There is nothing like a brutal knockout that gets the fight fans excited and the UFC has had its fair share of them. It’s way more impactful and memorable if it is a one-punch knockout.
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UFC has had some devastating strikers in its ranks and they have delivered some of the most violent knockouts. It is hard to pick five of the best from a long list of one-punch knockouts. But below are, in no particular order, the top 5 greatest one-punch knockouts in UFC history.
Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem
Francis Ngannou is one of the most feared strikes in all of MMA. He has the power and the ability to knock out anyone if he connects, as he has shown multiple times in his career. But his most brutal knockout win came against the MMA veteran, Alistair Overeem. ‘The Demolition Man’ is no easy fighter to let, let alone stop with one punch. However, ‘The Predator’ displayed what he’s capable of when he is strong left hook right to Overeem’s temple, which made him fall to the mat unconscious immediately. Many media houses awarded it the knockout of the year.
Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo
Definitely one of the biggest moments on this list is the knockout of Aldo at the hands of McGregor. ‘The Notorious‘ was the rising star in the world of MMA when the fight happened. And Jose Aldo was the undisputed king of the featherweight division. He was on an 18 fight win streak before the fight and was hailed as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. McGregor, in the lead-up to the fight, talked a lot of trash, and verbally destroyed Aldo. At UFC 194, McGregor did something unthinkable.
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He knocked Aldo out in just 13 seconds to become the new champ, and in the process made history. To date, it is the fastest title victory in UFC history. It was definitely a changing of guards, and one of the greatest moments in UFC history.
Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson
Mark Hunt was one of the most powerful strikers in the UFC. He had the power to stop anyone in front of him with just one clean shot. ‘The Super Samoan’ won 10 fights in his career via knockout and was also given the name ‘The King of Walk-Offs’ by his fans. Hunt, in his fight against Roy Nelson, produced one of the coolest moments in UFC history. After a close first round against ‘Bog Country,’ Hunt asserted his dominance over his opponent, and later in the second round landed a huge uppercut which sent his opponent crashing down.
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However, after the shot, Hunt, instead of trying to land another punch, just walked away from Nelson. It is still one of the craziest one-punch knockouts in UFC history.
Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping 1
It would be an understatement to say that Henderson and Bisping hated each other from going into the fight. Having coached a full season of The Ultimate Fighter, there was visible animosity between the two. Bisping in trademark Bisping style had verbally destroyed Henderson. However, on the day of the fight, it was ‘Hendo’ that came out on top via a vicious KO. ‘The Count’ was 17-1 going into the fight, and had never lost via knockout but that changed at UFC 100. Henderson caught Bisping flush with a right hook, which knocked Bisping out. He hit the unconscious Bisping with another shot just for good measure. They awarded it the knockout of the year.
Cody Garbrandt vs. Raphael Assuncao
This knockout was the equivalent of hitting a buzzer-beater. Cody Garbrandt came into the fight on the back of a three-fight losing streak. The former UFC bantamweight champion was struggling to find his winning form but could channel it in the fight against Assuncao. After a close first round, Garbrandt was backed up against the octagon just before the end of the second round. From that position, ‘No Love‘ just seconds before the round ended, loaded up his right hook and caught his opponent.
Do you agree with the list? What other one-punch knockouts can be a part of the list? Let us know in the comments!
