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There’s nothing quite like seeing a brutal knockout in the UFC, and while every fighter who steps into the octagon is capable of producing one, some fighters are far more prolific at it than others.
So who is the most prolific knockout artist in UFC history?
Some obvious names instantly come to mind, but some fighters with plenty of knockouts might come as a surprise.
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With entries from multiple divisions, including heavyweight, welterweight and middleweight, here are the top five most prolific knockout artists in UFC history.
#5 Anthony Johnson – 11 knockouts in the UFC
Current Bellator fighter and former UFC light-heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson sits at No. 5 on this list of the UFC’s most prolific knockout artists, with 11 knockouts to his name.
‘Rumble’ debuted in the UFC in 2007 as a late replacement in a welterweight fight with Chad Reiner, with just three professional fights to his name at the time. It took him 13 seconds to announce himself to the UFC fanbase as he knocked out Reiner with a brutal combination of punches.
And despite constant struggles to make the 170lbs welterweight limit, Johnson continued to brutally knock his opponents out during the majority of his visits to the octagon. Two of those knockouts – against Charlie Brenneman and Kevin Burns – were enough to net him a ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus.
2012 saw Johnson attempt to move to 185lbs, but when he failed to make that weight too, he was released from the UFC, going onto reinvent himself as a light-heavyweight on the regional scene.
Six wins in a row were enough for the UFC to bring him back, and he immediately showed that the big power he carried at 170lbs could also translate to 205lbs.
‘Rumble’ violently finished Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alexander Gustafsson, Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira in his second run with the promotion, taking his total of UFC knockouts up to 11.
Johnson would retire in 2017 after a second failed UFC light-heavyweight title shot, but he has since returned with Bellator – and has already picked up yet another knockout victory for his overall ledger.
#4 Anderson Silva – 11 knockouts in the UFC
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is widely recognized as one of the greatest strikers in UFC and MMA history, so it should come as no surprise to find him on this list of prolific knockout artists.
Silva – who reeled off a ridiculous 16 wins in a row in the UFC from his debut in 2006 to his eventual title loss to Chris Weidman in 2013 – was basically unstoppable in his prime, and his list of victims remains highly impressive.
The iron-chinned Chris Leben – who at the time seemed impossible to even hurt, let alone knock out – was his first, as Silva took him out with a series of ruthless strikes in less than a minute.
And from there, ‘The Spider’ knocked out Rich Franklin to become the UFC middleweight champion, and then reeled off further KO or TKO wins over Travis Lutter, Nate Marquardt, Franklin in a rematch and James Irvin.
A pair of dull decision wins over Thales Leites and Demian Maia dented Silva’s reputation at one stage, but even they sandwiched arguably his greatest knockout – his Muhammad Ali-esque finish of Forrest Griffin.
And after that, Silva went onto knock out Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami, Chael Sonnen and Stephan Bonnar, all in highlight reel fashion.
Silva’s loss to Weidman essentially signaled the end of an era, and ‘The Spider’ would only win one more fight in the UFC – a controversial decision over Derek Brunson in 2017.
Still, his legacy will always be intact, and his reputation as one of the UFC’s most prolific knockout artists will likely never fade.
#3 Matt Brown – 12 knockouts in the UFC
Arguably the most unlikely name on this list is welterweight Matt Brown. ‘The Immortal’, who emerged in the UFC following an appearance on the 7th season of The Ultimate Fighter, has 12 UFC knockouts to his name, and it’s conceivable that he could still add more, too.
Brown debuted in the octagon with a knockout of Matt Arroyo, but despite gaining a reputation for remarkably exciting fights, it never looked like he’d develop into a UFC title contender.
By the end of 2011, his overall record with the promotion was 5-5, and despite having three knockouts to his name, he was probably close to being cut from the roster.
However, Brown turned things around as 2012 began. He started the year with a knockout win over Chris Cope, and went on to reel off seven wins in a row – including knockouts of Mike Swick, Erick Silva and Jordan Mein – to put himself in line for a potential title shot.
That shot unfortunately never came due to back-to-back losses to Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks, but in the years that have followed, Brown has continued to be one of the UFC’s most reliable knockout artists.
And with his last three wins – including one in June – coming by KO, there’s every chance that he could end up at the top of this list when all is said and done.
#2 Vitor Belfort – 12 knockouts in the UFC
One of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history, Vitor Belfort was able to score 12 knockouts during his UFC career across multiple tenures with the promotion.
‘The Phenom’ – who is set to return from retirement to box Oscar De La Hoya in the near future – remains the only fighter to score UFC knockouts in three different decades – the 1990’s, the 2000’s and the 2010’s.
Belfort began his UFC career back in the sport’s dark ages. When he stopped Tra Telligman, Scott Ferrozzo and Tank Abbott with his incredibly fast hands, it looked like the UFC had discovered a truly unbeatable fighter.
Of course, that turned out not to be the case, but over the years, Belfort was always able to remain near the top of whichever division he was competing in thanks primarily to his striking skills and knockout power.
A pair of absences from the UFC both ended when he returned with vicious knockouts of Marvin Eastman (2003) and Rich Franklin (2009) respectively.
And the latter stages of his UFC tenure saw him pull off three of the most memorable knockouts of his entire career, as ‘The Phenom’ unleashed brutal head kicks to stop Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.
As he aged in the final run of his UFC career, Belfort’s skills began to fade, and he won only one of his last five fights – falling to knockout losses in the other four. However, ‘The Phenom’ will always be remembered as one of the UFC’s most prolific knockout artists.
#1 Derrick Lewis – 12 knockouts in the UFC
The most prolific knockout artist in the history of the UFC heavyweight division, Derrick Lewis has 12 UFC knockouts to his name. If he can add a 13th when he faces Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title this weekend, he’ll stand alone at the top of this list.
In a lot of ways, ‘The Black Beast’ shouldn’t be as successful as he is inside the octagon. His ground skills are sorely lacking in comparison to some of his rivals, his cardio is questionable at times and he isn’t all that durable.
However, what he lacks in those areas, he makes up for with arguably the greatest punching power in UFC history. Seemingly, nobody hits quite as hard as he does, and it’s a gift that’s gotten him out of some sticky situations during his fights over the years.
Lewis opened his UFC career with a knockout of Jack May back in 2014. And while he lost two of his next seven fights, it also took him until his eighth to go the distance in the octagon, as he knocked out all five of the opponents he defeated.
‘The Black Beast’ has finished high-level opponents such as Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov and Aleksei Oleinik during his UFC tenure, with many of those knockout wins coming in fights he appeared to be losing.
Essentially, Lewis’ knockout power is probably the UFC’s greatest equaliser, meaning ‘The Black Beast’ can never be counted out of a fight. And even if he fails to defeat Gane this weekend, it seems likely that he’ll pick up that 13th UFC knockout sooner rather than later.
