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We're not even halfway through 2024, but the year promises to be a memorable one for the UFC. While UFC 301, which has yet to take place, is regarded as a low point due to the near-nonexistent starpower on the card, it is preceded by three of the most thrilling cards of the year.
With those thrills came knockouts of the highest order. Whether it was champions defending their titles in emphatic fashion or contenders staking their claim to title shots by shutting their opponent's lights out, memorable knockouts have been plentiful. In fact, 2024 may very well already have a lock for Knockout of the Year.
This is all without Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler having yet shared the octagon in a bout expected to produce fireworks. By the time they stand from across each other in the cage, they will have a lot to contend with if they hope to score the year's best knockout.
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#5. Jack Della Maddalena vs. Gilbert Burns, UFC 299
UFC 299 marked the biggest jump in competition for Jack Della Maddalena, who had been riding a jaw-dropping 16-fight win streak after an unsuccessful start to his MMA career. He took on former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns, and the Australian was more than up for the challenge.
The two men had a competitive bout, with Burns doing his best to drag the fight to the mat, and Della Maddalena either defending the takedowns or scrambling back to his feet. It was during the latter that the Australian striker found his opening. After rolling out from under Burns, Maddalena popped back up to his feet.
Check out Jack Della Maddalena's knockout of Gilbert Burns:
Burns followed him and shot for an immediate takedown. Only Maddalena had anticipated the level-change and intercepted him with knee, causing Burns to stumble onto his back.
The Australian pounced with vicious ground-and-pound, earning the TKO after Burns covered up and stopped defending himself.
#4. Dustin Poirier vs. Benoît Saint Denis, UFC 299
Ahead of UFC 299, Benoît Saint Denis was given the opportunity of a lifetime. Sitting outside the lightweight top 10, he was granted a fight with perennial top-five 155-pounder, Dustin Poirier. The former interim lightweight champion welcomed him to the big leagues but nearly paid for it.
Saint Denis' physicality and wrestling edge overwhelmed 'The Diamond' from the start. He took him down and seemed to be on the verge of a submission but could not sustain his frenetic pace, eventually tiring himself out. The Frenchman blamed this on his staph infection, much to Poirier's subsequent chargin.
Check out Dustin Poirier's knockout of Benoît Saint Denis:
In round two, with an exhausted Saint Denis in front of him, Poirier dropped him with a left hook. His foe stumbled to his feet, and Poirier attempted and failed the last of several guillotine chokes. At the break, he floored Saint Denis with a check right hook in the middle of an exchange, knocking him out cold to raucous scenes.
#3. Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 298
In retrospect, a knockout loss for Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 seemed inevitable. 'The Great' had made a quick turnaround after having been knocked out by Islam Makhachev, and to face a brutally powerful puncher like Ilia Topuria, no less. In the eyes of many, it was a recipe for disaster.
Still, many were of the thought that Volkanovski was invincible, too technical, too skilled. But so was Topuria. When the two men locked horns, Volkanovski found success from range with his sniping jab and straights but could not control the center of the octagon. Topuria was faster and more powerful.
Check out Ilia Topuria's knockout of Alexander Volkanovski:
He took advantage of Volkanovski's tendency to back up in a straight line and engage in pocket boxing exchanges, during which he often drops his hands. He drew him into an exchange and unloaded with a vicious combination, flatlining Volkanovski with a right hand to crown himself as champion in round two.
#2. Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill, UFC 300
Jamahal Hill was supremely confident that he was Alex Pereira's superior and never shied away from saying so in the leadup to their UFC 300 showdown. He scoffed at Pereira's kickboxing credentials, promising to knock the Brazilian out and reclaim his light heavyweight title.
However, the fight couldn't have gone more differently than he had anticipated. After a feeling out process in the opening round, where both men traded low kicks and body jabs, Hill landed an accidental kick to the groin, compelling veteran referee Herb Dean to call for a break in the action.
Check out Alex Pereira's knockout of Jamahal Hill:
Though before he could do so, Pereira halted him with a silent gesture, never taking his eyes off Hill. The two men resumed, and Hill threw a straight left. Unfortunately for him, 'Poatan' slipped the blow and countered him with his patented left hook, sending him crashing into the canvas.
Without a second to spare, Pereira battered a downed Hill with hammer-fists, knocking him unconscious before subjecting him to a viral post-fight celebration.
#1. Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje, UFC 300
The battle for 'BMF' supremacy was the highlight of UFC 300. Max Holloway, a former featherweight champion, moved up to lightweight to face the division's former interim champion and resident power-punching boogeyman, Justin Gaethje. The fight, though, was nearly a masterclass for the smaller man.
Holloway almost immediately made Gaethje pay for his habit of ducking under punches by intercepting his level-change with a spinning back kick that broke 'The Highlight's' nose. Afterward, the Hawaiian phenom controlled most of the bout, though he did concede his first-ever knockdown.
Check out Max Holloway's knockout of Justin Gaethje:
Come the last 10 seconds of round five, Holloway pointed to the center of the octagon, daring Gaethje to meet him for a final exchange. 'The Highlight' obliged, and the two men started trading. Amid a windmill of looping punches, Holloway blasted Gaethje with a right hook in the final instance.
Gaethje fell flat on his face, and Holloway celebrated with a roar as the new 'BMF' champion and owner of the latest knockout in UFC history.
