diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index dbcb22304398..d4f15e76c98a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -513,6 +513,9 @@ static int record__mmap_read_evlist(struct record *rec, struct perf_evlist *evli
 	if (!maps)
 		return 0;
 
+	if (backward && evlist->bkw_mmap_state != BKW_MMAP_DATA_PENDING)
+		return 0;
+
 	for (i = 0; i < evlist->nr_mmaps; i++) {
 		struct auxtrace_mmap *mm = &maps[i].auxtrace_mmap;
 
@@ -538,6 +541,8 @@ static int record__mmap_read_evlist(struct record *rec, struct perf_evlist *evli
 	if (bytes_written != rec->bytes_written)
 		rc = record__write(rec, &finished_round_event, sizeof(finished_round_event));
 
+	if (backward)
+		perf_evlist__toggle_bkw_mmap(evlist, BKW_MMAP_EMPTY);
 out:
 	return rc;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 5beb44faa71d..93ab66415f51 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "evlist.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
 #include "debug.h"
+#include "asm/bug.h"
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 #include "parse-events.h"
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ void perf_evlist__init(struct perf_evlist *evlist, struct cpu_map *cpus,
 	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist, cpus, threads);
 	fdarray__init(&evlist->pollfd, 64);
 	evlist->workload.pid = -1;
+	evlist->bkw_mmap_state = BKW_MMAP_NOTREADY;
 }
 
 struct perf_evlist *perf_evlist__new(void)
@@ -1068,6 +1070,8 @@ static int perf_evlist__mmap_per_evsel(struct perf_evlist *evlist, int idx,
 				if (!maps)
 					return -1;
 				evlist->backward_mmap = maps;
+				if (evlist->bkw_mmap_state == BKW_MMAP_NOTREADY)
+					perf_evlist__toggle_bkw_mmap(evlist, BKW_MMAP_RUNNING);
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -1972,3 +1976,61 @@ perf_evlist__find_evsel_by_str(struct perf_evlist *evlist,
 
 	return NULL;
 }
+
+void perf_evlist__toggle_bkw_mmap(struct perf_evlist *evlist,
+				  enum bkw_mmap_state state)
+{
+	enum bkw_mmap_state old_state = evlist->bkw_mmap_state;
+	enum action {
+		NONE,
+		PAUSE,
+		RESUME,
+	} action = NONE;
+
+	if (!evlist->backward_mmap)
+		return;
+
+	switch (old_state) {
+	case BKW_MMAP_NOTREADY: {
+		if (state != BKW_MMAP_RUNNING)
+			goto state_err;;
+		break;
+	}
+	case BKW_MMAP_RUNNING: {
+		if (state != BKW_MMAP_DATA_PENDING)
+			goto state_err;
+		action = PAUSE;
+		break;
+	}
+	case BKW_MMAP_DATA_PENDING: {
+		if (state != BKW_MMAP_EMPTY)
+			goto state_err;
+		break;
+	}
+	case BKW_MMAP_EMPTY: {
+		if (state != BKW_MMAP_RUNNING)
+			goto state_err;
+		action = RESUME;
+		break;
+	}
+	default:
+		WARN_ONCE(1, "Shouldn't get there\n");
+	}
+
+	evlist->bkw_mmap_state = state;
+
+	switch (action) {
+	case PAUSE:
+		perf_evlist__pause(evlist);
+		break;
+	case RESUME:
+		perf_evlist__resume(evlist);
+		break;
+	case NONE:
+	default:
+		break;
+	}
+
+state_err:
+	return;
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
index 6a3d9bdda4bb..20faaab1941c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
@@ -41,6 +41,34 @@ perf_mmap__mmap_len(struct perf_mmap *map)
 	return map->mask + 1 + page_size;
 }
 
+/*
+ * State machine of bkw_mmap_state:
+ *
+ *                     .________________(forbid)_____________.
+ *                     |                                     V
+ * NOTREADY --(0)--> RUNNING --(1)--> DATA_PENDING --(2)--> EMPTY
+ *                     ^  ^              |   ^               |
+ *                     |  |__(forbid)____/   |___(forbid)___/|
+ *                     |                                     |
+ *                      \_________________(3)_______________/
+ *
+ * NOTREADY     : Backward ring buffers are not ready
+ * RUNNING      : Backward ring buffers are recording
+ * DATA_PENDING : We are required to collect data from backward ring buffers
+ * EMPTY        : We have collected data from backward ring buffers.
+ *
+ * (0): Setup backward ring buffer
+ * (1): Pause ring buffers for reading
+ * (2): Read from ring buffers
+ * (3): Resume ring buffers for recording
+ */
+enum bkw_mmap_state {
+	BKW_MMAP_NOTREADY,
+	BKW_MMAP_RUNNING,
+	BKW_MMAP_DATA_PENDING,
+	BKW_MMAP_EMPTY,
+};
+
 struct perf_evlist {
 	struct list_head entries;
 	struct hlist_head heads[PERF_EVLIST__HLIST_SIZE];
@@ -54,6 +82,7 @@ struct perf_evlist {
 	int		 id_pos;
 	int		 is_pos;
 	u64		 combined_sample_type;
+	enum bkw_mmap_state bkw_mmap_state;
 	struct {
 		int	cork_fd;
 		pid_t	pid;
@@ -135,6 +164,8 @@ struct perf_evsel *perf_evlist__id2evsel_strict(struct perf_evlist *evlist,
 
 struct perf_sample_id *perf_evlist__id2sid(struct perf_evlist *evlist, u64 id);
 
+void perf_evlist__toggle_bkw_mmap(struct perf_evlist *evlist, enum bkw_mmap_state state);
+
 union perf_event *perf_mmap__read_forward(struct perf_mmap *map, bool check_messup);
 union perf_event *perf_mmap__read_backward(struct perf_mmap *map);