Pad Thai

Also known as: Peruvian D’Arce · D’ArceConda (colloquial) · Paddy Thai

Emerging technique: this move is in circulation but its mechanics and naming are still settling — what’s documented here follows the most common public descriptions, not a verified canonical source.

An emerging hybrid strangle: a D’Arce grip threaded from the front headlock, finished Peruvian-necktie style by throwing a leg over the head and using bodyweight instead of the traditional chest pressure.

Submission · Strangle (blood choke) · No-gi · Difficulty 4/5 · Usually learned at Purple belt

Starts from Front Headlock as the attacker (on the head) → ends the match (submission).

The details that make it work

1. As popularly documented: lock the D’Arce figure-four, then — when the sprawl defends the standard finish — swing the leg over the crown of the head and sit through.
2. The leg clamp drives their head down INTO the choking loop, closing the strangle their sprawl was relieving.

Where it goes wrong

• Treating it as a first option — it is a counter to the sprawl-heavy defense of the normal D’Arce finish.

How opponents counter it

• Clear the D’Arce thread early — the hybrid never starts without the lock
• Posture and back out before the leg swings over

Is the Pad Thai legal in competition?

Legal in all major rulesets at all levels (IBJJF, ADCC, sub-only). Rules change — always confirm against the current official rulebook for your event.

History & naming

Name in circulation from 2020s MMA competition (widely associated with Paddy Pimblett’s finishes); terminology and exact definition are still settling. Documented here as popularly described — help us verify sources.

Same family: Strangle (blood choke)s

• Guillotine Choke — from Front Headlock
• D’Arce Choke — from Front Headlock
• Anaconda Choke — from Front Headlock
• Ninja Choke — from Front Headlock
• Peruvian Necktie — from Front Headlock
• Pad Lock — from Front Headlock
• Loop Choke — from Front Headlock
• Clock Choke — from Turtle
• Triangle Choke — from Closed Guard
• Cross Collar Choke — from Closed Guard
• Arm Triangle Choke — from Side Control
• Paper Cutter Choke — from Side Control
• Von Flue Choke — from Side Control
• Buggy Choke — from Side Control
• North-South Choke — from North-South
• Baseball Bat Choke — from Knee on Belly
• Rear Naked Choke — from Back Control
• Bow and Arrow Choke — from Back Control
• Crucifix Choke — from Crucifix

Related techniques

• D’Arce Choke
• Peruvian Necktie
• Pad Lock
• Anaconda Choke

All moves from Front Headlock · Back to Grapplepedia