5 greatest standing elbow knockouts in UFC history

#2. Jiri Prochazka vs. Dominick Reyes – UFC on ESPN 23

Jiri Prochazka devastated Dominick Reyes with a spinning elbow to cement himself as a title contender

When Czech light heavyweight Jiri Prochazka debuted in the UFC in mid-2020, he made an immediate impact by knocking out Volkan Oezdemir. It was clear that he had the potential to be a star.

In his second visit to the octagon, he demonstrated that again with a truly devastating spinning elbow knockout.

This knockout didn’t come against a scrub, either. ‘Denisa’ was faced with Dominick Reyes, who had pushed Jon Jones all the way in an unsuccessful challenge for the light heavyweight title in 2020 and who had fought Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title later that year.

Against Prochazka, though, ‘The Devastator’ simply looked out of his depth. Some heavy strikes from the Czech fighter in the first round left him with a damaged nose and the abuse continued into the second round as Reyes continued to absorb punishment.

Finally, with the former title challenger clearly hurt badly, Prochazka backed him into the fence with a head kick and a right elbow. He then wheeled around with a spinning left elbow that connected to the jaw, sending Reyes crashing to the ground, unconscious.

The finish left everyone watching stunned and immediately vaulted Prochazka to the top of the light heavyweight division. ‘Denisa’ is currently waiting for his first shot at UFC gold, but even if he fails in that quest, he’ll always have this; one of the best standing elbow knockouts in the promotion’s history.

---

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

Yair Rodriguez stunned everyone with his last-second elbow knockout of Chan Sung Jung

When Yair Rodriguez finished off Chan Sung Jung in the headline bout of the UFC’s 25th anniversary show in late 2018, not only did he pull off the latest knockout in the promotion’s history – ending the fight with one second to go in the fifth round – but he also unleashed the best standing elbow knockout ever seen in the octagon, too.

‘El Pantera’ was arguably behind on the scorecards when he delivered the shot, meaning that it was literally the last roll of the dice for him. That probably explained his decision to throw such a low-percentage strike.

Rodriguez’s elbow wasn’t thrown in the same way as the ones above, which, outside of Jiri Prochazka’s spinning strike, all arced forward towards the side of the head. Instead, the Mexican threw it upwards from a ducking position, basically like an uppercut in reverse.

Evidently, it was the last thing that ‘The Korean Zombie’ expected, as he walked directly into the shot, which connected perfectly with his jaw and sent him face-first to the ground, completely unconscious.

Quite what possessed Rodriguez to throw such a wild strike remains a mystery, but what can definitely be said is that it stunned everyone who saw it, from the live crowd in Denver, Colorado to the millions watching elsewhere.

It was enough to turn ‘El Pantera’ into a genuine superstar and it will likely remain part of the UFC’s overall highlight reel for years to come. Given that it’s unlikely to ever be replicated, it’s hard not to call it the best standing elbow knockout in the history of the promotion.