Top 5 first-round knock-outs in the UFC

The octagon is a diabolical playground, where fortunes change in a split-second. No matter how tough you are and how much you’re prepared for a fight, a wrong move can indeed spell doom, giving you zilch chances at redemption.

There have been numerous occasions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where even the most equally poised fights have failed to go the distance, courtesy a slip-up, allowing the other to take full advantage.

From Aldo’s pounding of Chad Mendes to the "fastest victory in UFC title fight history" here are the top 5 first-round knockouts in the competition:

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#1 Anderson Silva against Chris Leben

Silva unleashing on Leben

A very cocky Chris Leben had predicted a KO victory in one of his pre-match interviews, going into Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night 5. Well, if you’re nicknamed “The Crippler” and your highfalutin record inside the octagon warrants for it, people do take your claims seriously.

In addition to that, Leben had an undefeated UFC streak, leaving no doubts in the minds of the bookmakers, that he would emerge victorious.

However, the outcome of the result was much to his dismay. Challenging him was none other than Anderson Silva, who at that point in time, was still a relatively unheard of figure in the United States, despite having an impressive record of 17-4 to his name.

The fight began with Silva doing his trademark Muhammad Ali-esque prance. Having a definitive reach advantage, he was the aggressor right from the word ‘go’. 30 seconds into the fight, a combination punch by Silva took Leben down.

Leben recovered from the initial onslaught but moments later was exposed to a flurry of punches and a knee to the head, which ultimately put him to sleep. This fight would mark Silva’s ingress in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, cementing his reputation as one of the fiercest counter-strikers, in the years to follow.

#2 Jose Aldo against Chad Mendes

A big knee from Aldo

Ultimate Fighting Championship 142 saw two of the most prolific featherweights in the division go one-on-one in the quest for championship gold. Aldo, in his home country of Brazil, defended his UFC Featherweight title against Chad Mendes in a high-octane duel.

The match-up between the two was initially supposed to be held six months earlier, but Aldo’s injuries kept him away from competition and it finally saw the light of the day on January 14, 2012. The highly anticipated match-up began with both men sizing each other from a distance. Both were equally quick on their feet, leaving little room for error for the other to capitalize on.

Mendes tried taking Aldo down on numerous occasions (3 to be exact), but his efforts were casually fended off by the Brazilian jiu-jitsu proponent. Towards the end of the first round, Mendes caught the champion in a clinch from behind but his subsequent attempts at a takedown were again negated by the Brazilian.

The challenger began attacking Jose’s thighs, but the champ managed to break the hold, twisting and unleashing a fierce knee to the face of Chad Mendes. Aldo retained the championship by knocking Mendes out with just one second to go in the first round!

#3 Luke Rockhold against Costa Philippou

A roundhouse to end the fight

The main event for Ultimate Fighting Championship 35 was a middleweight bout between Luke Rockhold and Costa Philippou, in a classic ‘southpaw against orthodox’ competition. Rockhold, having a notable repertoire both as a striker and a ground-fighter, was touted as the favourite, heading into the competition.

Rockhold held his ground for the ninety seconds, waiting for openings while tactfully coercing Costa to tire himself out.

A solid right by the southpaw (Rockford) opened up Philippou’s defence, leaving him vulnerable to a barrage of punches leading up to a clinch. Then around the halfway mark into the first round, a good couple of roundhouse kicks forced Costa to switch to a more defensive strategy, but it was too late. Costa had been opened up by the fierce striker!

A vicious kick to the gut by Rockhold was enough to send the challenger into a dizzying slump!

#4 Amanda Nunes against Ronda Rousey

Rouse scampering

The stage was set for Ronda Rousey to redeem herself and to overturn her fall from grace. The event was UFC 207 and this came exactly a year after her horrific loss to Holly Holm; the unfortunate outcome which reduced her to a mere poster-girl for internet humour and meme pages.

Rousey squared off against Amanda Nunes for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship and the stakes were high for one of the most anticipated matches in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Nunes showed exemplary fighting skills by attacking Rousey from a distance and keeping up the tempo.

It was evident that the Brazilian was wary of Ronda’s judo prowess and was doing her best at evading her clinches while landing lusty combination punches which Ronda found hard to fend off.

Nunes kept attacking with great ferocity and Ronda could be seen “scampering like a scalded dog”. Under less than a minute (48 seconds), a brutal combination literally dismantled the challenger and “it was over, just like that”!

#5 Conor McGregor against Jose Aldo

The 13-second knockout fight

A personal favourite, this bout definitely makes it to the top. After weeks of spewing insults and playing mind games with Jose Aldo, it was time for the notorious Irishman to walk the talk.

The event was UFC 194 and both featherweights were competing for championship gold. The air of hostility between the two made the competition even more interesting, as both men refused to touch gloves and went straight into combat.

McGregor took control of the centre and when Aldo attempted to connect with a right-left combination, McGregor adjusted his position and released a cracking left hook that landed squarely on Aldo’s chin, knocking him out unconscious.

The Irishman then proceeded to strike him with hammer fists until the referee stepped in to stop the match. In the post-match interview, McGregor hailed his own tactical genius, stating:

“...precision beats power, and timing beats speed. And that’s what you saw there.”