10 underrated UFC knockouts you may not have seen

#9 Alan Belcher vs Jorge Santiago, UFC Fight Night 7

When Alan Belcher debuted in the UFC in 2006 as a late replacement in a fight with Yushin Okami, it was clear he had potential. He took the Japanese fighter to the limit, even hitting a flashy front flip to defend against a possible choke at one stage. Matched with Brazilian Jorge Santiago for his second fight, ‘The Talent’ showed he was just as much substance as flash.

In what began as a close fight, Belcher showed off his Muay Thai chops by kicking at the legs of Santiago from the off, and by the third round it was clear he’d taken away the Brazilian’s balance and movement. Clearly favouring his lead leg, Santiago switched stances only for Belcher to kick his back leg too. Santiago looked to defend the low kicks but didn’t spot what Belcher had in store.

Feinting another low kick, Belcher instead went high and landed a crushing right head kick over the top of an attempted punch from Santiago. The kick landed perfectly and the Brazilian folded, and a follow-up right hand made it academic. It was as good a head kick knockout as the UFC has ever seen – it was a huge pity that it went untelevised as it was on the preliminary card of a Fight Night.