Top 10 Knockouts of the Decade- Jorge Masvidal and Other Big Names Make the List

The UFC has been around for over two decades. In that time, fight fans have witnessed both the growth of the sport and the organization. There have been several standout fighters and fights over the past decade. However, we take a look at the top ten best knockouts of the past decade. 

Read: Top 10 UFC Fights of the Decade

UFC 235: Jorge Masvidal vs Ben Askren

A list of best knockouts in the UFC will be incomplete without mentioning Jorge Masvidal’s knockout against Ben Askren. ‘Funky’ came into the UFC as a highly decorated wrestler who was an undefeated champion with ONE championship. Despite facing some adversity in his first fight against Robbie Lawler, Askren managed to secure a debut win. 

In his second fight in the UFC, Askren faced Masvidal, a fight that he asked for. Masvidal was coming off an impressive KO win over Darren Till and vowed to ‘end’ Ben Askren. When the fight started, ‘Gamebred’ leaned against the cage before charging towards Askren and executing a perfectly timed flying knee just as Askren was going for a takedown. In the process, he set the record for the fastest KO ever in UFC history and perhaps the most impressive one. 

Francis Ngannou vs Alistair Overeem

‘The Predator’ made his UFC debut in 2015 and has been terrorizing the heavyweight division ever since. He faced his toughest test at the time when he took on Alistair Overeem at UFC 218. Francis went into the fight against veteran Overeem on the back of a five-fight win streak. Overeem on the other hand was on a two-fight win streak. 

Francis had won all of his fights in the UFC via stoppage and was looking to continue that against Overeem. During an exchange of blows, Francis saw an opening and landed a left uppercut from hell that rocked Overeem’s head backward and knocked him out stiff. The replays show the degree to which his head tilted backward due to the force of the punch. A truly scary as well as exciting knockout. 

Edson Barboza vs Terry Etim

Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort

Joaquin Buckley vs Impa Kasanganay 

Joaquin Buckley has been one of the breakout stars of 2020. ‘New Mensa’ announced his arrival in the UFC with a stunning knockout win over Impa Kasanganay. 

During the fight, Buckley threw a left kick which that Impa blocked with his hand and held onto the leg. Using that as leverage ‘New Mensa’ put all of his weight on the leg that Kasanganay was holding before executing a perfectly timed spinning back kick right on Kasanganay’s face. The kick knocked him out cold and was perhaps the best knockout of 2020. 

UFC 232: Amanda Nunes vs Cris Cyborg 

For the longest time, fans and pundits alike considered Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg the best female fighters on the planet. However, Amanda Nunes made her way into the conversation by winning the belt in her division and knockout Ronda Rousey in vicious fashion.

However, a reckless Cyborg walked into a few punches from ‘The Lioness’ while charging at her. Once Amanda had her rocked, it was only a matter of time before Cyborg was knocked viciously. One of the greatest performances inside the octagon by ‘The Lioness’  

Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo 

Conor McGregor burst onto the scene and quickly rose to prominence. He established himself as one of the biggest names in the sport and in the 145-pound division. After securing an impressive win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189, ‘The Notorious’ got the opportunity to unify his title against the long-reigning champion Jose Aldo. 

On fight night at UFC 194, it took all of 13 seconds for ‘The Notorious’ to dethrone Aldo and become the undisputed featherweight champion of the world. As Jose Aldo lunged forward with a right hand, Conor slipped out of the way and landed a perfectly placed check left hook that knocked out Jose Aldo. What is even more impressive is that leading up to the fight, Conor McGregor had predicted that this is how he was going to knock out Jose Aldo, and he did just that. 

Holly Holm vs Ronda Rousey

Holly Holm dominated the women’s division ever since it was introduced. Rousey became the face of the UFC and one of the most popular athletes in the world due to her success inside the octagon. At UFC 193, Ronda Rousey took on Holly Holm at a sold-out Marvel Stadium in Australia. 

Yair Rodriguez vs Chan Sung Jung 

Yair Rodriguez took on ‘The Korean Zombie’ at UFC Fight Night in November 2018. ‘The Korean Zombie’ came into the fight on the back of a win over Dennis Bermudez, whereas Yair slumped to a loss against Frankie Edgar in his last outing. 

The fight was an extremely interesting fight that went back and forth, and towards the end, both men were covered in blood and extremely exhausted. With a few seconds left on the clock Jung lunged forward with a few punches, Yair ducked under the punches and threw an elbow while he ducked away from the punches. The elbow landed right on the money and knocked out ‘The Korean Zombie’ with a few seconds left on the clock. 

UFC 205: Yoel Romero vs Chris Weidman 

Chris Weidman is one of the scariest knockout artists to have stepped foot in the octagon. ‘The Soldier of God’ was always considered one of the best fighters in the middleweight division, despite never having won the belt. 

At UFC 205, Romero took on former champion Chris Weidman. During the third and final round, Romero executed a perfectly timed flying knee just as Chris Weidman was about to attempt a takedown. The knee landed flush and left Weidman in a pool of his own blood. Romero is the only person in the UFC to have multiple flying knee knockout wins to his name.