5 latest finishes in UFC title fights

#2. Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira – UFC light heavyweight title – 4:32 in Round 5

Jiri Prochazka defeated Glover Teixeira for the light heavyweight title with less than 30 seconds remaining

The most recent entry on this list took place at UFC 275 just this past weekend. The fight in question saw a truly titanic battle between champion Glover Teixeira and challenger Jiri Prochazka for the UFC light heavyweight title, and in the end, it was ‘Denisa’ who came out on top.

However, unlike his earlier octagon victories over Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes, the win did not come easily for him at all. In fact, had the bout lasted another 30 seconds, Teixeira would actually have retained his title via decision.

The fight was essentially an instant classic, as we were treated to the very best of both fighters. Prochazka landed some huge shots on Teixeira, who simply wouldn’t go down, and the Brazilian took the fight to the ground to punish and bust open his Czech opponent.

By the time the bout made it into the fifth round, though, it seemed likely that Teixeira was ahead on the scorecards. That meant that Prochazka needed a finish, but early in the stanza, it didn’t look like he’d get it.

In fact, it was Teixeira who landed the heaviest blows of the round, hurting Prochazka with a nasty right hand. ‘Denisa’ survived, though, and with the clock ticking away, he managed to force the Brazilian to the ground and hurt him with strikes.

From there, he stunned everyone by sinking in a no-hooks rear-naked choke. With less than 30 seconds to go in the fight, Teixeira was forced to tap out, making Prochazka the new champion.

Quite how long he’ll be able to hold on to the gold remains to be seen, but even if his reign is a short one, this fight will always be remembered as one of the greatest in the division’s history – as well as one of the latest finishes, too.

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#1. Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi – UFC flyweight title – 4:59 in Round 5

Just one second remained when Demetrious Johnson managed to submit Kyoji Horiguchi in their flyweight title clash

The latest finish in any UFC title fight came back in 2016 at UFC 186, as Demetrious Johnson defended his flyweight title against Kyoji Horiguchi. Remarkably, just one second remained in the fight when it was stopped due to submission.

Like Johnson’s earlier entry on this list – his 2017 clash with Ray Borg – this was a fight that he largely dominated from the off. At the time, Horiguchi was seen more as a prospect than a genuine contender, and was essentially given the title shot as a 'challenger of the month' type.

It showed in the fight, as ‘Mighty Mouse’ comfortably dealt with the Japanese fighter in all areas, taking him down with ease, controlling him on the ground and avoiding his power strikes to land the better shots on the feet.

As the fight ticked into the fifth round, though, it appeared to be destined to go to the judges’ scorecards. Johnson was winning easily, but simply wasn’t doing quite enough to secure a finish, despite Horiguchi clearly tiring.

However, with seconds remaining, ‘Mighty Mouse’ kicked into overdrive. He took Horiguchi down one last time, secured a mounted crucifix to soften him up with punches, and then slapped an armbar on to force a tap at the 4:59 mark.

Had Horiguchi not tapped, he would’ve survived the distance, but probably would’ve ended up with a broken arm, too. Given the nature of this victory – with just one second remaining in the fight – it’s unlikely it’ll ever be beaten as the latest finish in a UFC title fight.