From Conor McGregor to Demetrious Johnson, 5 MMA Legends Who Shockingly Got Knocked Out in 2021

There have been a plethora of outstanding MMA events in 2021 up till now. The year has seen exceptional performances by fighters like Adriano Moraes and Dustin Poirier and some surprising losses of MMA legends. Regardless of that, almost all MMA events so far have been a treat to watch for all combat sports fans.

While there have been great brawls that have lasted the whole 5 rounds. There is something about a KO/TKO that captures the attention of everyone watching the fight. Therefore, today we decided to take a look at the 5 times MMA legends got knocked out in 2021.

Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier – UFC 257

Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier competed in their rematch at UFC 257 on January 23, 2021. Going into the fight, ‘Notorious’ was being touted as the moderate favorite, winning their previous encounter via a first-round TKO.

However, Dustin Poirier performed admirably well and defeated McGregor via a 2nd round KO/TKO. This was the first time McGregor lost a fight via KO in his entire career.

This loss took the score between Poirier and McGregor to 1-1, perfectly setting up the trilogy fight between them.

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Jorge Masvidal vs Kamaru Usman- UFC 261

Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal first faced each other at the UFC 251 event. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ won that fight via a unanimous decision. Following this victory for Usman, the 2 fighters met in a rematch at UFC 261. While going into UFC 261, Usman was the favorite, many expected ‘Gamebred’ to do some damage.

However, that was not to be the case as Usman scored a 2nd round KO win over Masvidal. This was just Masvidal’s second TKO loss through his MMA career. Since that fight, there has been no news of what Masvidal will do in the future.

Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou – UFC 260

Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou faced each other in a rematch at UFC 260. Many expected Miocic to emerge victorious as he had won their first fight via a unanimous decision. However, what transpired was not what many expected as Miocic lost via a 2nd round KO/TKO.

Miocic is a former 2-time UFC Heavyweight champion and had an incredible MMA record of (20-3) before his fight with Ngannou. However, ‘The Predator’ performed admirably and defeated the former champion via a TKO.

Ben Askren vs Jake Paul – Triller Fight Night

Ever since the Paul brothers have entered combat sports, they have garnered much attention. This year Jake Paul entered his 3rd professional boxing fight when he faced UFC legend, Ben Askren. Many thought ‘Funky’ would be a bit too much for Paul, as he has a plethora of combat sports experience.

However, fans also knew that the lack of boxing ability could hinder Askren’s chances of winning the fight. That is exactly what happened as Paul knocked out Askren via a first-round TKO. This was the second KO loss of Askren’s career having lost to Jorge Masvidal via a KO at UFC 239.

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Demetrious Johnson vs Adriano Moraes at ONE on TNT

Arguably one of the biggest shocks of 2021, was Johnson losing to Moraes via a 2nd round TKO. This was the first time ‘Mighty Mouse’ was stopped inside the Cage in 35 MMA appearances. Johnson was coming into the fight on the back of 3 well-deserved victories in ONE Championship and was looking to win the Flyweight title.

However, Moraes knocked out Johnson in the second round of the fight. ‘Mighty Mouse’ lost the fight after getting caught with an uppercut when he was going for a takedown. After that Moraes kneed Johnson and with a Flury of punches finished the fight.

Which MMA legend getting Knocked Out was most surprising to you? Let us know in the comments.