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Singapore loves a knockout. It's home to ONE Championship and was an annual stop for the UFC for several years before the pandemic. Although the city has a population of less than six million people, it became a hotbed for MMA in South East Asia and has borne witness to some truly epic finishes.
With MMA gyms popping up all over the Lion City and massive fights being hosted regularly at the Singapore Indoor Stadium - the Little Red Dot has certainly produced some big moments in the sport.
Whether they took place in the octagon, the ONE Circle or indeed, the ring - there have been some earth shattering knockouts over the years. ONE Championship has leaned heavily on its home city in recent months, with the Asia-based promotion choosing to have the bulk of its shows there due to difficulties coordinating events during the pandemic.
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The UFC is also expected to make a return to Singapore once travel restrictions ease up. Here are five of the best MMA knockouts that rocked Singapore.
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#5. ONE: 'Enter the Dragon' - Lee's knockout over Aoki
Ever since Christian Lee burst onto the scene as a 17 year old, 'The Warrior' has established a reputation as an absolute knockout merchant. 67% of his 15 victories have been knockouts. Still only 23, the young star tore his way through the division to win the lightweight title and the grand prix in the space of less than six months.
With back-to-back first-round knockouts against Kazuki Tokudome and Edward Kelly - Lee earned a title shot against Evolve MMA teammate Shinya Aoki. Aoki is an icon of the game, and represented a massive test for Lee. The young warrior stepped up big time. Having shown his mettle by resisting a deep armbar attempt in the first, Lee produced a stunning knockout with less than a minute to go in the second round.
Lee cracked Aoki with a one-two combination to leave the Japanese star stumbling backwards. Another followed as Aoki crumbled. Two more finishing shots was all she wrote as Lee was crowned the youngest ever male MMA world champion in a major organization.
#4. ONE: 'Enter the Dragon' - Le's knockout on Nguyen
If ever a fight could almost guarantee a knockout it would have to be this one. It's fair to say that the featherweight title fight between Thanh Le and Martin Nguyen was the biggest bout in the history of Vietnamese MMA. Although the pair both grew up in different countries, they are proud of their Vietnamese heritage and the clash marked a sparkling match-up between two of the most exciting fighters in the division.
The fight itself certainly lived up to the billing. Le, a TUF alumnus, earned the shot by racking up three straight knockouts following his arrival from LFA. Nguyen had put together a pair of emphatic finishes in the lead-up to the bout which meant that both fighters were in scintillating form.
Nguyen later said he let his emotions get the better of him, which led to his downfall. After a keen battle in the first three rounds, Le cracked Nguyen with a right hand in the fourth.
Up until this point, Nguyen had never been on the receiving end of a knockout. Having been one of the most successful champions in the history of ONE, it will be interesting to see if he gets another shot at Le in the future.
3. ONE: 'Inside the Matrix' Part III - Lineker's knockout vs. Belingon
John Lineker can seriously crack. The Brazilian was a fan favorite during his time with the UFC. He lived up to his 'Hands of Stone' moniker in a serious way when he knocked out Kevin Belingon in his sophomore showing for ONE Championship.
Lineker's debut for ONE was a unanimous decision win against Muin Gafurov. It was a strong showing but lacked the full flourish that might be expected of such a talented striker. He more than made up for it against Belingon. As a former champion, Belingon was a stiff test for Lineker but the 31 year old passed with flying colors.
The Parana native put together some savage combinations as he unleashed countless brutal hooks to the head and body. In the second round, Belingon succumbed to the unrelenting attrition as he landed the jab, followed by a monster uppercut. A flurry of finishing punches sealed the knockout as Lineker made a big statement and sealed the title shot against countryman Bibiano Fernandes.
#2. UFC Fight Night 111 - Holm's knockout vs. Correia
After her legendary knockout against Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm developed a strong fan following. Bethe Correia's name also became inextricably linked to Rousey's in 2015. The Brazilian dished out some very personal trash talk to the then-champion before suffering a knockout in just 34 seconds.
When Correria met Holm in Singapore, she had just managed to get her career back on track by beating Jessica Eye and scoring a draw with Raquel Pennington. After Holm beat Rousey, she swiftly lost the belt to Miesha Tate before suffering losses to Valentina Shevchenko and Germaine de Randamie.
She certainly came back with a bang when she met Correia. Following a fairly slow first two rounds, Holm produced a trademark headkick in the third which landed beautifully. Correia folded to the canvas before a swift left hand scored the knockout for Holm, just the second of her UFC career.
Holm has recorded three victories inside the octagon since then, but all three of those wins went the distance. At 40 years-old, it will be interesting to see if 'The Preacher's Daughter' can recapture the form that saw her leave the likes of Correia and Rousey lying flat on the canvas.
1. ONE: 'Enter the Dragon' - Alexandre's knockout vs. Northcutt
If there is one knockout that truly lives up to the title of this article then it's Cosmo Alexandre's shockingly violent knockout against Sage Northcutt. To say that this finish shook up the Singapore Indoor Stadium would be an understatement.
In hindsight, this was a brutal match-up for Northcutt in what was his ONE debut. The ripped American with the Colgate smile spent the majority of his UFC career competing at 155lbs. His fight with Alexandre took place at 185lbs which is a massive jump. In the end, 'Super' Sage paid a heavy price.
Alexandre is a decorated world champion in both kickboxing and Muay Thai. Northcutt was also used to competing inside a cage, whereas 'Enter the Dragon' took place inside a ring.
The result was devastating. Northcutt was caught by an absolute monster right hand from Alexandre as he suffered arguably the worst knockout ever seen in the history of the promotion. The knockout was so fierce that it left Northcutt's orbital crushed and he's been unable to return to competition since.
