YR Sports Lab
Your opponent locks you into a guillotine, certain the fight is already won. Instead of fighting to free your head, you pass to the side opposite their choking arm and drive your shoulder diagonally across their carotid artery. Seconds later, it's not you who goes out, it's the arm they refused to let go of. The Von Flue choke started as an accident of a single guillotine-defense lesson from BJJ coach Pedro Sauer, was reworked into a half-guard finish by Jason Von Flue, made him famous in the UFC in 2006, and later earned the nickname "Von Preux" after Ovince Saint Preux finished four opponents with it. This entry breaks down its origin story, the mechanics of the opposite-side pass and shoulder pressure, typical entry timing, strengths and limitations, common counters, and how it actually shows up in UFC fight data.
1. Origins: A Borrowed Lesson That Became an Accidental Finish
Jason Von Flue is an American mixed martial artist, born August 1, 1975, in Kerman, California. He competed professionally from 1999 to 2009 at welterweight and middleweight, fighting for the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and King of the Cage. He also appeared on The Ultimate Fighter season 2 as a replacement fighter and earned a UFC contract after the show.
A Guillotine Defense That Turned Into a Finish
In 2003, while teaching basic jiu-jitsu in Michigan, Von Flue was injured training with Dwayne Ludwig at a gym called The Pit. During a layover in Salt Lake City, he stopped by BJJ instructor Pedro Sauer's academy. Sauer demonstrated a counter to a guillotine from the guard position: instead of fighting to free your head, you drive pressure straight back into the opponent until they release both the choke and their guard, a move Von Flue described as feeling "almost like a modified can opener."
Back home in San Luis Obispo, Von Flue started experimenting with adapting that guard-based defense into a finishing move from half guard, testing it on his own teammates, who weren't especially impressed at first. It was proven in competition later that year, 2003, when he closed out two WEC wins with it, which is what first established it as a repeatable technique rather than a fluke.
The win that truly put the move on the map came at UFC Fight Night 3 on January 16, 2006, when Von Flue rendered opponent Alex Karalexis unconscious with a shoulder choke from side control, winning by technical submission at 1:17 of round 3. He took home that night's Submission of the Night bonus and ranked #10 on UFC.com's list of the year's best submissions. The move had no official name of its own until this high-profile win led media and practitioners to settle on calling it the "Von Flue choke." Starting in 2017, as Ovince Saint Preux repeatedly finished opponents with it, some media and fans also began calling it the "Von Preux choke."
2. Mechanics: Don't Fight It, Pass to the Opposite Side, Then Load the Shoulder
The Von Flue choke's core principle is often described as a modified arm triangle: you use the opponent's own choking arm, pinned against your shoulder, to compress their carotid artery, turning the arm they're squeezing with into part of the finish against themselves.
| Stage | Key details |
|---|---|
| ① Don't fight the choking arm | When they lock in the guillotine, yanking your head free only makes escape harder; keeping your head still is the key precondition |
| ② Pass to the side opposite the choking arm | You must pass to side control on the side opposite the arm they're choking with; passing to the same side means your shoulder can't reach the carotid artery, and the guillotine only gets tighter |
| ③ Lock your hands and drive the shoulder diagonally into the neck | Interlace your hands and aim your shoulder diagonally down into the carotid artery, applying steady pressure rather than a sudden burst |
| ④ Control the far-side arm and sprawl your hips back | Control the opponent's far arm or wrist with your free hand, and sprawl your hips backward so your body weight transfers through the shoulder into their neck |
Most instructional sources agree that which side you pass to is the single factor that decides whether the technique works at all: you must pass to the side opposite the choking arm, since passing to the same side only tightens the guillotine. Get the direction right, and every bit of squeezing the opponent keeps doing only helps complete the choke on themselves, which is exactly why the move is often described as turning their own weapon against them.
3. Entry Timing and Setups
There are a few entry points practitioners and instructionals commonly point to for the Von Flue choke:
First, when an opponent locks in a guillotine during a scramble but hasn't fully adjusted their position. This is the most common scenario: the opponent, eager to finish, hasn't driven their head control deep enough, and passing to the opposite side in that gap turns the tables immediately.
Second, when an opponent attempts a front headlock or guillotine from bottom half guard. While the opponent's legs entangle one of your legs for defense or a sweep and their arm reaches for your neck, keeping your head steady, freeing your other leg, and passing often lands you directly in side control.
Third, when an opponent misjudges the position and refuses to let go of the guillotine. Some opponents assume that holding on long enough will eventually let them finish the choke, and that refusal to release actually buys the attacker plenty of time to complete the pass and set the shoulder pressure.
4. Strengths and Limitations
| Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Turns the opponent's own squeezing arm into part of the finish, so you don't need to break their grip first, which is often nearly impossible on a tight guillotine anyway | Entirely dependent on the opponent refusing to release the guillotine; the moment they let go early, the entire technique falls apart |
| Relies mainly on body weight and hip pressure rather than grip or arm strength, making it relatively accessible for smaller practitioners | Must pass to the exact opposite side of the choking arm; passing to the same side only tightens their guillotine and helps them finish it |
| Reachable from several common scrambles where an opponent locks in a guillotine, including half guard and closed guard exchanges | If the opponent maintains a strong spider or butterfly guard that limits how far your hips can drive forward, setting the shoulder pressure becomes noticeably harder |
5. Common Counters
Countering the Von Flue choke comes down to one core principle: release the guillotine early and don't hold on hoping to finish:
First, release the guillotine immediately. Most instructionals agree that the moment you feel the opponent passing to the side opposite your choking arm to set up shoulder pressure, the most direct fix is to simply let go and give up the finish attempt rather than risk getting choked yourself.
Second, maintain a strong spider or butterfly guard to limit how far the opponent's hips can drive forward. Solid bottom leg entanglement restricts the space an attacker needs to transfer weight through the shoulder, addressing the problem at its root.
Third, control the attacker's far-side arm and wrist. If they're already passing, disrupting their free-hand control early can interfere with their ability to lock their hands and apply pressure.
Options once you're already pinned
If the attacker hasn't fully locked their hands yet, continuously circling away from the direction of their side control, working to widen the gap between their shoulder and your neck, can help relieve some pressure while you look for a chance to reset.
If you're already pinned solidly, most instructionals are candid that this stage is hard to fight your way out of on technique alone. Rather than reach for an uncertain escape, it's better to fall back on the earlier prevention principle: the moment the pressure keeps building past what's tolerable, tap immediately rather than trying to grind it out.
6. Competition Frequency
The Von Flue choke is a relatively rare submission, but it's far from a one-off curiosity in the UFC. The fighter most associated with it is American and Haitian light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux (born April 8, 1983, in Immokalee, Florida), who finished four opponents with it in official UFC bouts between 2014 and 2019:
| Opponent | Event | Date | Round/Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikita Krylov | UFC 171 | 2014/03/15 | Round 1, 1:29 | His first Von Flue choke finish |
| Marcos Rogério de Lima | UFC Fight Night 108 | 2017/04/22 | Round 2, 2:11 | His second, making him the first fighter to win via this submission twice in UFC competition |
| Yushin Okami | UFC Fight Night 117 | 2017/09/23 | Round 1, 1:50 | His third; per ESPN and MMAmania, this was the fifth time the choke had appeared in official UFC competition |
| Michał Oleksiejczuk | UFC Fight Night 160 | 2019/09/28 | Round 2 | His fourth, setting the UFC record for most career finishes with this submission |
In other words, based on public reporting through 2019, Saint Preux alone accounts for more than half of all recorded Von Flue choke finishes in official UFC competition, which is exactly why fans nicknamed it the "Von Preux choke" (third-party count, per ESPN and MMAmania reporting from 2017 and 2019, accessed 2026/09). The IBJJF rulebook doesn't list the Von Flue choke as its own category, but by its mechanics it's a shoulder-pressure choke targeting the carotid artery rather than a neck crank that folds the cervical spine, placing it in the same family as the guillotine and arm triangle. Chokes in that family are permitted for adult competitors from white belt up, with additional restrictions applying mainly to youth divisions under 16 for safety reasons (rules as of this 2026/09 check).
7. Safety Notes
The Von Flue choke is fundamentally a carotid-compression choke, and its risk profile is similar to a standard guillotine or arm triangle: it works by restricting blood flow to the brain to induce brief unconsciousness, not by causing structural damage to a joint or ligament. Readers wanting a deeper look at the blood-flow mechanics behind choke-induced fainting and when to tap can find a fuller breakdown at our choke safety guide and arm triangle deep dive (Chinese), both covering the same shoulder-pressure choke family; we won't repeat the medical detail here.
・If neck pressure keeps building past what's tolerable, tap immediately rather than trying to hold out for an escape
・Drill slowly at first with a coach who knows the technique supervising which side you pass to and the pace of pressure
・Never keep applying pressure after your partner has already tapped; release speed should match their tap signal
・When drilling the defensive side, practicing the reflex to release the guillotine early is more valuable than practicing how to hold on longer
FAQ
What is a Von Flue choke, and how is it different from a regular guillotine?
A Von Flue choke is a counter you apply after getting caught in a guillotine: instead of fighting to free your head, you pass to the side opposite the opponent's choking arm and drive your shoulder diagonally into their carotid artery, turning the arm they're squeezing with into part of the choke on themselves. It's essentially a modified arm triangle, and the logic runs opposite to muscling your way out of a guillotine.
Why is it called the Von Flue choke?
American fighter Jason Von Flue used it to finish Alex Karalexis at UFC Fight Night 3 on January 16, 2006, earning Submission of the Night, and that high-profile win is why the technique carries his name. He'd actually developed it back in 2003 by adapting a guillotine counter he learned from BJJ coach Pedro Sauer into a half-guard finish, and had already used it in WEC that same year.
Can white belts use the Von Flue choke?
The IBJJF rulebook doesn't list the Von Flue choke as its own category, but by its mechanics it's a shoulder-pressure choke targeting the carotid artery rather than a neck crank that folds the cervical spine, putting it in the same broad family as the guillotine and arm triangle. Chokes in that family are permitted for adult competitors from white belt up, with restrictions applying mainly to youth divisions under 16 for safety reasons (rules as of this 2026/09 check).
How do I escape a Von Flue choke?
Releasing the guillotine the instant you feel the pass coming is the most direct fix. If you're already pinned, circling continuously away from the direction of their side control and working to widen the gap between their shoulder and your neck can relieve some pressure, though most instructionals admit this stage is hard to escape on technique alone. Keeping a strong spider or butterfly guard beforehand, which limits how far an opponent can close the distance and drive their hips forward, is a far more reliable way to avoid getting caught in the first place.
Does the Von Flue choke show up often in competition?
It's a relatively rare finish, but far from a one-off in UFC history. Ovince Saint Preux alone finished four opponents with it between 2014 and 2019, and when he submitted Yushin Okami with it in 2017, media reports noted that was already the fifth time the choke had appeared in an official UFC bout (third-party count, accessed 2026/09).
References
1. Wikipedia contributors. Jason Von Flue. en.wikipedia.org/Jason_Von_Flue (accessed 2026/09; supports Von Flue's birth on August 1, 1975, in Kerman, California, his UFC/WEC/Strikeforce/King of the Cage career, his January 16, 2006 technical submission of Alex Karalexis at UFC Fight Night 3 (round 3, 1:17), his Submission of the Night award, and the "Von Preux" nickname)
2. BJJDOC. Jason Von Flue Reveals How He Developed the Von Flue off of a Pedro Sauer Guillotine Counter. bjjdoc.com (accessed 2026/09; supports the origin story: an injury sparring with Dwayne Ludwig at The Pit, a layover in Salt Lake City where he visited Pedro Sauer's academy and saw the guillotine defense, returning home to San Luis Obispo to adapt it into a half-guard finish, and debuting it in WEC competition in 2003)
3. Wikipedia contributors. Ovince Saint Preux. en.wikipedia.org/Ovince_Saint_Preux (accessed 2026/09; supports Saint Preux's biography and his four UFC Von Flue choke finishes, with dates and round times, against Krylov (2014/3/15), de Lima (2017/4/22), Okami (2017/9/23) and Oleksiejczuk (2019/9/28))
4. MMAmania. UFC Japan results: Ovince Saint Preux puts Yushin Okami to sleep with Von Flue choke. mmamania.com (accessed 2026/09; supports the claim that the 2017 Okami fight was Saint Preux's third Von Flue choke win and the fifth appearance of the submission in official UFC competition)
5. Grapplearts. How to Do the Von Flue Choke. grapplearts.com (accessed 2026/09; supports the mechanics: not fighting the guillotine, passing to the "weak side" opposite the choking arm, driving the shoulder into the carotid, and controlling the far-side arm)
6. Martial Art Skills. Von Flue Choke & Secret Guide For Guillotine Choke Prevention. martialartskills.com (accessed 2026/09; supports the defensive-side counters: releasing the guillotine early, using spider or butterfly guard to keep the opponent from closing distance, and circling opposite the opponent's movement to widen the gap)
7. JiuJitsu News. A Complete Guide to IBJJF Legal and Illegal Submissions. jiujitsu-news.com (accessed 2026/09; supports the rule classification that guillotine, arm triangle and similar carotid-compression chokes are legal for adult white belts and up, with restrictions mainly for youth divisions under 16)