There are so many elements to mixed martial arts that make it one of the most exciting sports in the world, and there’s nothing quite like a knockout to get fans off their feet.
Over the course of the last 20 years, there have been 844 knockouts in UFC history and they’ve come in a wide variety.
The first knockout came in the first ever UFC fight back in 1993 when Gerard Gordeau stopped Teila Tuli with a head kick at UFC 1. The quickest knockout in UFC history was when Duane Ludwig stopped Jonathan Goulet in six seconds at UFC Fight Night 3, while the latest knockout or TKO in a UFC bout was when BJ Penn finished Diego Sanchez (via doctor stoppage) 22 minutes and 37 seconds into their five-round title bout at UFC 107. Heck, there was even a double knockout when Gray Maynard knocked himself out when he slammed Rob Emerson into submission at the TUF 5 Finale. The most strikes one fighter absorbed in a single fight without being knocked out was when Anderson Silva ate 320 strikes from Chael Sonnen at UFC 117; ironically, Silva holds the record for most knockout wins with 11.
It’s a difficult task to narrow down a list of this kind, but in honour of the UFC’s 20th anniversary, here are sportsnet.ca’s top 20 knockouts of all-time.
Gonzaga “Cro Cops” his way to stardom
When fighters get a taste of their own medicine it adds an element of poetry to what can be a beautiful yet violent sport. That was the case when Gabriel Gonzaga earned a title shot by picking up one of the most vicious knockouts in MMA history in the main event of UFC 70. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was known as the most devastating knockout artist in the heavyweight division at the time and his specialty was his ability to land fight-ending head kicks. Cro Cop was favoured to win the bout and move on to a highly anticipated title fight against then-champ Randy Couture. Gonzaga had other plans.
Silva adds to his legacy
It was a move that no one had really seen before in the UFC. Front kicks were not common, especially ones aimed at the head, before Anderson Silva shocked Vitor Belfort and the MMA world at UFC 126. Silva once said: “I’m not the best. I just believe I can do things other people think are impossible.” No kidding.
Barboza’s outstanding spinning wheel kick
When Edson Barboza planked Terry Etim at UFC 142 with a spinning wheel kick it was something out of a video game. The timing, distance, footwork and overall precision it takes to pull off a fancy move like this late in a technical, back-and-forth fight is remarkable.
Hendo drops an “H-bomb”
Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping weren’t fond of one another after their TUF 9 coaching stint. At UFC 100, Bisping continued to make the mistake of circling to his left, which was ideal for Henderson to set up his famous right hand. Hendo landed flush in the second round and to put an exclamation mark (an unnecessary one at that) on the punch he followed it up with a flying forearm to the face of an unconscious Bisping.
The Karate Kid
Lyoto Machida did his best to one-up his friend and teammate a couple months after Anderson Silva finished Vitor Belfort with a front kick. In front of 55,724 people at UFC 129 in Toronto, Machida landed a flying front kick to the face of Hall of Famer Randy Couture. The kick sent Couture into retirement – and to the dentist, as he lost a couple teeth in the process.
Weidman pulls off the unthinkable
Anderson Silva got away with risky hand placement and head movement (and some cockiness) throughout his entire UFC career, instead relying on excellent reflexes and instinct to thwart his opponents. However, at UFC 162 against Chris Weidman things caught up to him in dramatic fashion.
GSP becomes champ
Georges St-Pierre avenging a previous loss to Matt Hughes and becoming the welterweight champion at UFC 65 is perhaps the most significant moment in Canadian MMA history. GSP set up a head kick by throwing repeated inside leg kicks early in the bout and showed impeccable finishing instincts.
Jimmo’s perfect debut
It’s the perfect UFC debut. Touch gloves, land one punch, celebrate with some awesome breakdancing in front of the home crowd. That’s what happened when Canadian Ryan Jimmo took on Anthony Perosh at UFC 149 in Calgary.
Rashad melts “The Ice Man”
When Rashad Evans dropped Chuck Liddell with a thunderous right hand at UFC 88 it signified a changing of the guard in the light-heavyweight division. It propelled Evans, who went on to become champion, into superstardom and it was the first of three straight losses for Liddell before “The Ice Man” retired.
Hall’s TUF triumph
It’s one of the most jarring moments in The Ultimate Fighter history and even though the win doesn’t count on his pro MMA record (TUF fights are classified as amateur bouts), it will undoubtedly be Uriah Hall’s signature moment in his career. When he connects with Adam Cella, the silence in the TUF Gym is chilling.
Condit lands first on Hardy
Carlos Condit is a fighter that’s willing to eat a punch or two in order to land one of his own and Dan Hardy found that out at UFC 120.
Makdessi’s spinning backfist
It was overshadowed by Machida’s crane kick at UFC 129, but John Makdessi’s knockout of Kyle Watson is as good as any in UFC history and one of only two spinning backfist knockouts in UFC history — Shonie Carter putting away Matt Serra at UFC 31 was the other.
Penn gives Sherk the business
With seconds remaining in round three of their UFC 84 main event, BJ Penn landed a flying knee and filled Sean Sherk with a few uppercuts to cement his claim as the best lightweight in MMA at the time. He then licked some of Sherk’s blood off his gloves for good measure.
Stout shows off his “Hands of Stone”
Sam Stout has been one of the better strikers in the UFC’s lightweight division since 2006, yet his win over Yves Edwards is his only knockout in the Octagon to date. When he landed this perfect counter left hand, the UFC 131 crowd in Vancouver went nuts. It was a very special moment too, as it was the last fight where the late Shawn Tompkins, Stout’s brother-in-law was in his corner.
Hughes slams Newton
There haven’t been too many slam knockouts in the UFC, but Matt Hughes hammering Carlos Newton into the canvas is the best. Many believe Newton choked Hughes out with the triangle he had locked in and Hughes fell rather than intentionally slamming his opponent. Regardless, Hughes was named the winner and welterweight champ at UFC 34.
Rampage gets his revenge on Wanderlei
Wanderlei Silva had defeated Quinton “Rampage” Jackson twice when the two fought in PRIDE and developed an intense dislike towards one another. At UFC 92, Jackson got his revenge by landing perhaps the best left hook ever landed in the UFC.
Williams “Hammers” Coleman with high kick
Knockouts like this one are difficult to watch as Mark “The Hammer” Coleman was extremely fatigued at the time. Williams took full advantage and emerged victorious in his promotional debut at UFC 17.
Bigfoot annihilates Overeem
Alistair Overeem is regarded as one of the best heavyweight strikers in all of combat sports and few gave Antonio Silva a chance at UFC 156. Silva’s finishing combo was reminiscent of when Phil Baroni proclaimed he was “da best eva” after swarming Dave Menne in 18 seconds in 2002, except Bigfoot’s came with a silly amount of heavyweight power. The win earned Silva a title shot and many new fans.
Belcher lays the boom on Santiago
Alan Belcher is a well-rounded fighter, but striking is his specialty and the Muay Thai skills he honed with Duke Roufus were on full display against Jorge Santiago in 2006.
Gerard Gordeau def. Teila Tuli
It was the first fight in UFC history and oh boy did it set the tone. Gordeau was outweighed by more than 200 pounds yet a flush kick to the face was the great equalizer. It was the first head-kick KO in UFC history.
