazine. “Scientists confirm which chokes put people to sleep the fastest.” March 2021.
   https://jitsmagazine.com/scientists-confirm-which-chokes-put-people-to-sleep-the-fastest/

Related MMA Terms