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The UFC turns 30 this year. In the three decades of its existence, the promotion has produced some truly jaw-dropping knockouts.
With so many knockouts in UFC history, it’s hard to whittle a list of the greatest ones down to five. However, some knockouts clearly had more impact than others, whether that’s because they came in huge fights or because they were simply unbelievable to watch.
With that in mind, here are the five best knockouts in UFC history.
#5. Joaquin Buckley vs. Impa Kasanganay – UFC Fight Night 179
It’s probably fair to say that the fight between Joaquin Buckley and Impa Kasanganay at UFC Fight Night 179 in 2020 was hardly a highly anticipated bout.
Neither man was ranked in the top 15 in the middleweight division, and the clash was buried deep on the preliminary card.
However, Buckley ended up producing a knockout so insane that it instantly went viral across the planet, probably creating countless new fans of MMA in the process.
In the second round of the fight, Kasanganay threw a low kick at Buckley, which ‘New Mansa’ caught under his arm. From there, he jumped into the air and delivered a spinning back kick to the head of his foe, switching his lights out instantly.
Kasanganay fell to the ground and, moments later, Buckley became an instant sensation online.
‘New Mansa’ hasn’t gone onto any major success in the octagon, but with more than 65 million views online, it’s hard not to call this one of the best knockouts ever.
#4. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop – UFC 70
2007 was the ‘Year of the Upset’ in the UFC, with numerous highly favored fighters falling to underdog opponents inside the octagon. However, it’s arguable that the biggest shock came when the promotion visited Manchester, England, that April.
Not only were the fans in attendance treated to one of the most brutal knockouts ever, but they were also witness to arguably the most poetic moment in octagon history too.
Mirko Cro Cop had made his name knocking out opponents with violent head kicks in the Japanese PRIDE promotion.
By the time he arrived in the octagon, he had no fewer than five head kick knockouts to his name and it seemed like a formality that he’d fight Randy Couture for the heavyweight title.
All he needed to do was get past unfavoured grappler Gabriel Gonzaga in the main event of UFC 70. It seemed like a simple task, but it quickly became clear that ‘Napao’ wasn’t going down without a fight.
He took Cro Cop down early in the fight and hammered him with elbows, until referee Herb Dean called a stand-up.
Moments later, the fight ended with a head kick that sounded like a gun being fired. However, it wasn’t Cro Cop who landed the kick. Instead, he ate a shot from Gonzaga more vicious than any he’d ever dished out, and was left unconscious in a twisted heap on the canvas.
Nobody could quite believe what they were seeing, as Cro Cop had been handed a devastating taste of his own medicine. The ironic nature of this finish, as well as the sheer violence of it, makes it one of the greatest knockouts of all time.
#3. Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren – UFC 239
It’s only natural that the fastest knockout in UFC history should make any list of the promotion’s greatest knockouts, and so Jorge Masvidal’s 2019 finish of Ben Askren cannot go ignored here.
The two welterweight standouts had built up a nasty rivalry leading into their bout, which took place in July. It was widely expected that they would have a competitive fight, with the winner seemingly hard to call.
Unfortunately for Askren, though, ‘Gamebred’ put an end to that idea in just five seconds.
Cleverly anticipating that ‘Funky’, a highly-renowned wrestler, would shoot for a takedown from the off, Masvidal sprinted forward towards him. As Askren ducked his head, the Cuban-American leapt into the air and connected cleanly with a flying knee to the dome.
‘Funky’ was knocked out cold instantly and, if anything, Masvidal’s follow-up shots were unnecessary and actually added needless time to the knockout, which had already broken a promotional record.
The footage of the strike immediately went viral, and despite ‘Gamebred’ only winning one more fight, he remained one of MMA’s biggest stars until his retirement this year.
#2. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort – UFC 126
Few fighters produced as many highlight-reel knockouts during their time with the UFC as Anderson Silva. The legendary Brazilian held the middleweight title from 2006 through to 2013, and dispatched a record 16 opponents in a row.
His best knockout, though, came in 2011 when he met fellow Brazilian star Vitor Belfort in a middleweight title bout. It was a finish that essentially changed the use of a certain strike in MMA for good.
Despite a heated build-up, the fight was actually uneventful in its first couple of minutes. Eventually, the two men engaged, with Belfort landing a left hand and a quick takedown.
Unfortunately for ‘The Phenom’, that was the best it got for him. Moments later, Silva escaped to his feet and after some bobbing and weaving, he smashed Belfort in the jaw with a perfectly-placed front kick.
Belfort went down like he’d been shot, and seconds later, the fight was mercifully over.
Not only was this a true highlight-reel knockout, but it also transformed the front kick as a weapon in MMA. Prior to this, the kick was more often than not used to gauge the distance than anything else.
After this, though, multiple fighters began to use it as a hugely offensive shot, with a number of others following in Silva’s footsteps by using it to knock foes out.
This one, though, remains the original and best front kick knockout, and stands as one of the best in UFC history too.
#1. Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo – UFC 194
It’s nearly impossible to pick the greatest knockout in UFC history. However, as Conor McGregor is widely known as the promotion’s biggest-ever star, it stands to reason that his greatest knockout belongs at #1.
That knockout, of course, is his 13-second finish of the legendary Jose Aldo in December 2015. ‘The Notorious’ came into the bout as MMA’s fastest-rising star and an interim titleholder. He left as the sport’s most recognisable figure, and the undisputed featherweight champion.
More importantly, nobody at all could’ve predicted the way the fight went down. Coming in, Aldo had not lost a fight in a decade. Only a handful of fighters had even tested him. McGregor had looked fantastic in his brief UFC run, but he also hadn’t fought anyone close to the Brazilian’s level.
That didn’t matter, though. The Irishman was clearly in Aldo’s head and when the fight began, the Brazilian looked too tense.
Aldo came forward and threw a right-left combo, only for ‘The Notorious’ to counter with a perfectly-timed left hook.
The Brazilian crashed to the ground, and two more hammer-fists from McGregor sealed the deal, ending his title reign instantly.
Not only did this knockout launch McGregor into the stratosphere, but it also remains a remarkably skilled finish, too. The way that ‘The Notorious’ was able to time his left hand so perfectly remains a true moment of in-fight genius.
It stands as probably the best counterpunch in MMA history, and it’s a fair call to declare it the UFC’s greatest-ever knockout, too.
