Five Most Vicious One-Punch Knockouts In UFC History

Some fighters have knockout power, but only a select few have the ability to end a fight with one punch. We’re talking about the kind of KO’s that are the reason there are stretchers cageside.

We here at LowkickMMA have combed through the archives to find the best one-punch shots. Take a look at five of the most brutal one-punch knockouts in UFC history!

5. Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell:

When the UFC booked recently dethroned light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell vs. Ultimate Fighter season two winner Rashad Evans, most everyone assumed if there was a knockout, it would be “The Iceman” coming out on top.

But UFC 88 proved to be Evans’ big break. “Suga” leveled the former champ with a massive overhand right just as Liddell went to through a lead uppercut.

Evans punch got there first, and the rest is history. Liddell was knocked out cold in the second round, and continued “The Iceman’s” downfall. Liddell would retire two years later after suffering two more vicious knockouts at the hands of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rich Franklin.

4. Paul Daley vs. Dustin Hazelett:

When “Semtex” entered the UFC back in 2009, the British slugger burst on to the scene with a first round TKO over Martin Kampmann.

But it was Daley’s second Octagon appearance that truly put him on the welterweight map. After Carlos Condit was forced out of a UFC 108 matchup with “Semtex” in 2010, submission ace Dustin Hazlett stepped up to the plate.

What commenced was perhaps the most brutal left hook in welterweight history.

Hazelett came right out of the gate with a rolling summersault kick, which Daley avoided. About two minutes into their contest, just as Hazelett’s confidence appeared to be growing, “Semtex” uncorked a massive left hook that just leveled his opponent, literally sending him flying across the cage before hitting the canvas, completely unconscious.

Daley would go on to fight only one more time for the UFC after Dana White banned him following a sucker punch to Josh Koscheck at UFC 113.

3. Junior dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum:

When Fabricio Werdum took on Junior dos Santos back at UFC 90 in 2008, MMA fans were unaware of how good “Cigano” really was. At that point, Werdum had already done enough to earn a heavyweight title shot, which was being sorted out by then-champion Randy Couture and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar.

So when Werdum took the fight with JDS, very few, if any fans, gave the newcomer a chance, let alone knew who he was.

Well one minute and twenty seconds into their bout, the MMA world was introduced to dos Santos, who absolutely destroyed Werdum with a lead uppercut and left him slumped over, folded up like a lawn chair.

Talks of a rematch have popped up here and there in recent years, but their first encounter at UFC 90 will go down as one of the most vicious one-punch KOs in UFC history.

2. Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo:

When Conor McGregor called his shot and insisted he would knock out then-champ Jose Aldo in the first round, the MMA world was rightfully skeptical. The two had been paired up prior to their eventual showdown at UFC 194, so when Aldo and McGregor finally stepped in to the cage together, there had been a world tours’ worth of trash talk and mind games at that point.

The bell rings. “The Notorious” flicks a front kick to keep the Brazilian at bay. Seconds later, Aldo charged forward with a 1-2 combination. 13 seconds into the bout, Aldo was on his back, staring at the rafters. McGregor did the unthinkable and ended Aldo’s reign at featherweight with one perfectly placed counter left hook.

With that blistering KO, the Irishman won the featherweight belt. He would go on to become the first UFC fighter to simultaneously hold two belts after TKO’ing former lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.

Now, when McGregor predicts his fights and calls his shot, people aren’t so skeptical.

https://youtu.be/fdhLwJFocSM

1. Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping:

Long before Bisping captured the middleweight belt from Luke Rockhold, the British striker was best known for all the wrong reasons. Bisping was a part of Dan Henderson’s highlight reel, and what a highlight reel it was.

Coming off of coaching The Ultimate Fighter: USA vs UK, Henderson and Bisping had built up enough animosity between the two to make for a interesting grudge match at the seminal UFC 100 event.

The two traded barbs, well mostly from Bisping’s mouth, for the better part of the season, but it was be Hendo that would emerge as victorious as he leveled the eventual middleweight champ with a nasty overhand right, better known as “The H Bomb”, which ended the fight instantly.

Bisping would eventually rematch Hendo at UFC 204, winning by a narrow decision victory.