MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for April: Rare regional winner

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from April 2026: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month award for April.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

Nominee: Tresean Gore def. Azamat Bekoev at UFC Fight Night 272

Tresean Gore pulled off the biggest win of his career against Azamat Bekoev, and did so after overcome adversity.

Gore (6-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was rocked and on the verge of being stopped in the second round of the middleweight bout vs. Bekoev (20-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC), but that moment only appeared to awaken the beast. The significant betting underdog Gore started hurting a tiring Bekoev with strikes on the feet in the final frame before latching onto a guillotine choke and putting his opponent to sleep.

TRESEAN GORE PUTS BEKOEV TO SLEEP

📺 @paramountpluspic.twitter.com/pJTYg8dyUi— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) April 4, 2026

Nominee: Vicente Luque def. Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 327

Vicente Luque has prided himself on D'Arce and anaconda chokes, and he showed off his signature move in front of his home state audience.

Luque (24-12-1 MMA, 17-8 UFC) tapped fellow longtime promotional veteran Kelvin Gastelum (20-11 MMA, 14-11 UFC) with a D'Arce choke in the opening round. Luque's finishing sequence started on the feet and ended on the ground. He dropped Gastelum with a big punch. Gastelum weathered a sea of follow-up punches, but was unable to fend off Luque's jiu-jitsu prowess.

Vicente Luque locks in the choke and gets Kelvin Gastelum to tap

📺 @paramountpluspic.twitter.com/ul7N2aoUiM— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) April 11, 2026

Nominee: Tatiana Suarez def. Loopy Godinez at UFC 327

Tatiana Suarez overcame an adversity-filled sequence early, and later became the first woman to stop Loopy Godinez inside the cage.

Suarez (12-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) vs. Godinez (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) was an important fight for the promotion's strawweight division. In Round 2, Suarez took Godinez down, got her back, and worked for the rear-naked choke. Godinez did a decent job of hand-fighting. While she won some battles, she didn't win the war. Eventually, Suarez got what she was looking for.

TATIANA SUAREZ TAPS GODINEZ

📺 @paramountpluspic.twitter.com/X7GBET6XJl— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) April 11, 2026

Nominee: Mateusz Gamrot def. Esteban Ribovics at UFC 327

Mateusz Gamrot got back on track in a big way against Esteban Ribovics.

Gamrot (26-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) put his superior grappling skillset on display once again when he submitted Esteban Ribovics (15-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in the second round of their lightweight bout. It was an arm-triangle choke that got the job done for Gamrot, who got just his second finish in nine octagon triumphs.

GAMROT GETS THE TAP

📺 @paramountpluspic.twitter.com/3dxdnzlYmY— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) April 11, 2026

The winner: Adriano Castro def. Felipe Molina at Inka 55

Adriano Castro could be a serious prospect to watch after adding another highlight to his early career reel – just 10 days after his previous fight.

The 19-year-old from Peru got a spectacular first-round submission win on Wednesday at Inka 55 in Lima. Castro (5-0) put Felipe Molina (5-2) to sleep with a bulldog choke just over three minutes into the opening round of the bantamweight fight, marking his second victory by choke in less than two weeks.

WOW. Adriano Castro snatches up a bulldog choke out of nowhere choking Felipe Molina unconscious. Incredible finish instincts by the 19-year-old. Castro now 5-0. #INKAFCpic.twitter.com/fOEgMRnoFh— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 2, 2026

Castro defeated Kenyer Carranza on March 22 under the Perrera Fight banner in a featherweight bout, then quickly turned around down a weight class and made short work of Molina.

After making his professional debut in June, Castro has already picked up five victories, all by stoppage. He has yet to see a third round, with only one of his fights making it past the 3:01 mark of Round 1.