Jason Von Flue, the UFC veteran whose name became immortalized in mixed martial arts through the submission that bears his name, recently shared the fascinating story of how he developed the iconic Von Flue choke during an interview on the MMA History Podcast.
The genesis of the Von Flue choke traces back to 2003, when Von Flue was teaching jiu-jitsu in Michigan. Before that pivotal trip, he had been sparring at The Pit with Dwayne Ludwig, sustaining an injury that would require him to seek treatment during a layover in Salt Lake City.
“I go by Pedro Sauer‘s school,” Von Flue explained, referring to the legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor. “He lets me on the mat for free, even loans me a gi.” During that two-hour training session, Von Flue witnessed something that would change his MMA career forever. Pedro Sauer demonstrated a counter to a guillotine from inside guard, applying pressure that forced opponents to release both the guillotine and loosen their guard.
“It was almost like a modified can opener,” Von Flue described. “You stack the guy, you’re in guillotine, pressure and they’ll let go. There’s something I liked about it.”
Von Flue’s philosophy on learning from seminars proved crucial in this moment. “My philosophy is I need one thing per hour that you like that’s going to enhance your game, change your game, or make your game better,” he explained. That single technique from Pedro Sauer’s class became the foundation for what would become the Von Flue choke.
Upon returning to San Luis Obispo, Von Flue began experimenting with the concept, eventually figuring out how to execute it from half guard. “I come back home, I played around with this and choked some guys out with this from half guard,” he said. “I hit everybody on the team except for Chuck with it.”
Initially, his teammates were skeptical. “Everybody saying that was BS. It only works for you,” Von Flue recalled. However, he soon proved them wrong in competition, successfully using the technique against Chris Irvine and Nick Galardi at WC 7 and 8 events in August and October 2003.
The technique is essentially a modified arm triangle choke executed from an unconventional angle. “If you hop over to the opposite side, you got the choke locked up, you hop on to the other side and sit through, you have an arm triangle choke. It’s just a modified arm triangle choke,” Von Flue explained. “I just figured out how to do it from an angle that is very unique.”
What makes the Von Flue choke particularly effective is its setup and execution. “You trap the arm for the guillotine. So they really got to kind of pull their hand out and you’re so tight with your lock that their arm is in there,” he detailed. “Most of the time they go unconscious because by the time it hits, you don’t got time to tap because your arms are in weird positions.”
The choke gained widespread recognition when Von Flue used it against Alex Karalexis at UFC FN 3 on January 16, 2006. The technique became so associated with Von Flue that the MMA community began calling it the “Von Flue choke,” cementing his place in martial arts history alongside legendary submissions like the kimura.
Von Flue’s development of this technique exemplifies the evolution of mixed martial arts, where athletes constantly adapt and innovate by combining elements from different disciplines. His willingness to experiment with a single detail he observed during a brief training session ultimately created a submission that has become a staple in modern jiu-jitsu and MMA.
Today, Von Flue continues to teach the technique through private lessons, and the choke that bears his name remains a testament to the innovative spirit that drives martial arts evolution.
