Twister

Last updated: June 27, 2026

What is a twister?

The twister is a grappling submission that attacks the spine through two forces at once. It pulls the head sideways toward a shoulder while twisting the trapped lower body in the opposite direction. That combination puts pressure on the neck and runs down through the spine, which is why fighters caught in it report pain through the neck and down into the ribs and lower back.

It belongs to a small group of submissions that target the spinal column rather than a single joint. An armbar isolates one elbow. A rear-naked choke cuts off blood to the brain. The twister does neither, loading several vertebrae at once, and that is part of why it carries such a fearsome reputation.

In MMA, it is rare. The first twister finish in UFC history came in 2011, when Chan Sung Jung, “The Korean Zombie,” caught Leonard Garcia with it in Seattle. As of June 2026, the move had ended only four UFC fights, making it one of the least common finishes in the promotion’s history. Most people search the term right after seeing one of those rare finishes and wondering what they just watched.

How the twister works

The attacker controls the opponent from behind, traps one of their legs, and isolates the arm on the same side. From there, the head is drawn toward the shoulder while the trapped leg keeps the lower body pinned and turned the other way. The spine ends up bent sideways and rotated together.

Dr. Mike Piekarski, a physical therapist and BJJ black belt, has described the twister as combining shear and torsion: lateral flexion that bends the spine sideways, plus axial rotation that twists it. The cervical spine allows only around 30 to 35 degrees of side bending, and the lower back allows just a few degrees of rotation. The position reaches the limit of what the spine can safely do almost immediately.

Twister vs neck crank

People often call the twister a neck crank. The confusion is fair, but they work differently. A neck crank attacks the neck on its own, forcing the head past its range of motion. The twister involves the neck too, yet the finish comes from twisting the whole spine, not from cranking the head alone.

	Twister	Neck crank
Main target	Whole spine, especially the cervical and thoracic regions	The neck (cervical spine)
Forces involved	Lateral bending plus rotation	Mostly bending or hyperextension
Usual position	The truck, a leg-trapping back-control variation	Various, often a front headlock or back control
Legal in gi BJJ?	No	Often no

So when a commentator calls the twister a neck crank, they are describing what the opponent feels in the neck. The mechanism behind it is a full spinal twist.

Is the twister submission legal?

Legality depends entirely on the ruleset. In MMA, the twister is legal, which is why it appears in the UFC and other promotions. In gi jiu-jitsu, it usually is not. The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) bans all spinal locks at every belt level, the twister included, on the grounds that spinal injuries are harder to recover from than a tweaked joint and harder for a referee to catch before damage is done.

No-gi and submission-only events vary. Some permit spinal locks like the twister, and others ban them for the same safety reasons. Anyone competing has to read the specific ruleset because the move’s status changes from one organization to the next.

Where the twister came from

The twister did not start in jiu-jitsu. It was a pinning technique in amateur wrestling, where it went by the name guillotine. Eddie Bravo, who wrestled as a teenager before founding the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system, adapted it into a finishing submission while training under Jean Jacques Machado. Because jiu-jitsu already had a guillotine, the choke, Bravo called his version the twister. It became one of the signature techniques in his system and is usually set up from a position known as the truck.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who invented the twister submission?

It came from amateur wrestling, where it was a pinning move called the guillotine. Eddie Bravo adapted it into a submission and popularized it through his 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system.

Why is the twister banned in BJJ?

Most gi competitions, including the IBJJF, ban it because it is a spinal lock. Spinal injuries are treated as too serious and too difficult to detect in time.

Is the twister a neck crank?

Not exactly. It affects the neck, but the submission comes from twisting the entire spine, not from cranking the neck on its own.

How many twisters have happened in the UFC?

Four, as of June 2026: Chan Sung Jung in 2011, Bryce Mitchell in 2019, Da’Mon Blackshear in 2023, and Murtazali Magomedov in 2026.

What position is the twister done from?

Usually, the truck, a back-control variation where the attacker traps one of the opponent’s legs with both of their own.

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Sources

1. Piekarski, Mike (MMA Leech). “The Twister: the meanest submission in grappling.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.mmaleech.com/the-twister-the-meanest-submission-in-grappling/
2. Evolve MMA. “BJJ 101: Twister.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://evolve-mma.com/blog/bjj-101-twister/
3. BJJ World. “A Detailed Breakdown of the BJJ Twister Submission.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bjj-world.com/breakdown-of-the-bjj-twister/
4. Digitsu. “Twister Breakdown (BJJ).” Accessed June 2026.
   https://digitsu.com/t/twister
5. Jiu Jitsu Legacy. “Illegal at Any Rank: The Twister.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://jiujitsulegacy.com/videos/the-twister/
6. Wikipedia. “Bryce Mitchell.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryce_Mitchell
7. UFC.com. “Bryce Mitchell.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.ufc.com/athlete/bryce-mitchell
8. MEL Magazine. “An Oral History of the Most Painful Move in UFC History.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/twister-submission-ufc
9. Bloody Elbow. “Ultra-rare submission finishes UFC fight for only the third time ever.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bloodyelbow.com/2023/08/13/twister-ufc-damon-blackshear/

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