UFC 275: Top 5 KOs Ever
UFC betting at Bodog is really starting to heat up now UFC 275 is fast approaching on June 11.
For the main card event, current UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira will defend his title at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang against challenger Jiri Prochazka, whom he already defeated once in UFC 267.
Also on the main card is Zhang Weili facing Joanna Jedrzejczyk once again after a memorable bout in early 2020 at UFC 248.
What’s more, Valentina Shevchenko, the current women’s flyweight champion, will be touching gloves with Taila Santos in an effort to defend her title for the seventh time.
Bodog always has the best UFC betting odds on the market, but we also go beyond and explore more with each bout we all love to watch. Looking back over the years, we’ve compiled a list of the top five UFC KOs in the history of the sport. These fierce knockouts are certainly not for the faint of heart, but diehard UFC fans know they marked a turning point in the sport, adding a visceral enjoyment to the highlight reels of some of the greatest fights ever shown.
From the fastest KO in the UFC to the most brutal, these are the best UFC KOs the octagon has ever seen.
5. Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo, UFC 194
From those who have watched UFC from the start to those that can’t stand the sight of blood, it is almost guaranteed you’ve heard of Connor McGregor. If it isn’t for his trademark swagger and lethal quips at conferences, you’ll know him from his fight with Jose Aldo in 2015 at UFC 194. Going into the fight, Aldo was the reigning UFC featherweight champion, running on ten years without a defeat.
Seconds into the fight, both threw punches without hitting their mark. Then McGregor stepped forward, sending a kick towards Aldo, which Aldo successfully deflected before moving in to attempt a wide left hook. He barely grazed a hair on McGregor’s chin as “The Notorious” connected with a left-handed cross. Aldo fell to the canvas like a sack of hammers – all after just 13 seconds in the ring.
After the fight, it’s widely believed Aldo’s previous status as the king of the octagon declined from that point on, moving into bantamweight in 2019, while McGregor became the superstar we know him as today.
4. Dan Henderson vs Michael Bisping, UFC 100
For anyone who was watching UFC 100 in 2009, you can likely still feel that furious knockout Dan Henderson landed on Michael Bisping.
Up until that moment, Bisbing was the U.K.’s biggest breakout star in the UFC, and Henderson was the middleweight and welterweight champion across two organisations. As expected, a lot of trash-talking preceded the event, adding some animosity between the two, but “Hendo” put a silencer on Bisping with his fist when he swung in with one of the most brutal right hooks in UFC history, putting Bisping to bed at the 3:20 mark of the second round.
And yet, in the truest of all comeback stories, Bisping came back for Henderson to get his revenge after seven years of a brewing rivalry, and he succeeded with a title fight against his knockout rival in UFC 204, hanging on to his middleweight belt and winning via decision.
3. Ben Askren vs. Jorge Masvidal, UFC 239
Given the amount of trash talk Ben Askren piled onto Jorge Masvidal in the weeks leading up to UFC 239, you would’ve thought Askren would come better prepared for the grudge match.
At the time, Masvidal was building quite the presence in the UFC scene, winning five of his past seven fights with two via knockout. His rival, Askren, was the former Bellator and welterweight title holder for the ONE Championship, and he had been previously undefeated going into the match.
Seconds into the bout, Masvidal went straight for Askren’s head, launching a flying knee strike that landed flush on Askren’s right temple, giving him the unconscious knockout that he’d Ben Askren for. He dropped to the canvas in a stiff, unconscious pile just 0.5 seconds into the match.
After the bout, Askren took to his Twitter account and simply said “well that sucked”, in an appropriately simple and self-deprecating fashion after such a shocking loss. Masvidal got a tattoo of his famous flying knee on his left shoulder.
2. Edson Barboza vs Terry Etim, UFC 142
Edson Barboza made history on January 14th, 2012 when he landed the first-ever spinning-wheel kick knockout to Terry Etim, creating one of the best UFC KOs – or simply one of the best UFC moments – we’ve ever seen.
The moments in the ring leading up to the devastating KO showed Barboza, undefeated in the lightweight division, leading the fight for the first two rounds.
Terry Etim had always been experienced as a grappler, but in his fight with Barboza, he didn’t even get a chance to visit the ground (while still conscious, that is). In a flurry of punches and a brief kick by Barboza, “Junior” swung his leg around out of nowhere – right onto Edim’s chin – and just like that, Edim was out before he even hit the ground, toppling over like a freshly-cut tree in the forest.
1. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, UFC 126
MMA enthusiasts will remember exactly where they were when they witnessed the first knockout in UFC history to be delivered via a front kick.
It was the 5th of February, 2011. The main card at UFC 126. Before going into the bout for the middleweight title, both fighters were coming off of important comeback wins, but Silva was the one currently holding the belt.
Silva wasn’t about to give his belt up to Belfort, and “The Spider” delivered a front kick that landed squarely on Belfort’s jaw, sending him crumbling to the canvas, then proceeded to wail at him on the ground, just to make sure he was staying down.
Oddly enough, despite his affinity for nailing opponents with his feet, Silva ended up diverting his career back to the world of boxing in 2020.
Bodog has got you covered for all types of betting on boxing and MMA, and the UFC betting odds for June 11 are already up as we speak, so now is the best time to get inside and knock out your bets.