10 Best UFC Fight Night Highlight Reel Knockouts

Throughout MMA history, there have several UFC knockouts which feature on any highlight reel.They have either advanced or shifted the era in their own respective way. These UFC knockouts may have changed the era due to one great being toppled, or one new great rising, or sometimes both may be happening. On this list, we have the top 10 UFC knockouts which changed the course of history and made betting on marquee MMA fights extremely lucurative and exciting fo fight fans around the world.

1. Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo

The young Irishman Conor McGregor ended this fight in just 13 seconds, marking one of the greatest highlight-reel finishes in UFC history. It seemed impossible that a champion of this long, this many defenses, could be stopped. And McGregor did it in merely 13 seconds. This was one of the most memorable UFC knockouts and moments in the history of MMA.

2. Jon Jones vs Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua

Jones dominated the fight and battered the UFC and PRIDE champion. Jones took Shogun’s torch of future greatness. And also ended the revolving door of light heavyweight champions. After Jones‘ 2011 win he would never lose the championship belt in a fight and had 11 successful title defenses. This was the Jon Jones era.

3. Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson vs Chuck Liddell II

Liddell was the UFC’s poster-boy. Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson made quick work of the champion Liddell. Jackson knocked out Liddell in the very first round. One of the most important of the UFC knockouts in history.

4. Holly Holm vs Ronda Rousey

Strikeforce Champion, UFC Champion, six title defenses, 9 submission wins, and undefeated; Ronda Rousey could not be stopped. Nearly no one gave a chance to Holm who was a heavy betting underdog going into the fight. In only her third UFC fight Holm would end the Rousey title reign with a second-round knockout via headkick. This is one of the most memorable UFC knockouts in history, and is a great highlight head kick.

5. Chris Weidman vs Anderson Silva I

After setting records for 10 successful title defenses, the longest win streak in UFC history with 16, the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days, the era and reign of Anderson Silva would end with a second-round knockout against the American-born wrestler Chris Weidman. Weidman had done the impossible in this fight. A knockout which ended the reign of an all-time great, and he did it by out-striking him on the feet.

6. Georges St-Pierre vs Matt Hughes II

At UFC 65 a young Georges St-Pierre landed a head kick and ground and pound which ended the Matt Hughes welterweight era. In the history of UFC knockouts, this one became a torch-passing moment as St-Pierre then became the next great, 9 title defenses, and is now considered the all-time greatest.

7. Cain Velasquez vs Brock Lesnar

The old guard of heavyweights Frank Mir, Randy Couture, and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, had all been pummeled between the young Velasquez and the UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. In 2010 Velasquez would earn a knockout against Lesnar in the first round. The old-man heavyweight division era would not recover; Mir, Couture, Nogueira, and Lesnar would never challenge for a title in the UFC again.

8. T.J. Dillashaw vs Renan Barão I

Renan Barão was a pound-for-pound top-3 fighter, had not lost in over 30 fights, and was dominant in his three successful title defenses. T.J. Dillashaw, in 2014, was a fighter on a one-fight win streak. Dillashaw dominated this fight landing 170 strikes to Barão’s 65. This fight was UFC’s knockout of the night with Dillashaw gaining a 4th round TKO.

9. Tito Ortiz vs Ken Shamrock I

Ken Shamrock was a representative of the earliest UFC. Shamrock was a trailblazer and competed under all early rule sets between the UFC, PRIDE, and Pancrase. He was a finalist at UFC 1 in 1993 and would face Tito Ortiz for a UFC title in 2002. Ortiz battered and controlled Shamrock at UFC 40.

10. Anderson Silva vs Chris Leben

Anderson Silva was a former PRIDE fighter who entered the UFC in 2006. He made his debut against the Ultimate Fighter season 1 alum Chris Leben. At this point, Leben was on a six-fight win streak in the UFC Middleweight division and was on the path to a title shot. Instead, Silva made a statement in his UFC debut fight. He dispatched the head-strong, tough Leben in just 49 seconds. It is one of the great UFC knockouts in history.