5 best UFC knockouts in 2022 so far

#2. Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina – UFC Fight Night 204

Molly McCann used a spinning elbow to dispatch Luana Carolina in London

March’s trip to London turned into one of the most memorable UFC events in recent memory, with the promotion giving out an unheard-of nine $50,000 post-fight bonuses due to the amount of stellar performances on the card.

However, while the likes of Paddy Pimblett, Arnold Allen and Tom Aspinall delivered star-making performances, the fighter who scored the best knockout was undoubtedly Molly McCann.

‘Meatball’ had never finished an opponent in the octagon prior to her fight with Luana Carolina, but she’d clearly been saving up for a truly memorable stoppage.

After largely dominating her Brazilian foe for the first two rounds, it looked like the native of Liverpool was probably on her way to another decision victory. Instead, as the third round neared its midway point, that all changed.

McCann uncorked a brilliant spinning back elbow, connecting perfectly with Carolina’s jaw and switching her lights off instantly. ‘Meatball’ didn’t even need to follow up as it was clear that ‘Dread’ was more than done.

Not only did this knockout make a star of McCann, but it also lit up an already raucous crowd – making it easily one of 2022’s best thus far.

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#1. Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson – UFC 274

Michael Chandler's front kick knockout of Tony Ferguson shocked even Dana White

While 2022 has seen some excellent knockouts up to this point, one stands miles above the rest. In fact, it’ll probably go down as not only one of the best finishes of this year, but one of the best ever seen in the octagon, period.

UFC 274 was always set to be a stacked card, with two title fights at the top, but going in, the clash that had the best chance of stealing the show was the lightweight clash between Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson.

The two men had put on so many classic wars over the years that there didn’t seem to be any chance that their fight would fail to deliver, and sure enough, they surpassed expectations.

Early on, it looked like ‘El Cucuy’, who was an underdog of sorts after three straight losses, would come out on top. He took the fight to Chandler and tagged him with multiple heavy strikes, and the only way ‘Iron Mike’ managed to turn the tide somewhat was with a takedown.

In the second round, though, before Ferguson could even attempt any offense, the former Bellator MMA champion hit him with a front kick to the jaw so powerful that it switched his lights off instantly.

This wasn’t a pretty front kick ala Lyoto Machida against Randy Couture – it was a brutal, sudden shot more akin to a pro-wrestling style big boot. It was such a brutal shot that even UFC president Dana White appeared to be stunned, labeling it as the most vicious thing he’d ever seen inside the octagon.

White is often hyperbolic, but in this case, he probably wasn’t all that wrong. Quite how well Ferguson will recover from eating such a shot remains a major question mark, and it’ll take something very special indeed to top this knockout in the remainder of 2022.