5 best last-gasp finishes in UFC history

In the world of the UFC, a fight is never over until the final buzzer. That's because it’s impossible to count any fighter out even when the final seconds on the clock tick away.

The UFC has seen many stunning last-gasp finishes over the years. Whether they’ve come in the third or fifth round, they’ve always been spectacular.

We’ve seen last-gasp finishes by both knockout and submission across all weight classes and title bouts. Naturally, whenever these finishes happen, they instantly enter UFC folklore.

On that note, here are the five best last-gasp finishes in UFC history:

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#5. Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg – UFC 216

Demetrious Johnson's armbar of Ray Borg took an exceptional amount of skill to pull off - particularly at the last minute.

The UFC flyweight title bout between Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg wasn’t all that dramatic in itself. That was largely because ‘Mighty Mouse’ essentially dominated Borg in all five rounds of the clash.

However, the last-gasp finish pulled off by the then-champion was both stunning and unique. It also required a nearly unmatchable level of skill, meaning that it definitely belongs in this list.

Johnson was once considered a dull fighter who would often go to decision rather than finish his opponents. However, by the time UFC 216 rolled around, Johnson had become renowned as a fighter capable of putting his foes away at any point.

In fact, he’d already picked up two of the UFC’s latest-ever finishes, over John Moraga and Kyoji Horiguchi respectively. While those finishes came slightly later in the fifth round than his win over Borg, this one was far more exciting to watch.

Borg had been unable to handle the striking and grappling of ‘Mighty Mouse’ throughout the fight. However, as the clash ticked into its last few moments, it looked like he’d survive until the final buzzer.

That wasn’t to be the case, though. With just under two minutes remaining, after taking his back, Johnson lifted Borg into the air with a German suplex, and then dropped back directly into a straight armbar.

‘The Tazmexican Devil’ was immediately forced to tap out as UFC fans across the world were marvelled by the insane show of skill from ‘Mighty Mouse’. The fact that he won came as no surprise, but jaws were left on the floor by this finish.

#4. Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald – UFC 115

Inspired by coach Greg Jackson, Carlos Condit produced a stunning late finish to stop Rory MacDonald at UFC 115.

The UFC has seen plenty of dramatic comeback victories over the years. However, Carlos Condit’s win over Rory MacDonald at UFC 115 in 2010 – a comeback seemingly inspired by a wild pep-talk from cornerman Greg Jackson - sits near the top of the pile.

It was arguable that Condit was doing better in the fight than the UFC’s commentators made it out to be. However, by the third round, it seemed clear that ‘The Natural Born Killer’ was losing to his younger foe.

Just 20 at the time, MacDonald showcased a blend of wrestling and pressure that forced Condit onto his back foot. That prevented Condit from opening up with his dangerous striking game.

However, before the final stanza, Jackson had a simple message for ‘The Natural Born Killer’. He yelled at the latter that he had 'five minutes of war' left and that he needed to 'punish the kid'.

Evidently, Condit took those words to heart. After pushing forward more than he’d done in the first two rounds, the former WEC champion found himself in top position. He opened up on MacDonald with a relentless barrage of elbows and punches.

‘The Red King’ began to wilt, and with Condit unwilling to let up, the referee was forced to step in with just nine seconds remaining in the fight. The finish was both wildly dramatic and scarily violent, and remains a marker of how ferocious a fighter Condit was in his prime.

It should definitely be considered one of the UFC’s greatest-ever last-gasp finishes.

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#3. Yoel Romero vs. Tim Kennedy – UFC 178

Yoel Romero's finish of Tim Kennedy was dramatic, but it didn't come without controversy.

There was a little longer left on the clock in this fight than in some of the other last-gasp finishes on this list. However, Yoel Romero’s knockout win of Tim Kennedy was too dramatic and controversial to overlook.

The two middleweight contenders faced off on the main card of one of the UFC’s greatest-ever shows – UFC 178. They put on a fight that would end up standing out as probably the best one on offer that night.

However, coming into the third round, it looked like the result would only go one way – in favor of Kennedy. The Army Ranger had slowly begun to edge ahead of his Cuban foe in the second round. As that stanza entered its dying seconds, he caught Romero with a hellacious upper-cut.

‘The Soldier of God’ was badly hurt. Kennedy followed it up more punches that sent his opponent crashing to the ground as the buzzer sounded. For all intents and purposes, Romero looked done.

However, after controversially taking more time on his stool than is usually allowed, Romero came out in the third round knowing only a finish would do. Incredibly, he got it.

In the opening seconds, he decked Kennedy with a huge right hand, sending him back down with an uppercut when he tried to get back up. The Army Ranger desperately tried to recover, but Romero was on him, and his killer instinct had kicked in. He continued to bomb Kennedy with strikes until referee John McCarthy was forced to step in.

The controversial nature of the finish meant Romero was turned into a villain by some sections of the UFC’s fanbase. However, for the most part, everyone watching was simply stunned by the incredible last-gasp finish.

#2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen – UFC 117

Anderson Silva snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat in his entertaining UFC middleweight title bout with Chael Sonnen.

When Chael Sonnen signed to take on UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117, he promised to take the fight to ‘The Spider’ like nobody had done before.

At that point, Silva had held the title for the better part of four years, and had turned back six consecutive challengers. Nobody had come close to beating him. He even stepped up to 205lbs to casually smack around a former UFC light heavyweight champion in Forrest Griffin.

However, Sonnen’s incredible wrestling skill and ability to push the pace offered Silva something he hadn’t really faced before. Early on, it looked like ‘The American Gangster’ would live up to his promise. He came into the fight on fire, hurting Silva with punches on the feet before taking him down to beat on him with elbows on the ground.

‘The Spider’ seemingly had no answer to this gameplan. Midway through the fight, UFC fans were stunned by the ease with which Sonnen seemed to be able to handle the pound-for-pound king.

By the fifth round, the fight looked all but over. Sonnen had been bloodied by Silva’s elbow strikes, but he seemed undeterred, and his ground-and-pound assault wasn’t letting up.

With just under two minutes remaining, though, Silva threw out a ‘Hail Mary’ move in the form of a triangle choke. Unbelievably, he was able to lock the submission hold in, forcing Sonnen to tap out.

‘The American Gangster’ had undoubtedly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. However, this was still a phenomenal achievement for Silva, who proved once and for all that he was the best middleweight in the UFC.

Simply put, this remains one of the best last-gasp finishes in a UFC title bout in the promotion’s history.

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#1. Yair Rodriguez vs. Chan Sung Jung – UFC Fight Night 139

Yair Rodriguez pulled off the UFC's greatest-ever last gasp finish in his clash with Chan Sung Jung.

No matter how good Anderson Silva’s triangle choke victory over Chael Sonnen was, there’s only one choice when it comes to the greatest last-gasp finish in UFC history.

The finish in question came during the UFC’s 25th anniversary show in the headline bout between featherweight contenders Yair Rodriguez and Chan Sung Jung. Fighting in Denver, Colorado, the same city that had hosted the inaugural UFC show in 1993, Rodriguez and Jung put on a war for the ages for five rounds.

However, as the fifth round approached its conclusion, it seemed as if the one who’got the better shots in would be adjudged the winner. Quite who would be awarded the win was anyone’s guess at that point. Incredibly, though, Rodriguez somehow made sure that things never came to that.

With just one second remaining on the clock, ‘El Pantera’ caught Jung coming forward with a ridiculous upward elbow from a ducking position, and knocked ‘The Korean Zombie’ silly.

The knockout tied the UFC’s record for the latest finish in the promotion’s history. It made an instant star of Rodriguez, who immediately went viral across the internet. Quite what possessed the Mexican fighter to throw such a wild strike was not known, but it clearly worked.

Three years later, this finish has lost none of its allure, and remains the best last-gasp finish in the UFC's history.