Mixed martial arts began as a blood sport in which death in the arena was glorified—a far cry from today’s competitions which are mostly controlled by the billion-dollar corporation known as the UFC. And yet, you can still catch glimpses of the sport’s brutal origins if you look past the production sheen and the cryptocurrency advertisements plastered all over the Octagon.
The one-strike knockout is MMA in its most violent form. These are the punches, elbows, kicks, and knees delivered with such force and bad intentions that they knock out opponents, while stunning an entire crowd into silence. The clips live forever on YouTube and social media and can burnish a fighters’ reputation; Conor McGregor became the biggest star in the sport thanks in part to his one-punch KO of Jose Aldo in December 2015.
With McGregor making his return to the Octagon this weekend at UFC 329 against Max Holloway, it’s a good time to revisit some of the most savage one-hitter quitters in UFC history. These are the 10 Best One-Strike Knockouts in UFC History, Ranked.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Date: September 19, 2020
Result: Chimaev, KO/TKO (punch), R1, 00:17
Four months after the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved MMA events in the state amid the Covid-19 pandemic, undefeated middleweight Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev faced off against Gerald “GM3” Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley. Having defeated Rhys McKee two months prior by TKO,
Borz, who defeated Rhys McKee by TKO two months earlier, was a heavy betting favorite despite GM3’s 1.5-inch reach advantage. Chimaev immediately applied pressure from the center of the Octagon. Fourteen seconds in, he hit Meerschaert with a right cross that left Meerschaert in a sitting position against the fence. As he came to Meerschaert’s rescue, referee Mark Smith’s voice (“Stop, stop, stop!”) echoed across the nearly empty Apex. The only other sounds heard were Borz’s team celebrating yet another win.
Brad Kohler vs. Steve Judson
Date: September 24, 1999
Result: Kohler, KO/TKO (punch), R1, 00:30
Kohler vs. Judson at UFC 22 introduced heavyweight opponents Brad Kohler and Steve Judson by their disciplines—shootfighting and jiu-jitsu, respectively—harkening back to the earlier no-holds-barred match-ups in which competitors fought one another to prove the superiority of their chosen martial art. Big, buff, and bald, Kohler and Judson—indistinguishable if not for their footwear—cut intimidating figures, the gravity of their fight emphasized by the lack of brightly-colored advertisements common in today’s Octagon. Less than a minute in, Kohler stepped away from Judson after a failed front headlock attempt, bounced forward, and stunned his opponent with a right cross, He then avoided Judson’s limp body as it fell.
Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le
Date: November 10, 2012
Result: Le, KO/TKO (punch), R1, 02:17
A six-inch reach advantage for Rich “Ace” Franklin was, perhaps, the best indicator for him to win his bout against Cung Le. UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le was Franklin’s homecoming—a match that marked his return to the weight class he once reigned, following a successful four-year stint at light heavyweight where he defeated Chuck Liddell with a one-punch KO at UFC 115. Le, the betting underdog, was not one to be overlooked. About halfway through the first, just as the broadcast team commented on his lack of mobility (he carried a foot injury into the fight), he countered a leg kick with a right hook. The force of the punch seemed to stand the former middleweight champion up on his toes, his arms flailing, before his body fell onto—and then bounced off of—the canvas.
Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira
Date: August 20, 2016
Result: Johnson, KO (punch), R1, 00:13
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Glover Teixeira’s light heavyweight bout co-headlined UFC 202, with Johnson entering the Octagon as the slight betting favorite. The tale of the tape for Johnson vs. Teixeira showed the combatants were evenly matched. Same height. Same weight. Rumble was the no. 1 ranked contender. Teixeira, nipping at his heels, at no. 2. In the opening seconds of the first round, Teixeira dictated the fight, pushing forward at a frenetic pace. He would pay for his aggression. Johnson hit Teixeira with a right uppercut that sent him tumbling down the canvas. Referee Dan Miragliotta intervened after Johnson landed two more hammer fists on the unconscious Teixeira, putting an end to a fight that was shorter than the introductions that preceded it.
Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
Date: December 12, 2015
Result: McGregor, KO/TKO (punch), R1, 00:13
At the UFC 194 pre-fight media scrum, interim featherweight champion Conor “The Notorious” McGregor spoke with Fight Network’s Robin Black about his upcoming title unification bout against his weight division’s inaugural and longest-reigning champion, Jose Aldo. The clip proved prescient: McGregor believed Aldo would be so eager to unload his right hand that he wouldn’t see his response. “If he lets that right hand go,” McGregor said, “I will not be there.” In released footage, The Notorious practiced this maneuver during his warm-ups, moving just so to avoid the right hand of an imagined opponent before hitting him with a right. Later, in the Octagon, as Aldo pressed forward, McGregor took advantage of the small window of time between Aldo’s right-hand feint and attempted sleft hook to smack Aldo with a heavy left cross that ended the fight.
Josh Emmett vs. Bryce Mitchell
Date: December 16, 2023
Result: Emmett, KO/TKO (overhand right), R1, 01:57
The first fight on UFC 296’s main card, Emmett vs. Mitchell was between top-ranked featherweights Josh Emmett and Bryce “Thug Nasty” Mitchell, a last-minute addition when Emmett’s original opponent, Giga Chikadze, withdrew due to injury. Despite the short notice, the younger Mitchell was the betting favorite. Not if Emmett had anything to say about it. About two minutes into the first round, he threw an overhand right that put Thug Nasty to sleep, stunning the broadcast team. Mitchell’s unconscious body crumpled forward and then straightened out under Emmett’s gaze while referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans
Date: September 6, 2008
Result: Evans, KO/TKO (punch), R2, 01:51
Headlining UFC 88 were Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and “Suga” Rashad Evans, a do-over bout after an injury had forced Liddell to withdraw from their originally slated fight earlier in May. Liddell, who was the light heavyweight champion only a year and a half prior, had a height and (slight) reach advantage over Evans, who entered the bout with an undefeated record. Described as the “quintessential battle of old versus new,” Liddell vs. Evans pitted a hungry up-and-comer against a decorated veteran looking for one more chance to regain his weight division’s title. As Liddell went for a right uppercut, the younger Suga countered with an overhand right that would win the fight. In slow motion, you can hear the solid thwap against Liddell’s jaw.
Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou
Date: December 2, 2017
Result: Ngannou, KO/TKO (punch), R1, 01:42
In another title eliminator, heavyweights Alistair “The Demolition Man” and Francis “The Predator” Ngannou faced off at UFC 218. Ngannou, whose nascent professional record consisted mostly of finishes—and who had set a PowerKube record for the highest punching power at the UFC Performance Institute—entered the bout 15 pounds heavier and with a 3-inch reach advantage over the more seasoned Overeem. About 1:40 into the first round—and seconds after referee Dan Miragliotta separated them for not staying active in the clinch—Ngannou snapped Overeem’s head back like a PEZ dispenser with a left hook, knocking the Demolition Man out cold before his head even touched the canvas. “[Overeem] is locked up right now, like he got electrocuted,” color commentator Joe Rogan described as the cameras tracked Ngannou’s victory lap inside the Octagon. “He’s still stiff as a board; look at his feet, look at how his toes are all curled up.”
Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping
Date: July 11, 2009
Result: Henderson, KO/TKO (punch), R2, 03:20
On July 11, 2009, The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom coaches Dan “Hendo” Henderson and Michael “The Count” Bisping concluded the show’s ninth season in the Octagon. The third bout of the historic UFC 100’s main card, Henderson vs. Bisping featured two top-ranking middleweights competing for the opportunity to challenge Anderson Silva, their weight division’s reigning champion. The fighters’ mutual animosity, left to simmer after filming for the show had already wrapped, only heightened the stakes.
In the second round, moments after Bisping’s corner warned him about walking into Henderson’s powerful right hand, guess what happened? Bisping walked into a right hand. Henderson’s “H-Bomb,” knocked The Count cold; he added a double tap shot for good measure. Scenes of Henderson’s celebrations atop the Octagon alternated, eerily, with a shot of Bisping’s still-unconscious face, cradled by one of the medical personnel attempting to reawaken him. When he finally came to, he couldn’t recall what had just happened. Years later, the two faced off again at UFC 204, with Bisping (somewhat) avenging his loss with a decision win.
Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren
Date: July 6, 2019
Result: Masvidal, KO/TKO (flying knee), R1, 00:05
“Funky” Ben Askren’s UFC debut, a welterweight fight against Robbie Lawler ended in a controversial technical submission stoppage in favor of Askren. He then denied Lawler a rematch, which infuriated fight fans. Jorge Masvidal was among the outraged, leading to a fight between him and Askren.
A few ticks after referee Jason Herzog stepped away from the center of the Octagon, Funky, a grappler, moved for a takedown, which was all good except for the fact it left his head in perfect position for Gamebred’s flying left knee. Masvidal added two walloping hammer fists to Askren, whose body was already in its fencing posture. “They were super necessary,” Masvidal famously said at the post-fight conference, which led to some criticism. “My job is to hit somebody until the referee pulls me off. So to those people, I would say, maybe don’t watch MMA and go back to soccer.”
