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Incredibly, we’ve now reached the halfway point of 2020, and for the UFC, it’s been a surprisingly decent year. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of six events, the promotion has rebounded well. They’ve been able to put on nine UFC events behind closed doors, and have secured Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island to ensure international fighters can also compete.
All told we’ve seen a total of 16 UFC events this year – not bad at all given the world has practically been shut down since March.
And of course, across those events, we’ve seen some tremendous knockouts. So with that in mind, here are the best 5 UFC knockouts of the first half of 2020.
#5 Tanner Boser vs. Philipe Lins – UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker
When Heavyweights Tanner Boser and Philipe Lins stepped into the Octagon at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker, many observers were expecting a slow-paced fight. After all, both men had been involved in plodding affairs in their previous UFC outings, not really inspiring much hope.
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However, Boser appeared to be a different fighter entirely at this event. ‘The Bulldozer’ came in at 235lbs – 15lbs lighter than he’d been in his previous appearance. And sporting a mullet that made him look like a thinner Roy Nelson, the Canadian’s speed was remarkable.
He appeared to be moving on a different time plane to his Brazilian foe, and at the midway point of the opening round, it showed.
An overhand right caught Lins on the top of the head and wobbled him. And from there, Boser wasted no time, unleashing a stunningly quick combination that dropped the Brazilian. One hammer fist on the ground was all that was needed to seal the victory.
It was a beautiful knockout from ‘The Bulldozer’ that showed his dramatic improvements, particularly in terms of hand speed. Heavyweight KO’s in the UFC don’t get much better than this.
#4 Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone – UFC 246
The UFC’s first event of 2020 featured the return of the promotion’s biggest star, former Lightweight and Featherweight champ Conor McGregor. The Irishman was faced with action hero Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, and the audience expected a war for the ages.
Of course, what we got couldn’t have been much further from a “war”. ‘The Notorious One’ simply destroyed Cerrone, finishing him off in just 40 seconds.
McGregor came out quickly, clearly looking to capitalize on Cerrone’s reputation as a slow starter. Glancing with a flying left hand, the Irishman clinched with ‘Cowboy’, and then stunned him with a series of rare shoulder strikes.
Those shots caused some serious damage to Cerrone’s nose, and as the two separated, McGregor smelt blood. He nailed ‘Cowboy’ with one of his own favored weapons – a left head kick – and then followed that with a series of punches that caused Cerrone to wilt.
A barrage on the ground sealed the deal, as Cerrone was unable to do anything but a cover-up. It was a disappointing showing from the veteran, but for McGregor, things couldn’t have gone much better.
The Irishman has since announced his retirement from MMA. And while that may not stick – particularly if the UFC offer him enough money – this would be a tremendous knockout for him to go out with.
#3 Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik – UFC 249
The UFC’s Heavyweights naturally have the most punching power of any fighters on the roster. However, Francis Ngannou has the kind of power that’s even rare at Heavyweight. Power that can switch an opponent’s lights off in a matter of seconds.
The giant Cameroonian-French star unleashed that power at UFC 249, knocking out top-ranked contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds.
Rozenstruik – a credentialed kickboxer – was expected to attempt to pick ‘The Predator’ apart. Unfortunately for him, he simply wasn’t given a chance. As soon as the fight began, Ngannou came out with an astonishing level of aggression, swinging haymakers at his foe while charging forward.
‘The Predator’ would earn no points for technique – in all honesty, his punches were little more than wild swings. But that doesn’t matter when you possess the kind of power that Ngannou does.
In one flurry, the Cameroonian threw just five punches. Only one landed cleanly – a left hand – and yet it was enough to knock ‘Bigi Boy’ silly. The punches Ngannou landed on his fallen foe were quite honestly needless.
This was a truly terrifying knockout, the kind of thing that would put people off attempting to take up MMA. Rozenstruik was simply never given a chance. Ngannou might not be the best Heavyweight in the UFC right now, but he’s undoubtedly the hardest-hitting.
#2 Cody Garbrandt vs. Raphael Assuncao – UFC 250
Coming into his fight with Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250, many fans questioned exactly what Cody Garbrandt had left to offer.
The former UFC Bantamweight champion, Garbrandt had not fought since his March 2019 knockout loss to Pedro Munhoz. Before that, he’d lost twice by knockout to TJ Dillashaw. Incredibly, he hadn’t won a fight since December 2016.
All of that didn’t matter at UFC 250. ‘No Love’ looked as good as he ever had, taking the fight to Assuncao with his brand of quick, crisp striking. The Brazilian veteran attempted to fire back, but he always appeared to be a slight step behind his opponent.
As the second round ticked towards its conclusion though, it looked like Garbrandt would have to settle for a decision win. Although he was comfortably winning, a finish of the tough Assuncao didn’t look likely.
All of that changed with just one second remaining. As Assuncao corralled ‘No Love’ towards the fence. Garbrandt ducked down and came up with a huge right haymaker that landed directly on the Brazilian’s jaw.
The punch would win zero points for technique, but in terms of effectiveness, it was remarkable. Assuncao crashed to the ground, unconscious on impact. Garbrandt didn’t even need to follow the punch up.
This was comfortably the greatest knockout of Garbrandt’s career. And while he may not be able to climb the ladder back up to the UFC title, it was definitely enough to prove one thing. He’s nowhere near finished yet.
#1 Sean O’Malley vs. Eddie Wineland – UFC 250
In the world of the UFC, there are few things more aesthetically pleasing than a crushing knockout. But arguably best of all are the knockouts known more commonly as “walk-offs”.
These knockouts involve a fighter catching their opponent so cleanly that they don’t need to follow up with more strikes. They simply know their opponent is done, and walk away in the knowledge of a guaranteed victory.
We’ve seen a number of great walk-off knockouts in the UFC over the years, but UFC 250 saw Sean O’Malley pull off perhaps the greatest.
A young, highly-rated prospect, O’Malley was faced with his biggest test to date. His opponent, Eddie Wineland, had fought in the UFC on 13 occasions. He’d even held the WEC’s Bantamweight title from 2006 to 2007.
Clearly though, ‘Suga Sean’ didn’t care about any of this. He looked remarkably confident from the off, dancing around his more experienced opponent. And with just under two minutes of the first round gone, he saw an opportunity and took it.
Faking a left uppercut that made Wineland move his head slightly, O’Malley instead unleashed a crushing straight right hand. The shot connected perfectly with Wineland’s jaw, stiffening him up and sending him crashing to the ground.
O’Malley could’ve followed up before the referee stepped in. But instead in the knowledge that the fight was over, he simply strutted away. This was absolutely job done.
‘Suga Sean’ will most likely go onto much bigger things in his burgeoning UFC career. But will he ever top this knockout? In all honesty, it’s doubtful. For me, this was the best KO of the first half of 2020.
