Happy Fourth of July!
That’s right, on this day, 247 years ago, a bunch of colonial subjects cast off the bounds of monarchy to found the United States of America. Beverages will be imbibed, classic America cuisine will be enjoyed, flags will be flown, and fireworks will be shot.
Speaking of fireworks, there sure have been a lot of sick knockouts in the world of MMA this year. So with that in mind, we had the brilliant idea to celebrate the Fourth with our own brand of fireworks, looking back at the best knockouts of the half-year. If there’s one thing we all can agree on, it’s that George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson would have loved sanctioned fist-fights. So really, this is the most fitting tribute we can give to the founding fathers.
Bombs away!
Table of Contents
Israel Adesanya def. Alex Pereira
Al-Shatti: The unofficial leader for 2023 Knockout of the Year, no sequence in MMA over the past six months has been featured in more memes, more fan edits, and more general internet shenanigans than Israel Adesanya’s long-awaited vengeance over his boogeyman. Two months later, it’s still hard to quantify what it all means — I defy you to name me a knockout this year that’s come with more seismic stakes than Adesanya’s legacy-saving brilliance at UFC 287.
And it nearly didn’t happen. With Adesanya’s legs ground to mincemeat and his back stuck against the fence in a scene eerily reminiscent of his UFC 281 meeting with Alex Pereira, history appeared to be repeating itself all over again. Then “The Last Stylebender” rewrote the story with two perfect right hands, sending his nemesis straight to the land of wind and ghosts just as it felt as if all hope was lost. Few UFC titleholders have ever reclaimed their belts after their signature run ended, but the champ’s belief in himself never wavered. What followed was the most iconic celebration MMA has seen all year (and a long-gestating two-month victory lap that only now appears to finally be slowing down).
The Adesanya vs. Pereira rivalry was the best thing to happen to the middleweight division since the glory days of Silva vs. Sonnen. With the series tied at one apiece in MMA, here’s hoping we get that final chapter before both men eventually ride off into their sunsets.
Sadibou Sy def. Shane Mitchell
Lee: Every champion needs their signature moment, and the PFL’s Sadibou Sy just found his.
With respect to Sy’s 2022 championship season that earned him a cool mil, the Swedish striker’s recent run of form had lacked a certain pizzazz, outside of an impressive decision win over Rory MacDonald that said more about the state of MacDonald’s career than Sy’s brilliance (MacDonald retired one fight later).
Somehow, Sy had to find the balance between being the first-round finisher that put him on the map in his early PFL days and the more methodical tactician that outpointed his way to a tournament crown. It’s safe to say he found his knockout touch again.
After dispatching former Brave CF standout Jarrah Al-Silawi inside of two rounds to kick off his 2023 campaign, Sy authored his masterpiece at PFL 6, smoking Shane Mitchell with a spin kick that swung right around Mitchell’s defenses. The sound and the slightly delayed fall only added to the impact of the moment, one that will likely go down as THE in-cage highlight of a PFL season rife with outside-of-the-cage drama.
Lorenz Larkin def. Mukhamed Berkhamov
Al-Shatti: Casual MMA fans could be excused if they forgot Lorenz Larkin existed since he departed the UFC as a bonafide top-7 welterweight in the world in 2016. After a few early stumbles, Larkin’s run in Bellator has been a strange one, to say the least, flush with long stretches of inactivity, uninspired matchmaking, and even a few fights buried on the YouTube prelims. But don’t let that distract you from the fact that Larkin is still one of the best damn welterweights in the world — and “The Monsoon” made damn sure to remind us all of that back in February when he pulled off the signature highlight of his Bellator career.
Thrust into a rematch with a previously unbeaten Russian after their first bout ended prematurely due to an illegal elbow, Larkin went right back to that well, knocking Mukhamed Berkhamov out cold with one of the most devastating standing hellbows MMA will see all year. In terms of pure aesthetics, the sight of Berkhamov stumbling around then crashing chin-first onto the canvas is hard to beat. Y’all must’ve forgot, indeed.
Patchy Mix def. Raufeon Stots
Meshew: I am disappointed and ashamed that my great colleague Shaheen Al-Shatti correctly identified that Bellator was host to one of the very best knockouts you’ll ever see, but somehow picked the wrong one! No disrespect to the fine forearms of Lorenz Larkin, but only one man used the eight points of violence to cash a $1 million check this year, and that was Patchy Mix.
Just look at the aesthetic beauty of this perfectly timed and set up knee! That’s artwork. Million dollar artwork. And the most impressive thing about this piece is it’s from a guy who I honestly was not sure he even knew how to strike. Go back and look at his résumé: 18 wins, 14 finishes, 12 submissions. This was only his second career knockout victory, and the first one came after he took a dude down and elbowed him from top position. To continue the previous metaphor, this is like if Van Gogh randomly carved La Pieta, and that’s why it’s my KO of the half-year.
Krzysztof Glowacki vs. Patryk Tolkaczewski
Lee: Be honest: When’s the last time you saw something in an MMA fight you’d never seen before? Because it wasn’t that long ago for me. Really, it was just last month, when Krzysztof Glowacki gave us the most unlikely highlight of the year at KSW’s massive Colosseum 2 event when he scored a knockout of a fully mounted Patryk Tolkaczewski.
To be clear, Glowacki was in bottom position when he KO’d Tolkaczewski, who, again, was in full mount.
Sure, I’d seen some wacky things happen to fighters in the most dominant top position possible before. Aleksei Oleinik made the Ezekiel choke one of his signature maneuvers. I once saw an exhausted Bobby Lashley get stood up by the referee while in full mount and then go on to lose a decision (the stand-up was also to check on Lashley’s eye, but I stand by my story). But getting straight bodied while sitting on your opponent’s stomach and unleashing ground-and-pound? Never seen it before, probably won’t ever see it again.
Glowacki is a former boxer making his pro MMA debut, so not only does he have trained punching power, he also doesn’t know what you’re not supposed to do when you’re stuck on the bottom of a full mount. Like, throw a full-force punch. Which he did.
And that’s how the Best Knockout of the Year (so far) happened.
Ismael Bonfim def. Terrance McKinney
Meshew: Speaking of aesthetic beauty, they don’t get prettier than this flying knee knockout from Ismael Bonfim. The timing is brilliant, and the fall afterwards? That’s perfection. Full on face plant. If Terrance McKinney didn’t have a canvas to crash into there, he might still be falling, endlessly through the void.
Where this knockout falls short is in importance. Yes, McKinney is a notable fighter, but he’s well outside of the top 15, and so ultimately, this finish matters less than some of the others mentioned above. Still, getting a highlight-reel knockout like that in your UFC debut over a well-known guy? That’s about as good as you can ask for. Kudos, Ismael.
Honorable Mentions
