Von Flue Choke

Last updated: June 27, 2026

What is the Von Flue choke?

The Von Flue choke is a blood choke that turns a failed guillotine into a finish. When a fighter shoots a sloppy takedown or clings to a front headlock, they often grab a guillotine and refuse to let go. The Von Flue punishes that stubbornness. Instead of fighting to free the trapped head, the top grappler passes to side control and presses their shoulder straight down into the exposed side of the neck.

The choke is named after Jason Von Flue, a former UFC fighter who appeared on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter. He brought the technique to a wide audience at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 3 in February 2006, rendering Alex Karalexis unconscious with shoulder pressure from side control after Karalexis held onto a guillotine too long. The move existed before that night, but Von Flue was the first to land it on a big stage, and his name stuck.

What sets it apart from other strangles is the source of the pressure. One carotid gets compressed by the attacker’s shoulder. The other gets compressed by the opponent’s own guillotine arm, jammed against their neck by their refusal to release. The victim supplies half the choke.

How the Von Flue choke works

Pressure, not leverage, finishes this one. The attacker clasps their hands behind the trapped head and drops their bodyweight through the shoulder into the neck. The mechanics line up closely with the head-and-arm choke, also called kata gatame, where the arm seals one side of the neck and bodyweight does the rest.

Because both carotid arteries get pinched at once, the Von Flue acts fast. Many people on the receiving end do not register the danger until they are already going out, since their attention stays locked on their own guillotine attempt. The grappler at Digitsu describes it as compressing one artery with the shoulder while the opponent’s trapped arm seals the other, and the result is a strangle that can drop someone in seconds.

The position almost always grows out of a guillotine that was held a beat too long. A fighter catches the neck, gets passed to side control, and keeps squeezing instead of letting go. According to Evolve MMA, sprawling tight on a well-set Von Flue can trap both of the opponent’s arms, leaving them no way to tap except verbally or by stomping a foot. The mechanics hold up the same in gi and no-gi, since the finish leans on positional pressure rather than grips on cloth.

Von Flue choke vs the guillotine choke

These two moves are bound together. The guillotine is the attack; the Von Flue is the answer. One fighter wraps the neck and squeezes from the bottom or from a front headlock, and the other turns that grip into a liability by passing the guard and dropping shoulder pressure from the top.

	Guillotine choke	Von Flue choke
Who is attacking	The fighter holding the neck	The fighter being held
Position	Bottom guard, or standing front headlock	Top, side control
Pressure source	Forearm under the chin or throat	Shoulder plus the opponent’s own trapped arm
Best counter	Pass to side control (the Von Flue)	Release the guillotine before side control is set

The simplest defense against a Von Flue is also the simplest piece of guillotine advice in any gym: let go. Once an opponent passes to side control with the head still wrapped, the safe move is to release the guillotine grip and protect the neck. Hold on, and the choke is already there.

Why the Von Flue choke is rare

The Von Flue depends on an opponent’s mistake, which is why it shows up so rarely at the highest levels. A trained grappler feels the guard pass coming and releases the guillotine before the shoulder ever lands. Release in time, and the choke never forms.

That rarity is what makes the few finishes memorable. In the UFC, light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux has won four fights with it, the most in promotion history, against Nikita Krylov, Marcos Rogério de Lima, Yushin Okami, and Michał Oleksiejczuk. He landed it so often that fans started calling the move the “Von Preux choke.” Saint Preux earned Performance of the Night bonuses for several of those wins, according to UFC records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Von Flue choke legal?

Yes. It is a standard blood choke and is legal across MMA and the major grappling rulesets. It has finished sanctioned UFC bouts and is taught openly in academies.

Is the Von Flue a blood choke or an air choke?

A blood choke. It compresses the carotid arteries on both sides of the neck to cut blood flow to the brain, rather than crushing the windpipe.

Why is it called the Von Flue choke?

It is named after Jason Von Flue, who used it to beat Alex Karalexis at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 3 in 2006. Fans also call it the “Von Preux choke” after Ovince Saint Preux, who has won the most UFC fights with it.

Is the Von Flue the same as an arm-triangle?

No, though they are cousins. Both use shoulder and arm pressure to seal the neck. The arm-triangle (kata gatame) traps the opponent’s own arm across their neck as an attack, the top fighter sets up, while the Von Flue uses the arm the opponent left wrapped during a failed guillotine.

How do you avoid getting caught in one?

Release the guillotine the moment an opponent passes to side control with your head still wrapped. The choke only works while the grip stays locked.

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Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Jason Von Flue.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Von_Flue
2. Wikipedia. “Ovince Saint Preux.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovince_Saint_Preux
3. UFC.com. “Ovince Saint Preux” athlete profile and fight record. Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.ufc.com/athlete/ovince-saint-preux
4. Evolve MMA. “What Is The Von Flue Choke?” Accessed June 2026.
   https://evolve-mma.com/blog/what-is-the-von-flue-choke/
5. Digitsu. “Von Flue Choke Breakdown (BJJ).” Accessed June 2026.
   https://digitsu.com/t/von-flue-choke
6. Grapplearts. “How to Do the Von Flue Choke.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.grapplearts.com/how-to-do-the-von-flue-choke/
7. Jiu-Jitsu Times. “The Von Flue Choke.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://jiujitsutimes.com/von-flue-choke/

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