In the history of MMA, there have been many amazing moments, whether it be submissions, crazy five-round wars, or even a fluke injury that changes a man's career forever.
However, none of these seem as appealing as that one special moment when a punch lands perfectly and sends a fighter to the canvas. This is the discernment between those moments that are perfect and those that are close. This article only takes the best of the best. Here they are.
10. Frank Shamrock vs. Igor Zinoviev
Frank Shamrock was the middleweight champion at the time and was one of the more dominating forces in MMA at the time. His wrestling was on display for sure in this match against the overmatched Zinoviev.
This match was the first instance of a slam knockout in the UFC, and it was an amazing one. Shamrock cinched up a bodylock on Zinoviev and thrust Zinoviev into the air. He then twisted him in the air and put him down on his back, leaving him limp. Frank, realizing this left him on the ground to celebrate as the crowd went wild.
9. Phil Baroni vs. Dave Menne
Dave Menne is no stiff; he was a former UFC champ and had dispatched some serious opponents in his day. Phil Baroni was not one of these men. Phil landed some of his famous power punches and backed Menne against the cage, putting about five or six punches against his skull.
This put Menne down in one of the more fantastic finishes in history. This left Baroni enough energy to jump up on the cage and yell, "I'm the f****in' greatest evah...evah, I'm the f****in' man!"
While he's still the egotistical Phil, he is pretty damn good.
8. Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Ricardo Morais
Aleksander was one of the more feared strikers and big men in PRIDE at the time and had big hands to go along with his tattoos. Ricardo Morals was somewhat unheralded, but Bas Rutten touted him as "one scary dude." This wasn't enough, as early in the first round, Emelianenko hit him with punch after punch in the center of the ring, which stunned and then knocked out Morals in stunning fashion.
- B/R Ticket Guide
7. Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
As Chuck Liddell gains more and more mainstream fame, I begin to devalue his wins. This is also because Dana inflates his record a lot. However, this one can be called nothing less than one of the better knockouts of all time.
As Chuck backed Tito against the cage, he unleashed one of the more scintillating combos of all time. With lefts and rights coming from all angles, Tito dropped and Big John stepped in. The crowd erupted into chaos. Absolutely insane.
6. Rampage Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona
Rampage was one of the more exciting fighters in PRIDE, with his unpredictable style. Whether it be knockouts with his hands or his world famous knockout slams, he had it all for the people buying the tickets.
In this match, he faced off with one of the best of all time in Ricardo Arona. A jiu-jitsu specialist, Rampage did not want to go to the ground. Unfortunateley, this is what happened.
As Arona cinched up a triangle choke, Rampage lifted Arona up over his head and slammed him down to the canvas. Arona's head bounced off of the canvas like a basketball, and he was instantly knocked out. Greatest KO slam of all time, period.
5. Mirko Cro Cop vs. Aleksander Emelianenko
Mirko came out shaky, as Emelianenko rushed him and put a lot of pressure on him. Many a Cro Cop fan thought Mirko may be in trouble, but this was not to be. Mirko was backed into a corner quickly, but he fired a strong left hand and connected.
As Emelianenko backed on his feet in a semi-daze, he was caught with a perfect signature high kick and fell with a thud to the canvas. Then he was pounded with hammerfists across the throat until the ref finally stepped in. One for the history books for sure.
4. Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson 2
This one will be remembered by PRIDE fans forever. As Wanderlei started to hurt Rampage with knees, he unloaded with a right that really hurt Rampage. He pulled down Rampage's head with little resistance and pumped a hard knee on Rampage's nose which left his body limp between the ropes bleeding from the mouth. Brutal.
3. Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Francisco Bueno
In this one, kickboxer Vovchanchyn was supposed to have an advantage, but due to his small stature, some doubted him. Those naysayers were set to be proven wrong in astounding fashion. Vovchanchyn landed a powerful right, this probably put Bueno out already, but he reset his stance and unloaded three more power punches as Bueno fell face first to the canvas, out cold. Hands of lightning for sure.
2. Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva
At ultimate Brazil in the early days of the UFC, the fans all clamored around the cage to see two top Brazilian stars go at it. Vitor being the elder statesman, was already a star in the U.S. and was one of the more explosive strikers seen at that time.
Wanderlei, was the young up and comer and the most promising of the new crop of Brazilian MMA stars. This bout was to determine both fighters' worth and how explosive these two combustible elements were together.
They didn't disappoint. In 43 seconds, Vitor demolished Wanderlei with too many unanswered strikes to count. If you have not seen this KO, it is a must see on YouTube for any MMA fan.
1. Mirko Cro Cop vs. Igor Vovchanchyn
This one was an obvious choice. Have you ever heard a crack of a leg that hard? Igor's entire face rippled and he was completely out cold even before he hit the ground. This was by far the most famous knockout in PRIDE history.
In MMA history there have been many unforgettable moments, but few were as memorable as these amazing feats of fists and feet.
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about 1 month ago
Excellent article, Kevin. I will have to try to hunt these down as I haven;t seen all of them.
about 1 month ago
Real shocker that you put Cro Cop at #1. :P
from about 1 month ago
haha he's my boy
about 1 month ago
I agree with your ten best knock outs, Kevin... very good picks. Mind if I add my ten most exciting fights? These ten are off the top of my head... hardly written in stone. I’ve seen so many great fights, it’s impossible to whittle them down to ten, but here goes some random picks
1-Phil Baroni vs. the punk Minowa 1 (Looked like “Rocky I”).
2-Big Nog vs. Crocop (It was to be Crocop’s first loss).
3-Royce Gracie vs Dan Severn (yes, to the untrained eye, a bore-fest...but riveting to me).
4-Royce Gracie vs. Kimo (Bare knuckles and no weight classes was a beautiful thing).
6-Fedor vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (Fedor almost got knock out).
7-Takanori Gomi vs. Luiz Azeredo (Gomi proved himself a punk after continuing to strike his knocked out opponent despite being restrained by the ref and eventually both corners).
8-Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem (non-stop action)
9-Fedor vs. Crocop (Both fighters brought their “A” game.)
10-Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz (It’s the only fight I ever rooted for Frank to win because he’s not quite as classless as Tito. Great action packed give and take fight!)
about 1 month ago
Few more good ones:
1- Pity Hunt-JLB was K1, not MMA.
That was the best looking finish combo of all time. And Hunt's face deformed in his effort along with JLB starring into nothingness totally asleep on his feet made it even more amazing.
2- Fedor's KO of Nagata.
After that overhand left Nagata ceased moving all together. lol. After Crocop gave Nagata a left high kick Nagata was still moving, but after E-Fed's left overhand he was a goner.
3- Kimbo-Tank.
If you watch the ref cam, you'll see how amazing that KO was. Kimbo hits so freakin hard.
4- Rashad-Liddell.
Iceman was out cold, he looked dead, a scary KO.
from about 1 month ago
i hate kimbo
from about 1 month ago
Kev,
How come you hate Kimb?
He is respectful, admits to being a small fish in MMA, trains hard, ties to improve, helps lots of people with his money (doesn't shove it under his pillow or in the bank account) He is a good guy.
Is he top 10? No. But that's not a reason to hate him. He did very well VS Tank, nice old-fashioned boxing combos executed with sick power, timing was good and it was really fast for a heavyweight.
watch the ref cam:
http://www.sho.com/site/video/brightcove/sports/title.do?bcpid=1369813291&bclid=1370783757&bctid=1418509584
from about 1 month ago
Man, it was so unfortunate that Yuji Nagata was even in the ring with Fedor. I know the Japanese culture respects and reveres pro wrestlers for their "fighting spirit," but fighting spirit in wrestling is still scripted, which means it doesn't translate to real fights. It's just so different than in America; over here, a guy who has been involved in wrestling is automatically considered a faker or a sham. In Japan, they love it when pro wrestlers take real fights. Of course, the pro wrestling fan mindset in Japan is completely different, since they treat it as an art form and not mindless entertainment.
There's been a bunch of Japanese pro wrestlers who have taken fights, and they're very rarely a success or even a good idea. Sakuraba being the most notable exception, of course.
from about 1 month ago
KIMBO SUCKS
about 1 month ago
It is unfortunate that the "greatest" knockouts in MMA come from stand-up punches...or an occasional devastating kick. I think that eventually, MMA will look to distance itself from most of the restrictive rules which cause many fighters to abandon takedown attempts and just settle for slugging it out until somebody goes down. After all, MMA is very young in America, and MMA owners and promoters still lock horns with the various State Athletic Commissions. If I were running a large MMA venue, you can best believe I'd fight the legal battle tooth-and-nail in order to bring "martial arts" back into mixed martial arts. Honestly, I feel that boxing and kickboxing should continue to revel and thrive on their "most devastating knockouts," and MMA ought to thrive not just on stand-up striking knockouts, but memorable fight ending submissions as well. To just stand there and throw bombs because there's too many rules to remember when grappling or ground striking... well, it seems to defeat the purpose and meaning of combining numerous disciplines to garner intriguing match-ups. I feel That MMA has a great future if some restrictions are lifted; today's fighters can do so much more than they are allowed, and the fans anticipation of "what's going to happen next" will generate fewer snooze-fest fights, and re-ignite the MMA fans fire.
Peace
from about 1 month ago
yea i want knees stomps soccer kicks headbutts and elbows all allowed on the ground. That would be intense and add to the repitoire of fighters.
from about 1 month ago
It might be intense, but allowing soccer kicks, stomps, and headbutts on the ground would undo all of the progress that has been made in legalizing mixed martial arts in the USA. Fighter safety has to be a major concern, and while I used to have a wild time watching Wanderlei Silva kick and stomp people into oblivion, those changes just would not fly in the US.
from about 1 month ago
hey man see if you can research a fight with renzo gracie and oleg taktarov. not sure how to spell oleg's name. renzo was on his back when oleg uncautiously came in and renzo threw an absolute devastating up kick catching oleg flush and knocking him out cold. but renzo was able to get off one more devastating punch. it was a doozy.
from about 1 month ago
watch oleg taktarov vs. renzo gracie.
from about 1 month ago
sounds alot like what gegard did at dream 6 to jacare
about 1 month ago
I would also add Gabriel Gonzaga's KO of Mirko Cro Cop to the list. Not only was it gruesome, with Mirko's leg bending backwards as he fell unconscious on top of it, but it was also very important from a historical perspective.
There's no doubt that the UFC had big plans for Cro Cop; if he had won, he would have faced Randy Couture for the title in August, and there was talk of Chuck Liddell moving to heavyweight to face Cro Cop for the title if Mirko beat Couture. It would have been two of the greatest strikers of all time, and it would have been a huge fight in terms of PPV buys. Gonzaga changed all of that with one well-placed kick.
from about 1 month ago
Crocop always had this over-confidence problem. Randleman, Nog, Hunt and Fedor did it to him in Pride. McDonald, Hoost and many others did it to him in K1, and Gonzaga and Kongo did it him in UFC.
This guy walks around talking and thinking like he is the best, this is not a good attitude for fighting, he loses his focus and hunger. He didn't even prepare for UFC's elbows, had ZERO defense to them, and Gonzaga worked him perfectly.
from about 1 month ago
Well said. Most of the time, Mirko comes across as a very humble fighter, but the fact that he wasn't prepared for the cage is all the proof we need that he either doesn't take it seriously or thinks he's so good that he doesn't have to work on all the aspects of his game. Obviously, he's been proven wrong several times, but even against Overeem he seemed to be the same aloof fighter that he became in the UFC.
He has a lot in common with Liddell. People have figured Chuck out, but he still refuses to change his game.
from about 1 month ago
i love mirko too much to add that. Dont ever talk about that momewnt again
from about 1 month ago
I love Mirko too, and I was both shocked and saddened when it happened. He's been one of my favorite fighters for a long, long time. But it did happen, and it was a big deal.
Just thinking about Mirko's leg facing the opposite direction of the rest of his body makes me shudder. I still can't believe Mirko didn't sustain any major knee damage from that fall; in that respect, it's a good thing that he was unconscious, because it made his muscles go completely limp. If he'd been awake for any of that, there's a very good chance that he'd been looking at several major reconstructive surgeries and 2 years of rehab.
about 1 month ago
Cool list Kevin, most of your KO's were in PRIDE, but I still like my top ten list better :p
about 1 month ago
Crocop should be # 1 but as the reciever.....Gonzaga scored the best ko..in my opinion ..and Rich franklyn over Nate quarry is number 2...3 belongs to chuck lidell ..pick any knock out..#4 rashad over lidell ..5..rashad over shawn salmon...as you can tell im not (Pride FC, FRIENDLY) but IM a huge fan of UFC..GREAT ARTICLE THOUGH ..TO EACH HIS OWN.. /THANKS STOKER
from about 1 month ago
stoker,
Did you see the ref cam and replays of Crocop-Igor? That kick was twice as fast and precise as the Gonzaga kick. It was a bullet. It's easily the best KO of all time. Watch the ref cam and the angle from the bottom (behind Igor) you can't even see the leg!!!!!! It's too fast. The sound it made was heard in the last row of the arena...
(By the way, I absolutely hate Crocop, I have an allergic reaction to Crocop, so trust me man I'm not biased. I absolutely can't stand him. I'm glad Gonzaga, Kongo and Overeem and McDonald, and Hunt, and Nog, and Fedor put him in his place.)
about 1 month ago
Greatest moment in MMA IS
Tito's spanking from Randy!!! That and then watch him cry!! God Bless you Randy!! Next Fedor!!!! OOOh what ya I said it.
Great list Kevin
from about 1 month ago
you should write an article to back up your ridiculous statement.
from about 1 month ago
Do you believe for half a second that Randy could even come close to dominating Fedor as he did Tito? Even the deepest of Couture fans knows that would never happen. A victory for either man would not be surprising but domination on either side would be.
from about 1 month ago
I think Randy can win yes. Spank Fedor no that is what is called a "joke". We will help you more in the future with more of these "jokes".=P But really admit it you loved watching Tito get spanked and then cry after didn't you.
from about 1 month ago
For a perfect example of Fedor's prowess compared to Randy, we only need to look at their most recent shared opponent. Randy beat Tim Sylvia up for 5 rounds but couldn't finish him. Fedor beat Sylvia in 36 seconds and left him in tears.
Randy is a great fighter and his story is absolutely amazing, but if he and Fedor fought 10 times, I think Randy might only win one of them. That is no slight to Randy in the least, it's just a testament to how good Fedor truly is.
from about 1 month ago
Fedor down fall will be his own hype.
People build him up as the God of MMA and his not. He a man P4P the best right now yes, but so was Iron Mike. Say what you will Mike was the Destroy of Heavy weight and Buster was just that a buster. But who left Japan with the belt. He beat the unbeatable and at that time Mike was just that. Randy is way more then Buster was and Fedor is no Mike. Crocop didn't think the cage would matter let hope Fedor isn't of the same mind. Anything can happen you just can't call a fight. How many time have we heard Randy's got no chance. He is a Great fight but he is an even better strategist. He will find a way.
Tim Sylvia is way to over rated!
from about 1 month ago
Adam, thanks for the lesson on humor. I was lost and now I see the light thank you. Just wanted to clarify as I couldnt hear the tone in your typing. The comment was funny Ill give you that but only because it is baseless. Ill try not to be such a stiff, and not take you so seriously if I read your stuff again.
from about 1 month ago
And Yes sir, tito getting spanked was absolutely hilarious.
from about 1 month ago
Humor is a must have at some point but don't drop your guard I do know a little about MMA to.
about 1 month ago
So, you's think cutting contests caused by elbow strikes while on the ground (which is legal in the U.S.) is better than soccer kicks and knees to the head? If that is the case, Jeremy and Keven are both right. I say let it all fly in the U.S.; they did perfectly fine with it (until Government interference) in the early UFC's.
And yes...Randy spanking Tito was a beautiful thing! But Fedor? RIP after that fight, Randy.
about 1 month ago
And lets not forget that the "progress" made by legalizing MMA in the U.S. wound up taking most of the martial arts out of mixed martial arts. If you consider lay-and-pray or stand up "toughman-like" slug-fests progress, I would have to counter that MMA in the U.S. with all its "safety" rules endangers the fighters now more than ever. How long will it be before an MMA fighter dies from repetitive head blows? I can't help but figure that given the direction MMA in the U.S. has headed...not very.
Lose some rules and shorten the damn fights before a tragedy occurs, and Congress jumps all over it.
from about 1 month ago
I'm going to assume that you're kidding and you're just trying to stir the pot. Surely you don't really believe that the UFC was doing fine in the early UFC's, right? Because the early UFC's lack of regulations got them banned in almost every state. The early UFC was viewed as nothing more than a human cockfight, a savage and despicable organization with fights in a cage where there were no rules. It wasn't even mixed martial arts; it was one discipline against another to see which one was the best.
You think elbows on the ground are more dangerous than soccer kicks and stomps to the head of an opponent on the ground? Do you realize that the power you can put behind a soccer kick or a stomp far surpasses the power you can get behind an elbow while in the mount? I cannot fathom that someone would actually believe that.
from about 1 month ago
It not that the safety rules took the martial art out of the MMA it that most martial art showed to be in effective in that venue. As for a fighter dying do to repetitive head blow you show a lacking of understand as to how that works in a fighter, that not to say you don't no MMA you do. Here are some facts to help show what I'm saying this is from http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/sports.asp
Over time, professional boxers can suffer permanent brain damage. The force of a professional boxer's fist is equivalent to being hit with a 13 pound bowling ball traveling 20 miles per hour, or about 52 g's.
There are boxers with minimal involvement and those that are so severely affected that they require institutional care. There are some boxers with varying degrees of speech difficulty, stiffness, unsteadiness, memory loss, and inappropriate behavior. In several studies, 15-40 percent of ex-boxers have been found to have symptoms of chronic brain injury. Most of these boxers have mild symptoms. Recent studies have shown that most professional boxers (even those without symptoms) have some degree of brain damage.
A Boxer receives far more major hits to his head then a MMA fighter does. A top MMA fight many take as many shot to the head in his whole career as a Boxer get in one 15 round bout. The damage and resulting death are do to repeatedly taking server head shot, remember Boxers get a slow 10 count to get back up. How many MMA fighters do you know only need a couple of second to recover, they would fight till the death if heart let them that why the ref in MMA say when it over to prevent the crap that happens in boxing.
Ref = safety in MMA
Ref = promote little b***H in Boxing
about 1 month ago
And lets not forget that the "progress" made by legalizing MMA in the U.S. wound up taking most of the martial arts out of mixed martial arts. If you consider lay-and-pray or stand up "toughman-like" slug-fests progress, I would have to counter that MMA in the U.S. with all its "safety" rules endangers the fighters now more than ever. How long will it be before an MMA fighter dies from repetitive head blows? I can't help but figure that given the direction MMA in the U.S. has headed...not very.
Lose some rules and shorten the damn fights before a tragedy occurs, and Congress jumps all over it.
about 1 month ago
don't know that anybody's mentioned these: Heath Herring's pre-fight ko(wow-wa-wee-wa), Belfort's head-splitting knee to Marvin Eastman, and Dave Terrell's ko before taking on Evan Tanner for the middleweight belt.
about 1 month ago
I thought the Franks knockout of Igor was his UFC debut. It was a long time ago I could be wrong. Either way it was quick and it was brutal. Beautifully orchestrated. Anyway great story sir, keep them coming. Looks like you moved up in the writer rankings with this one. Now I have something to go watch on youtube when I get home, havent seen all of these.
about 1 month ago
Not a prayer, Jeremy...I'm sticking to my guns. Too many rules in MMA = an increased tendency for fighters to stand and slug it out till one of them goes bye-bye; and if the ref isn't close by, the guy still standing usually jumps on the fallen sap to land a few more shots. You conveniently failed to mention the difference between the weight, size and shape of boxing gloves and MMA gloves. Certainly there will be a death or two due fighters taking to taking too many strikes, and I'm sure you'll have a ready-made explanation for that too. Soccer kicks and stomps rarely land flush on target, and when they do, the ref is going to stop the fight.
Since you think I'm "just stirring the pot", I've really got to question your over-all knowledge of MMA. It seems pointless for me to continue commenting on your responses to my posts...peace.
from about 1 month ago
If I may, in reference to the glove size. I have heard it explained, not researched, just heard that the fact that the gloves are smaller in MMA lends itself to quicker less devastating knockouts over the blunt trauma of a larger softer glove. The boxing glove allows for more soft punishment(not that it is less effective necessarily), whereas the mma fingerless glove allows for a more acute striking which will end a fight much quicker thus resulting in less punishment overall. Cant argue with kicks though. That was just something I wanted to inject after reading the posts.
about 1 month ago
Well, Adam...your mathematical equations certainly are impressive. The Rest of your "facts" are suspect at best. "A boxer takes more head shots in one 15-round fight than an MMA fighter takes during his whole career"? Hmmm. Lets assume an average MMA fighter calls it quits after a ten-fight career. Not very many fights, I'd say. Still, he's undoubtedly going to take (and give more head shots), including kicks than your average boxer would in a single 12-round championship event. Don't forget, there's plenty of dancing and clinching in pro boxing too. And what's this business you say about "MMA fighters fighting to the death if their heart let them"? HUH? Sorry, but I had trouble understanding you due to poor sentence structure. That's not to say I'm Ernest Hemingway or something). Incidentally, sorry to correct you, but there ARE no 15-round boxing matches; championship fights are 12-rounds. Your response to my post did little more than rehash the obvious: Boxing is dangerous and there have been many deaths. All I was pointing out is that MMA with its over-abundance of rules, has created dangers similar to boxing...and I added the reasons why that is. I didn't claim that MMA is as, or more dangerous than boxing.
Perhaps you'd like to peruse some of my other posts for more details, including my ideas on ways to make MMA safer while actually increasing the intrigue and excitement of the game.
peace
from about 1 month ago
Grammar is not one of my greater skills I know, but I can draw pretty good so I got that. and yes it is true that boxer take more hit in a single 12 round bout that most MMA fighter do in their careers. Pick any boxer you like and we can count how my times one fighter gets it in the head in a 12 rounds. Then we can take any (your pick again) MMA fighter career and look at how my shot to the head he took.
I would recommend De la Hoya and Liddell. See as how Liddell is a striker this should play to your advantage as well as De la Hoya being a famous runner. It will not like the the out come trust me.
MMA knock out may look worst then boxing, but the danger that I think you are referring to is do to repeated head trauma. There has been one death in MMA and that was do to poor safety precautions in regards to the cage padding.
about 1 month ago
Kevin,
It's Ricardo Morais that Aleksander knocked out, not Ricardo "Morals".
Peace.
about 1 month ago
On the other hand, I'll bet that Ricardo Morais mom believes he has morals; he's just a terrible fighter who couldn't even beat an aging Mark Coleman...LOL
about 1 month ago
On the other hand, I'll bet that Ricardo Morais mom believes he has morals; he's just a terrible fighter who couldn't even beat an aging Mark Coleman...LOL
about 1 month ago
Geez, Adam...now you're tossing "bowling balls and G-force" theories at me now? You're giving me bogus mathematical equations based on the force of a pro boxers fist? You forgot to specify what sort of pro boxer. Not that it matters, but just for laughs, are you saying any pro boxer? Maybe just heavyweights? Middleweights? Flyweights? Pantyweights? What? And what sort of punch are you talking about? a hook? an uppercut? a jab? An overhand right? What?
Perhaps you'd be easier to understand if you drew me a diagram comparing a pro boxers punch to that of a 13-pound bowling ball traveling, at what you claim as the speed of 20-MPH (or 52-G's) instead of attempting to post confusing text based on half-baked, meaningless theories. After all, it was you who said: "...But I can draw pretty good." (LOL)
about 1 month ago
A very respectable list. Nice job. I would have taken Vitor-Wanderlei off of there though and immediately inserted Rashad vs. Chuck.
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