Von Flue Choke: The Counter-Submission That Punishes Guillotines

What Is the Von Flue Choke?

The Von Flue Choke is a blood choke that attacks the carotid arteries. What makes it unique is the context: it is triggered when your opponent catches a guillotine choke attempt as you pass their guard or as you are in side control. Rather than fighting the guillotine defensively, you use their own grip against them.

Mechanically, the choke works by driving your shoulder into the opponent's neck/jaw area while their own guillotine grip traps their head in place — creating a vice effect between your shoulder and their arm.

When to Use It: The Guillotine Trigger

The Von Flue is specifically countered when:

• You are passing the guard and the opponent grabs a guillotine (arm-in or arm-out)
• You are in side control and the opponent manages to grab a guillotine from the bottom
• The opponent is holding on stubbornly to a guillotine they cannot properly finish

The key insight: if they have an arm-in guillotine, they cannot choke you as long as your posture is good. This gives you time to set up the Von Flue counter.

The Setup from Side Control

Once you recognize the guillotine attempt:

1. Pass to side control (or stabilize if you are already there) — do not panic or pull your head out
2. Walk your hips away from the opponent, flattening out to the side
3. Take a tight underhook with the arm that is not being guillotined
4. Grip your hands together (gable grip or S-grip) around the opponent's head/neck area
5. Sprawl your hips to the mat and drive your shoulder into their jaw/neck

The Finish: Pressure and Shoulder Drive

The finishing mechanics:

1. With hands gripped and underhook established, begin driving your shoulder toward the mat
2. Your shoulder should press directly into the opponent's carotid artery area (jaw/neck junction)
3. Their own guillotine grip traps their head against your shoulder pressure
4. Sprawl hard, driving your body weight through the shoulder into the neck
5. The tap comes as blood flow to the brain is cut off — usually within 3–5 seconds of full pressure

The harder they hold the guillotine, the faster they go to sleep — their own grip amplifies the choke.

Arm-In vs Arm-Out Guillotine

The Von Flue works best against the arm-in guillotine (where your arm is inside their grip). An arm-out guillotine is more dangerous and harder to Von Flue. If they have arm-out, focus on:

• First posturing up to break the grip, THEN settle into side control
• Or immediately drive into the choke before they can adjust

Against arm-in: take your time. The choke is not dangerous to you and you can set up the Von Flue methodically.

Famous Use: Jason Von Flue in the UFC

The technique gained its name when Jason Von Flue used it against Alex Karalexis at UFC Fight Night 5 (2006). Karalexis had a deep guillotine from the bottom, and rather than panic, Von Flue settled into the position and applied the counter-choke — one of the most memorable submission finishes in early UFC history. The technique had existed in grappling before, but this high-profile use immortalized the name.