UFC slam knockout: Powerhouse performances produces slam-fest at UFC Austin

With just 12 slam knockouts in promotional history heading into UFC Austin, Drakkar Klose and Cody Brundage stunned the crowd by achieving the rare feat in back-to-back fights.

Klose was the first to win by slamming his opponent, knocking Joe Solecki out cold less than two minutes into his prelim fight. In the next fight, Brundage slammed Zachary Reese out of a triangle choke before putting him unconscious. Both Klose and Brundage earned Performance of the Night bonuses for their efforts.

For Drakkar Klose, the win was his third in a row, improving his record to 14-2-1 and an impressive 8-2 in the UFC. Klose has not lost since losing a chaotic and now-iconic fight with Beneil Dariush in 2020.

Brundage is now also on a winning streak, having technically won two in a row. The wrestler got a disqualification win over Jacob Malkoun in September 2023 after losing three fights in a row.

The two slams were just a couple out of nine total finishes on the card, making the event one of the best of 2023. All fighters who earned a finish were awarded Performance of the Night bonuses.

Meanwhile, the Fight of the Night bonus was awarded to light heavyweights Rodolfo Bellato and Ihor Potieria.

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The best UFC slam knockouts

While Drakkar Klose and Cody Brundage were the first pair of fighters to compile two slam knockouts on the same night, 12 other fighters have previously knocked out their opponents by throwing them into the canvas.

Prior to Austin, the most recent slam came from Jordan Leavitt, who made his octagon debut by knocking out Matt Wiman. Leavitt put Wiman out cold just 22 seconds into the fight.

Two slam knockouts did occur in championship fights, as Jessica Andrade dumped Rose Namajunas on her head and Matt Hughes controversially won the welterweight belt by 'slamming' Carlos Newton.

Hughes' victory remains one of the most highly debated results, as he fell unconscious from Newton's triangle choke. However, he made sure to lift Newton and take him to the corner and slam him into the mat.

Regardless, the official result is a knockout win for Hughes.