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The UFC has traditionally been home to some of the world’s most feared knockout artists. However, as fighters and fans alike know, in the world of MMA, even the heaviest-handed individual can end up falling.
Over the years, we’ve seen numerous examples of renowned knockout artists being stopped in brutal fashion in the UFC’s octagon, often going down to the kind of shots they’re used to dishing out themselves.
On occasion, too, these knockout artists have suffered hugely from being stopped and have sometimes never been the same again.
With that in mind, here are five times when a renowned UFC knockout artist was stopped in brutal fashion.
#5. Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa – UFC 271
The most recent entry on this list came this past weekend at UFC 271. Hard-hitting heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa faced off in one of the most exciting-sounding bouts in recent memory.
While both men had become renowned for knocking their foes out, prior to the fight, Lewis was being largely favored by the fans and it was hardly a surprise. ‘The Black Beast’ was coming off a violent KO of Chris Daukaus in December and held the promotion’s record number of knockouts with 13.
Early on, it looked like Lewis would probably pick up his 14th knockout in the octagon. After a couple of brief clinches slowed the action down, the former title challenger appeared to stun his Australian foe with his heavy hands, wobbling his legs.
However, unlike Lewis’ earlier victims, Tuivasa was somehow able to eat the shots up. Right away, he came back swinging with heavy blows of his own.
The fight surprisingly made it into the second round. Incredibly, the pattern remained the same. ‘The Black Beast’ again stunned Tuivasa with punches, but this time, when ‘Bam Bam’ fired back, Lewis’ legs began to buckle.
For a second it looked like Tuivasa had missed an opportunity when he chose to clinch. However, from there, he nailed ‘The Black Beast’ with a brutal elbow that turned off his lights instantly, sending him crashing to the ground face-first.
Sure, Lewis had suffered some TKO stoppages before, but this was the first time we’d really seen him knocked unconscious. How he’ll recover is anyone’s guess.
Tuivasa, on the other hand, may well go on to become the heavyweight division’s most feared knockout artist in his own right after giving ‘The Black Beast’ a taste of his own medicine.
#4. Jorge Masvidal vs. Kamaru Usman – UFC 261
While the early stages of his UFC career were largely marked by fights that often went the distance and usually saw a controversial decision go against him, when he returned to action in 2019 following a short break, Jorge Masvidal quickly developed a reputation as a knockout artist.
This reputation was essentially built off the back of two truly brutal knockouts, one over Darren Till in the UK-based fighter’s home country and one over Ben Askren in a fight that lasted just five seconds. With the latter KO, ‘Gamebred’ set a promotional record in the process.
When a third TKO victory over Nate Diaz made him the UFC’s first ‘BMF’ champion, it was hardly a surprise that fans began to clamor for him to fight reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
While Masvidal came up short in a late-notice fight with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ in 2020, his reputation was such that the promotion decided to give him another shot a year later. That was despite the Cuban-American not winning a fight in the interim.
When it came to their rematch, then, many fans simply expected Usman to repeat the stifling gameplan he’d used to win the first fight. If the fight were to feature a brutal knockout, the general consensus was that Masvidal would be the fighter to deliver it.
Incredibly, though, that wasn’t the case. A far more confident Usman seemed happier to strike with ‘Gamebred’. After tagging him more than once, the second round saw him practically decapitate Masvidal with a truly vicious right hand.
The knockout stunned everyone and was easily as brutal as anything Masvidal himself had ever dished out in the octagon. Quite whether ‘Gamebred’ will be the same fighter afterwards is very much up in the air, but this definitely stands as one of the nastiest finishes suffered by a renowned knockout artist in the UFC.
#3. Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman – UFC 162
After capturing the UFC middleweight title from Rich Franklin in October 2006, Anderson Silva quickly went onto establish himself not just as a great champion, but perhaps the greatest fighter in the promotion’s history, full stop.
While ‘The Spider’ was excellent in all areas, though, he became most well-known for his striking. Most notable was his ability to knock his opponents out in a variety of creative and violent ways.
Nobody had seen a front-kick knockout until Silva unleashed one against Vitor Belfort, for instance. In addition, his finish of Forrest Griffin quickly garnered comparisons to Muhammad Ali.
Even as ‘The Spider’ aged after years of holding his title, it seemed unthinkable that an opponent could give him a taste of his own medicine. Sure, observers felt that someone could best him on the ground, but on the feet? Nobody appeared to stand a chance.
That all changed when Silva faced Chris Weidman at UFC 162. Primarily known for his wrestling and grappling, ‘The All-American’ was expected to look for takedowns against the champion. Indeed, he won the first round by doing just that.
Sensing that he needed to switch things up in the second round, Silva attempted to draw Weidman into a striking exchange by performing his trademark ‘clowning’. That basically saw him drop his hands and dance around in order to goad his foe in.
This time, though, the approach backfired horribly. Silva had always been used to being able to simply lean back to dodge his opponent’s shots. In this instance, his reflexes had slowed slightly and he underestimated Weidman’s reach.
The champion ate a flush left hook that dropped him hard. Weidman quickly followed with a series of shots that left him unconscious. To say that the audience were stunned would be an understatement.
Incredibly, Silva’s whole career went on a nosedive following the loss. He would win just one more fight in the octagon before retiring in 2020, making this one of the best examples of a knockout artist going down in brutal fashion.
#2. Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga – UFC 70
When he arrived in the UFC in early 2007, it was arguable that Mirko Cro Cop was the most feared fighter on the planet, period.
Not only was he coming into the octagon as the reigning PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix champion, but his left head kick was known as one of the most deadly weapons in MMA. He’d used it to put fighters such as Wanderlei Silva, Igor Vovchanchyn and Aleksander Emelianenko away.
Cro Cop’s octagon debut wasn’t one of his most impressive performances, but he did comfortably defeat Eddie Sanchez. It felt like the first step on his path to an inevitable UFC heavyweight title win.
Three months after the Sanchez win, Cro Cop was back, facing grappler Gabriel Gonzaga in the main event of UFC 70, with the winner set to challenge Randy Couture for his title later in the year. To put it simply, it seemed unthinkable that the PRIDE legend could lose.
However, Gonzaga turned the fight on its head by eating up one of Cro Cop’s patented body kicks and using it to tackle him to the ground, where he then landed a series of thudding elbows to the head.
By the time the referee stood the fighters back up, the Croatian was hurt enough to open him up somewhat. Incredibly, Gonzaga then threw a head kick that was as devastating as any of Cro Cop’s own, knocking him senseless in a truly scary moment.
Not only was this a huge upset, but it was also one of the most brutal knockouts in UFC history and essentially left Cro Cop as a shell of the fighter he once was. In fact, it may be the ultimate example of a nasty stoppage loss changing the career of a renowned knockout artist.
#1. Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans – UFC 88
It’s arguable that in his prime, Chuck Liddell was perhaps the most feared knockout artist in UFC history. ‘The Iceman’, who held the light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007, put together a remarkable list of stoppage wins, including victories over the likes of Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Renato Sobral.
However, Liddell always relied on his granite chin a little too much during striking exchanges with his opponents. When that chin began to fail him, his downfall was quick and painful.
‘The Iceman’ lost his title to Quinton Jackson in 2007, suffering a flash knockout. However, when he then survived a brawl with Keith Jardine and defeated Wanderlei Silva in a crazy war, it looked like he was back to his best.
That all changed in September 2008. Faced with up-and-comer Rashad Evans, Liddell was hopeful of picking up a second win in a row. For the most part, the stylistic match seemed good for him given he’d always dealt well with wrestlers.
However, when the fight began, it was clear that Evans had been working on his kickboxing game substantially. More to the point, he held a clear speed advantage over ‘The Iceman’.
Liddell still seemed confident, but every time the two men exchanged, it felt like ‘Suga’ was landing first. In the second round, that approach paid off. ‘The Iceman’ threw a wide haymaker, only for Evans to counter with a brutal right hand that got there a little quicker.
The shot sounded like a gun being fired and Liddell was knocked out cold instantly, slumping to the ground like a corpse.
The knockout was comfortably the worst one that Liddell had suffered in his MMA career. Within two years of suffering it, he’d hung up his gloves. Evans, on the other hand, followed the victory by winning the UFC light heavyweight title and went on to build a legendary career in his own right.
