A knockout finish in the UFC can earn fighters a performance bonus or can catapult their names to stardom. (It can also earn UFC odds bettors a nice payday.)
A knockout will always be a spectacular finish, whether it is a perfectly-timed strike or a result of masterful technique.
We’ve seen tons of knockout finishes inside the Octagon, but some certainly stand out. Those will forever be engraved in the memory of fight fans. Without further ado, here are the best UFC knockouts of all time.
Buckley Super Kick Versus Kasanganay
In October 2020, Joaquin Buckley broke the internet with his superb back kick knockout of Impa Kasanganay in their middleweight fight for UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen.
Kasanganay caught the right kick thrown by Buckley in the second round, and he used it to his advantage by uncorking a back kick which knocked out the 27-year old fighter.
This incredible finish not only earned Buckley an additional $50K bonus but also knockout of the year honors in 2020.
Conor McGregor Sleeps José Aldo
Conor McGregor’s status as the face of MMA became official when he knocked out José Aldo in December 2015 in the main event of UFC 194 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
McGregor shattered the record of Ronda Rousey for the fastest finish in a UFC title bout at 13 seconds. Aldo, who is known to be a powerful striker, was wonderfully countered by McGregor with a left hand that landed on the Brazilian’s chin.
‘’Ice Man’’ Went Ice Cold
In September 2008, then-undefeated Rashad Evans was pitted against former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in the headliner of UFC 88, where the winner got a title shot from the champion Forrest Griffin.
Evans, the betting underdog, scored a picture-perfect right hand to send Liddell to dreamland at the 1:51 mark of the second round. This knockout win gave Evans the title shot and eventually the light heavyweight title.
Gamebred Baptizes Ben Askren
Jorge Masvidal’s name burst into the public’s consciousness when he cashed thousands of UFC odds tickets and recorded the fastest UFC knockout in UFC history.
Masvidal attempted a flying knee against Ben Askren in UFC 239 and connected it to ‘’Funky’s’’ head and made him stiff as wood. ‘’Gamebred’’ eventually wrapped up the win with two more additional punches to secure the $50K bonus and UFC’s 2019 knockout of the year award.
Full fight… Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) vs. Ben Askren (@Benaskren) at #UFC239
SHEEEEEEEESH pic.twitter.com/QgjE56rLAw
— Slugfest MMA (@SlugfestMMA) July 7, 2019
Ngannou Uppercut Versus Overeem
Francis Ngannou’s victory over Alistair Overeem is one of the most jaw-dropping yet scary knockouts you will ever see.
In December 2017, Ngannou was matched against the veteran Overeem in his second UFC fight after winning his debut versus Andrei Arlovski. This heavyweight showdown wasn’t expected to go the distance, and it delivered excitement as the ‘’Predator’’ found the chin of the ‘’Demolition Man’’ via a deadly uppercut that put him to sleep.
This knockout win also earned the 2017 knockout of the year honors.
Silva Front Kick Against Belfort
One of the highlights of Anderson Silva’s UFC career was the iconic front kick he landed against fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort in February 2011 at UFC 126.
The ‘’Spider’’ fabricated this once-in-a-lifetime strike out of nowhere that caught the ‘’Phenom’’ off guard. Upon landing the kick, Belfort’s eyes visibly rolled back, and he was dazed as Silva added more punches, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
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