5 best elbow knockouts in MMA history

#3 Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Mirko Cro Cop first faced Gabriel Gonzaga back at UFC 70 in 2007 and sustained a beating at the latter’s hands—eating several elbow strikes before Gonzaga used the former’s own signature move, the head kick, to finish Cro Cop.

Following his shocking defeat at the hands of Gonzaga, Cro Cop noted that he’d come over from Pride FC (an organization which prohibited the use of elbow strikes) to the UFC, which in turn proved to be his undoing as elbow strikes were widely utilized in the UFC.

Cro Cop faced Gonzaga in the rematch at UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 in 2015, and notably tagged the latter with a few beautiful standing elbows. The fight then went to the ground, where Cro Cop continued landing elbows as part of his ground-and-pound.

It was in the post-fight Octagon interview that Cro Cop noted how he learnt from his 2007 loss to Gonzaga, and subsequently incorporated elbows into his arsenal—once again proving that one is never too old to learn in the world of martial arts.