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This weekend sees the UFC return to the Las Vegas APEX. This Fight Night card is not big on name value, but could be fun to watch.
UFC Fight Night: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze 2 might lack star power, but it does feature a number of truly great finishers. In fact, it could easily be argued that a couple of the fighters on this list have scored some of the most memorable finishes in octagon history.
With that in mind, here are five of the best finishes from the stars of UFC Fight Night: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze 2.
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#5. Roman Dolidze vs. Phil Hawes - UFC Fight Night 213
While one fighter involved in this weekend's headliner, Marvin Vettori, is not really known for his finishing skills, the same cannot be said for Roman Dolidze.
'The Caucasian' has scored a number of violent stoppages in his five-year tenure with the UFC. It's fair to say that his most outstanding, though, came against Phil Hawes in October 2022.
Dolidze was coming off a performance bonus-winning knockout of Kyle Daukaus and was looking for another one to really make his name. Hawes, though, looked desperate to stop that from happening, and scored an early takedown.
Unfortunately, gaining top position didn't help 'No Hype' at all. He found himself dazed by a series of elbows thrown by Dolidze from the bottom, and from there, the Georgian snatched up a heel hook.
While Hawes escaped the hold, he clearly injured his right knee in doing so and suddenly, he looked like a sitting duck.
Dolidze didn't need much encouragement to dispatch his foe. He walked through a combination from Hawes and dropped him with a right hand. And although Hawes got to his feet, it was only momentarily, as 'The Caucasian' crushed him with a salvo of punches, sending him crashing to the ground for a walk-off KO.
The finish unsurprisingly earned Dolidze a bonus $50k, and remains one of the more devastating knockouts produced in recent years.
#4. Alexander Hernandez vs. Beneil Dariush - UFC 222
While he's never quite lived up to the hype he gained, it's safe to say that Alexander Hernandez made one of the most memorable debuts in UFC history in 2018.
'The Great Ape' was signed by the promotion as a last-minute replacement for Bobby Green in a bout with the top 10-ranked Beneil Dariush. To say nobody expected him to find any success was an understatement.
However, Hernandez shocked the world by dispatching his more experienced foe in just 42 seconds, crashing into the top 15 in his own right.
After a brief feeling-out period, Dariush threw a sloppy left hook, and Hernandez - the quicker fighter - countered with one of his own that landed flush to the jaw. Dariush went crashing down, and moments later, the fight was over.
At the time, it felt like 'The Great Ape' was destined for big things in the UFC. However, he's never quite repeated the big knockout he scored in his debut, and has had an up-and-down career since. In fact, it could be argued that his bout against Kurt Holobaugh this weekend is a must-win.
Regardless, though, he'll probably always appear on a number of UFC highlight reels thanks to this big finish.
#3. Chidi Njokuani vs. Marc-Andre Barriault - UFC Fight Night 200
Prior to his octagon debut in 2022, Chidi Njokuani was probably best known for being the younger brother of UFC and WEC veteran Anthony Njokuani.
It took 'Chidi Bang Bang' literally seconds to step out of his brother's shadow, though, as he scored a memorable debut finish over Marc-Andre Barriault.
15 seconds had gone in the fight's first round when Njokuani reached out and caught Barriault with a flush one-two, dropping him to his knees by the fence. From there, 'Power Bar' was never given a chance to recover. 'Chidi Bang Bang' pounced and hit him with a series of machine gun-like punches to seal the deal.
Unsurprisingly, the win netted Njokuani a $50k bonus, a feat he then repeated in his second octagon bout. He's since suffered some losses, but a win this weekend would put him on a three-fight win streak - meaning he's still got a chance of moving into contention yet.
For now, though, this one remains his best, and most violent finish.
#2. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Sean Strickland - UFC 224
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, who is set to face Chidi Njokuani in the co-headliner of this weekend's event, has been around the UFC for a long time now, dating back to May 2015.
'Capoeira' is also a curious fighter in that he's never climbed fully into title contention at welterweight, but he's also got an impressive octagon record of 11-4-1. He's also scored some knockouts over some big names, including former middleweight champ Sean Strickland.
In fact, dos Santos' finish of 'Tarzan', which came back in 2018, remains stunning to this day. It was the first time Strickland had ever been knocked out, and in this instance, he went out in style.
Dos Santos' style - all wild movement and long kicks and punches - meant that Strickland never got fully comfortable. He was stung by a number of shots through the first round, but few fans expected what happened next.
With 1:30 remaining in the round, 'Capoeira' caught 'Tarzan' with a beautiful spinning wheel kick to the head, knocking him down. Before he could attempt to recover, the Brazilian was on him, turning his lights out with a series of rapid hammer fists.
The win felt like it would propel 'Capoeira' to stardom, but in the end, things didn't quite pan out as his seven-fight win streak was snapped by Li Jingliang.
These days, he's seen as more of a journeyman type, but his classic knockout of Strickland remains stunning to this day.
#1. Da'Mon Blackshear vs. Jose Johnson - UFC on ESPN 51
While he doesn't have much hype around him, it's arguable that the fighter to watch at this weekend's UFC event is bantamweight Da'Mon Blackshear.
'Da Monster' has won three of his last five octagon bouts, with the two losses coming to a pair of ranked fighters in Montel Jackson and Mario Bautista. The main reason to keep an eye on Blackshear, though, is the fact that he's a very dangerous finisher.
Most notably, 'Da Monster' scored one of the most memorable finishes of all time in 2023 when he faced Jose Johnson. The fight saw him produce just the third twister submission in UFC history.
Remarkably, the finish didn't take Blackshear long at all. He took Johnson down early and wasted no time in outmaneuvering him on the ground.
From there, he took the back, and as Johnson attempted to scramble, 'Da Monster' managed to secure the ultra-rare spinal crank and torque it, forcing his opponent to tap out.
While it came in a low-end preliminary bout at a forgettable Fight Night event, Blackshear had scored probably the best tapout of 2023. If he can earn his fifth UFC win this weekend, he could have a bright future indeed.
