Latest news with #KnockoutoftheMonth
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Video: Watch LFA's best fight finishes from June 2025 – including an insane slam
The LFA once again had a killer month of finishes to kick off summer. The LFA once again had a killer month of finishes to kick off summer. The longtime UFC feeder promotion had shows in Louisville and New York in June, and as per usual, highlights were in abundance. Included among June's highlights was an absolutely insane slam finish that was up for consideration for MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month. Check out the best stoppages from the promotion's pair of June shows above, courtesy of LFA
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for June: Ilia Topuria calls his shot and makes history
Steve Collins Wins!KO (Slam), Round 1 – 2:30#LFA210 || #Louisville #Kentucky With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from June 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month award for June. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Steve Collins def. Gabariel Brown at LFA 210 Steve Collins (5-0) found himself defending an armbar in the first round of his 152-pound catchweight fight against Gaberial Brown (4-3). There are a few techniques available to fend off the limb submission, but Collins opted for the most savage option. Collins got his feet under him, and deadlifted Brown high in the air, and then dropped him on his head, "Rampage" Jackson style. Brown appeared out cold from the impact with the canvas, but a few follow-up punches were landed before the referee could rush in to stop the fight. Nominee: Billy Alexander def. Zachary Siemasko at Ring of Combat 86 Billy Alexander (1-0) couldn't have fathomed a more brutal finish in his MMA debut when he put Zachary Seimasko (0-1) out cold in scary fashion. After some sloppy action that would be expected out of two professional newcomers, Alexander charged at Seimasko with a flying knee that instantly send him flying backward unconscious. DAMNN. Brutal flying knee KO by Billy Alexander at ROC #ROC86 Nominee: Malcolm Wellmaker def. Kris Moutinho at UFC on ESPN 69 Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gave the Atlanta crowd what it wanted with a devastating one-punch knockout of Kris Moutinho (14-7 MMA, 0-3 UFC). Georgia native Wellmaker continued to add to his hype as a bantamweight prospect to watch with an absolutely perfect right hook that put Moutinho out on impact and sent him face planted into the canvas less than three minutes into the fight. Malcolm Wellmaker 😮💨 Nominee: Gregory Rodriguez def. Jack Hermansson at UFC 317 Gregory Rodrigues scored a vicious one-punch knockout of Jack Hermansson that will be the new standard of his highlight reel. In the first round of the middleweight bout, Rodrigues (17-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) caught Hermansson (24-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) with a clean left hand that immediately stiffened him on the canvas. One unnecessary hammer fist sealed the show. Hermansson was down for several minutes after the knockout blow connected, but eventually got back to his feet and left the octagon under his own power. GREGORY RODRIGUES WITH A LETHAL LEFT HOOK KO TO CLOSE OUT THE PRELIMS 😱ANOTHER FIRST-ROUND FINISH AT #UFC317 😮Watch #UFC317 TONIGHT at 10 PM ET on ESPN+ PPV ➡️ The winner: Ilia Topuria def. Charles Oliveira via punches at UFC 317 Ilia Topuria has gold around his waist once again. In the UFC 317 main event, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) knocked out Charles Oliveira in 2:27 and claimed a championship – this time, at lightweight. The fight was wild for as long as it lasted. Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) was cut in the opening minute. When he tried to drag the fight to the canvas, Topuria reversed his attempt and landed on top. Oliveira attempted a heel hook, which Topuria wiggled away from. Back on the feet, Topuria cracked him with a straight right hand that instantly snatched Oliveira's consciousness from him. Two more follow-up shots smashed Oliveira's face before the fight was waved off. ILIA TOPURIA JUST KNOCKED OUT CHARLES OLIVEIRA IN THE FIRST ROUND TO WIN THE LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE 😱HE IS INEVITABLE 🔥🔥 #UFC317 Topuria, 28, won the UFC featherweight title in October. He vacated the title months later, citing weight cut issues. A breakthrough star in the Spanish and Georgian markets, Topuria became the first undefeated fighter to win a second UFC title. Cast Your Vote!
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for May: Barriault puts Silva on a stretcher
MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for May: Barriault puts Silva on a stretcher With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from May 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month award for May. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Aleksandr Maslov def. Yuriy Fedorov at ACA 186 After facing some early adversity in their heavyweight bout, Alexandr Maslov got the last laugh against Yuriy Fedorov. In a heated exchange early in the second round, Maslov (12-1) threw a multi-punch combination at Fedorov (10-7), one of which was a right hook that landed clean to the chin and immediately send him folded to the canvas unconscious. Nominee: Connor Hughes def. Sebastien Di Franco at 2025 PFL Europe 1 The devastating knockout power of Connor Hughes was felt by Sebastien Di Franco when the pair met in a lightweight showdown. At roughly the midway point of the fight, Hughes (11-2) took advantage of poor movement from Di Franco (10-4) with a clean punch that instantly knocked him out. No follow-up shots were needed with Di Franco's lifeless body falling and smacking his head off the canvas. Nominee: Mike Malott def. Charles Radtke at UFC 315 Mike Malott gave the Canadian crowd plenty to cheer about – especially after Charles Radtke talked trash on the country prior to their welterweight bout. A "Proper" left hook from Malott (12-2-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) spelled the beginning of the end for Radtke (10-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Malott found the chin early in Round 2 with the cracking shot, leading to the finish seconds later after hard, accurate follow-up punches. Nominee: Jared Gordon def. Thiago Moises at UFC Fight Night 256 Jared Gordon scored the biggest highlight reel win of his octagon tenure so far when he knocked Thiago Moises out cold. After getting a takedown early in the lightweight bout, the action returned to its feet where Gordon (21-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) landed a brutal right hand that floored Moises (19-9 MMA, 8-7 UFC). He followed up with a few shots on the ground to seal the deal. Nominee: Dustin Jacoby def. Bruno Lopes at UFC on ESPN 68 Dustin Jacoby prioritized violence over technique, and it paid off against Bruno Lopes. Jacoby (21-9-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) knocked out Bruno Lopes (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with a swarming attack for a stoppage just minutes into the opening round of the light heavyweight bout. The winner: Marc-Andre Barriault def. Bruno Silva at UFC 315 Marc-Andre Barriault finished Bruno Silva in scary fashion at UFC 315. Barriault (17-9 MMA, 6-8 UFC) unleashed an array of elbows in the clinch to knock out Silva (23-13 MMA, 4-7 UFC) at the 1:27 mark of Round 1 in their middleweight bout. Silva was rendered unconscious after being finished by an emotional Barriault and had to be stretchered out. With the win, Canada's Barriault snapped a three-fight losing skid. Meanwhile, Silva has now lost five in a row, and seven of his past eight fights. Cast Your Vote!
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for April: Randy Brown faceplants Nicolas Dalby
MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for April: Randy Brown faceplants Nicolas Dalby With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from April 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month award for April. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominees Nominee: Marco Tulio def. Tresean Gore at UFC 314 Marco Tulio made a big statement when he went toe-to-toe with Tresean Gore in their middleweight bout. Tulio (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) had to overcome getting dropped early in the fight, to then come back to drop Gore (5-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and eventually get the finish. It was a straight right, and then ground-and-pound to seal the deal for the TKO in the second round. Nominee: Dominick Reyes def. Nikita Krylov at UFC 314 Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes distanced himself even more from the career rut that had his octagon stay in question just a few years back, this time against Nikita Krylov. Reyes (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) was playing the counter game with Krylov (29-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC). In a blitz from Krylov, Reyes connected with a clean right-hand counter that sent him crashing down to the canvas. The referee almost immediately jumped in to stop the fight. Nominee: O'Shay Jordan def. Mark Currier at Tuff-N-Uff 143 O'Shay Jordan showed that heavyweight head kicks still exist in his matchup with Mark Currier. In the third round of their matchup, Jordan landed clean left head kick to the jaw of Currier that instantly put the lights out. He dove in with two additional shots before the referee could pull him off. Nominee: Malcolm Wellmaker def. Cameron Saaiman at UFC on ESPN 66 Malcolm Wellmaker shined bright in his octagon debut with a highlight-reel knockout of Cameron Saaiman. After being awarded a contract through Dana White's Contender Series, unbeaten bantamweight prospect Wellmaker (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) showed why he's got hype on his name when he floored Saaiman (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with a clean counter right hook that led to the stoppage less than two minutes into the fight. The winner The winner: Randy Brown def. Nicolas Dalby at UFC on ESPN 66 Randy Brown became the first man to finish his opponent Nicolas Dalby. On the main card of UFC on ESPN 66 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., Brown (20-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) turned in an impressive performance against Dalby (23-6-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC), causing all sorts of damage in the process. At 1:39 of Round 2, Dalby was lying motionless on the canvas after Brown connected with a right hand. It was a mostly brilliant performance from Brown, but there were a few moments in the opening round that proved contentious. Dalby had a moment or two in the opening frame, rocking Brown with a punch, but it would not be nearly enough to stop what was coming a few moments later. In fact, Brown rearranged Dalby's face with a sweeping right hand, sending Dalby's nose completely off track. In the second round, Brown continued to utilize his range advantage, picking Dalby apart with sharp punches. Dalby was game to make it a heated exchange and paid the price. Brown sat on a powerful right hand, violently sending Dalby crashing to the canvas for a walk-off knockout. With the finish, Brown became the first to finish Dalby in 30 fights, and marked a return to the win column following a split decision loss to Bryan Battle in December. Cast Your Vote! [opinary poll="what-was-the-best-knockout-of-april-2025_mmajunkie" customer="mmajunkie"]
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Timber! This heavyweight head kick KO at Tuff-N-Uff 143 created a sickening thud
Timber! This heavyweight head kick KO at Tuff-N-Uff 143 created a sickening thud Check out this Knockout of the Month submission from O'Shay Jordan at Tuff-N-Uff 143 in Las Vegas. There's something extra vicious about a heavyweight head kick knockout. Whether it's the sound when the kick connects or the thudding bounce of the unconscious big body on the canvas, there's nothing quite like a head kick KO at the 265-pound weight limit. At Tuff-N-Uff 143, O'Shay Jordan (3-2) smashed Mark Currier (3-6) with a powerful left head kick in the third round of their heavyweight tilt at Palms Casino in Las Vegas. Currier immediately stiffened and crashed to the mat, creating a loud thump like a professional wrestler bumping in the ring. Only this wasn't a scripted fall, and the hammerfists that rained in from Jordan until the referee rushed in were brutal, too. After the referee saved Currier from further damage, Jordan immediately went into celebration mode, and nearly scored another knockout as he narrowly missed connecting with another head kick to a commission official who entered the cage. Check out video of the finish below (via X):
