5 best UFC knockouts of 2018

With 2018 almost over, another year of shows is in the book for the UFC. We’ve seen some good and some bad this year, but as always, there have been plenty of fantastic knockouts on offer.

From the beginning of the year, with Fight Night 124 in St. Louis all the way to last week’s UFC 231 in Toronto, we’ve seen violent finishes involving knees, elbows, punches and kicks, and we’ve seen history made on more than one occasion, too.

Here are the 5 best UFC knockouts of 2018.

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#5 Justin Gaethje vs. James Vick – UFC Fight Night 135 – 08/25/2018

Justin Gaethje put James Vick to sleep in August

When rising star James Vick was matched with former WSOF champion Justin Gaethje in the main event of Fight Night 135 in August, it was a chance for ‘The Texecutioner’ to leap into the top ten at 155lbs.

Despite taking two consecutive losses to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier, most observers still considered Gaethje one of the most dangerous Lightweights in the world.

Vick talked a monumental amount of trash coming into the fight, basically shrugging Gaethje off as a threat, but that turned out to be a huge mistake.

With less than 1:30 gone in the fight – which was still largely in a feeling-out process – Gaethje cracked Vick with a huge overhand right, sending him crumpling into a heap on the ground.

With one thunderous punch, Gaethje had gotten back onto the winning track and snapped Vick’s impressive four-fight winning streak.

It was a tremendous knockout and while the fight wasn’t as exciting as the some others in Gaethje’s lengthy career, it was definitely one of his most memorable finishes.

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#4 Lyoto Machida vs. Vitor Belfort – UFC 224 – 05/12/2018

Lyoto Machida's front kick knockout of Vitor Belfort was picture-perfect

In a battle of longtime veterans, Lyoto Machida faced off with his countryman Vitor Belfort in Brazil in May in what many people were figuring could be the last UFC fight for both men.

That guess turned out to be correct, as Belfort retired after the fight while Machida signed with Bellator – but few observers guessed how good the finish would be.

With the fight threatening to turn into a staring contest with only one minute gone, Machida suddenly lashed out with a front kick that landed flush to Belfort’s face.

‘The Phenom’ went crashing to the ground and Machida had no reason to follow up, instead standing over his fallen foe, hands on his hips, before bowing in a show of respect.

Some seven years after Anderson Silva popularised the front kick by knocking Belfort out, Machida had managed to uncork an even better-looking version of the strike – on the same opponent – and while it won’t be remembered in the same iconic fashion as Silva’s, it was arguably prettier viewing – and a tremendous moment for Machida to sign off his decade-long UFC career with.

#3 Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic – UFC 226 – 07/07/2018

Daniel Cormier made history when he knocked out Stipe Miocic

History was always likely to be made at July’s UFC 226, as UFC Light-Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier faced off with UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in an attempt to be the first man to hold both titles at the same time.

It wasn’t an easy task however, as Miocic had already defended his title on three occasions and statistically speaking, was considered the best Heavyweight in UFC history.

Somehow though, ‘DC’ did make it look easy. Showing off his striking skills rather than his wrestling, Cormier used his jab and his quick hands to cut Miocic up around the eyes, and while Miocic landed some shots of his own, it was clear that Cormier was the faster fighter.

With less than a minute to go in the opening round, an exchange was followed by a brief clinch – and as the men broke off, Cormier surprised the champion with a crushing right hand to the temple.

The punch was a short one but it was remarkably powerful, and Miocic went down – where Cormier quickly followed up with more punches to leave him unconscious.

Not only had Cormier made history by claiming both titles, but he’d done it in devastating fashion, as the knockout was almost certainly his most violent since his 2011 finish of Antonio Silva in StrikeForce – and was one of the best of 2018, too.

#2 Brian Ortega vs. Frankie Edgar – UFC 222 – 03/03/2018

Brian Ortega became the first man to knock out Frankie Edgar in March

Things could’ve been so different for Frankie Edgar. The longtime veteran and former champion at 155lbs was pegged to fight Max Holloway for the UFC Featherweight title at UFC 222 in March, but when Holloway fell off the card with an injury, ‘The Answer’ decided to take a fight with rising star Brian Ortega to cement his spot as the #1 contender in the division.

It was a risk, but early on it didn’t feel that way; Edgar’s fleet-footed striking style seemed to have Ortega confused, and ‘T-City’ just couldn’t get into a rhythm.

It looked like a classic Edgar victory was on the cards – until out of nowhere, Ortega caught him with a brutal left elbow. Suddenly, Edgar was on wobbly legs, and Ortega’s tremendous finishing instincts kicked in.

He waded in with more punches, and then began to unload with uppercuts – one of which knocked Edgar flying.

A series of hammer fists sealed the deal, and Ortega had picked up the biggest win of his career by a mile – knocking out a man who’d shown a granite chin in previous fights and who had literally never been finished in his 29-fight MMA career to that point.

Considering he came in with a reputation as a grappler, the knockout was even more stunning. In a year of pretty crazy UFC moments, this was up there with the best – and was easily one of the best knockouts on offer.

#1 Yair Rodriguez vs. Chan Sung Jung – UFC Fight Night 139 – 11/10/2018

Yair Rodriguez's elbow knockout of the Korean Zombie was jaw-dropping

Early November saw the UFC present its 25th year anniversary show from the city where it all started – Denver, Colorado – and a fun night of fights was given something extra-special in the main event, as exciting Featherweights Yair Rodriguez and ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung went to war.

For the full 25 minutes, the two men threw literally everything they had at one another in what was one of 2018’s greatest fights.

As the clock ticked down in the fifth and final round, it felt like the only thing the fight was missing was a finish.

But with seconds on the clock, it didn’t look like we would get one – especially when both men chose to raise their hands in a sign of both respect and acknowledgement of the war they’d put on. But the proverbial fat lady hadn’t quite started singing just yet.

Looking for one final assault to cement a likely decision victory, Jung charged forward swinging a combination; Rodriguez ducked under a punch and in one deft movement, threw a right elbow upwards at his opponent without even looking at where it was headed.

Somehow, the shot connected perfectly with Jung’s jaw, and as the buzzer sounded to end the fight, ‘The Korean Zombie’ fell face-first to the ground, unconscious.

Not only had Rodriguez pulled off a miracle victory – in literally the last second of the last round of the fight – but he’d done it in a completely unique way, as nobody had ever managed an elbow knockout from that kind of angle in UFC history.

It was a completely insane way to end the promotion’s 25th anniversary show, and it stands out by far as being the greatest knockout of 2018.