MMAMania’s mid-year awards spotlight a first-of-its-kind capsule lock in UFC history

MMAmania’s mid-year awards for 2026 are a reminder of how quickly mixed martial arts can surprise even veteran fans. In its “Submission of the Year” pick, the outlet credited Alice Ardelean with pulling off what it described as the first-ever capsule lock in UFC history, turning a relatively obscure limb-junction idea into a marquee, highlight-reel finish halfway through the year.

According to MMAmania, the moment came against Polyana Viana, when Ardelean trapped Viana’s crossed legs and applied pressure that forced Viana’s calf into the back of her own knee. MMAmania characterized it as a modified calf-slicer or knee-separator style finish, and said the bout ended with a tap to a submission that UFC audiences had “never seen before,” emphasizing its rarity and distinct mechanics.

MMAmania also framed its selection through contrast, noting that other submissions might have been cleaner or carried more stakes, but that the first occurrence of a submission type in the promotion set this one apart. In the outlet’s view, it was the combination of novelty, brutality, and technical specificity that made the halfway-point list feel earned rather than predictable.

The same awards series also named Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria as its “Fight of the Year.” MMAmania pointed to the matchup’s place on a highly visible card, saying it headlined the historic White House event and that the fight carried the ingredients for a long night of momentum swings, with Gaethje built for nonstop exchanges and Topuria entering as the UFC lightweight champion.

MMAmania’s recap describes a first-round in which Gaethje stayed competitive, followed by a second round where Topuria surged, nearly finishing Gaethje with body shots that dropped him. The award narrative then shifts in the other direction, with Gaethje “digging deep,” landing enough offense to flip the fight’s center of gravity, and Topuria’s corner stopping the bout before the fifth round.

The awards list adds another detail for fans who like the edges of craft and style. In its submission category, MMAmania referenced Murtazali Magomedov’s UFC debut finish, calling it a statement achieved with a “twister” against Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC Vegas 119, even noting the specific variant as a Scotland-twister flavor rather than the most common version.

For the UFC and its contenders, these “mid-year” selections are less about what the sport must do next and more about what fans and fighters are spotlighting right now. A submission-focused award like the capsule lock underscores how quickly new or underused techniques can become teachable moments across gyms, while a fight-of-the-year pick like Gaethje vs. Topuria indicates where the promotion’s star power and audience pull are currently strongest. The practical watch-list after these awards is simple: look for whether fighters and matchmakers lean into opponents who can neutralize the rare mechanics, or whether the sport keeps rewarding the most difficult-to-prepare styles.