If there’s one thing that MMA fans love, it’s a big knockout. Yes, the more people learn about the sport, the more they appreciate the different martial arts. With that being said, everyone loves the moment a fighter surprises everyone by separating their opponent from consciousness.
We’ve had some huge knockouts this year and let’s look at the top 5 of the year so far.
Top 5 Knockouts of 2024
5. Steve Erceg Knocks out Matt Schnell at UFC Vegas 87
What was most surprising about this knockout is that it came down at flyweight. More often than not, it’s at heavyweight that we see huge, one punch knockouts but Steve Erceg holds un-godly power for a 125er.
His boxing is slick and it was on full show against Matt Schnell at UFC Vegas 87. A jab upstairs, followed by a straight to the body and finished off with a massive hook upstairs, instantly knocking Schnell out.
It’s arguably the knockout that earned him the title shot at UFC 301 in Brazil. Unfortunately for Erceg, he couldn’t land a knockout blow in his UFC 301 title fight, losing a decision.
4. Dakota Ditcheva Finishes Lisa Mauldin at PFL 1
What made Dakota Ditcheva‘s PFL 1 finish so emphatic is that we got to see a full range of tools on show. Taking on Lisa Mauldin, Ditcheva was looking to show that she was ready for the big leagues.
Although Mauldin isn’t the elite of the division, the Brit still had to put on a show, as she always does. The finish began with a body kick, followed by a straight. A slick hook to the body forced Mauldin to cover up and Ditcheva smelt blood. A vicious knee sent her American opponent crumbling and pinpoint ground and pound shots were almost the end, however, Mauldin got to her feet. A brief moment of space saw Ditcheva quickly catch her breath, re-engage, land her famous front kick followed by another hook to the body and a head shot saw Mauldin drop again and the end of the fight.
3. Ilia Topuria Shocks Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and Wins the Belt
Heading into UFC 298, there were a number of questions surrounding the featherweight champion. He’d suffered a knockout loss in his last fight against Islam Makhachev, albeit at lightweight and was coming up against a slick, heavy-handed, undefeated Ilia Topuria.
What played out shocked the world. Topuria would get the better of his Australian foe due to defensive flaws that were exploited by the Spaniard. He was able to throw a prolonged five-punch combination which saw the fourth punch knock Volkanovski out cold. It was a huge right hook that instantly knocked the champion out, to which Topuria followed up with a series of brutal ground and pound shot, ending not only the fight, but the reign of Volkanovski as featherweight champion.
2. Vinicius Oliveira lands a huge flying knee for the finish
This is rightfully #2 on the list and has a huge shot to be the #1 spot, but on this occasion has been narrowly edged out. Brazil’s Vinicius Oliveira met Sweden’s Benardo Sopaj on the prelims of UFC Vegas 87 (ironically, the same card as Erceg scored his big knockout). After a back-and-forth all-action fight, the bantamweights put on a fight of the night and Oliveira also notched the performance of the night bonus on top of that.
The finish for Oliveira came after a savage low kick, left hook combo buckled Sopaj and forced him to back up across the octagon. This was when Lok Dog saw the opening. He ran towards his opponent, jumping and landing a flying knee for the brutal, walk-off finish. We as MMA fans love a faceplant knockout and this one provided just that!
1. Max Holloway Sleeps Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt at UFC 300
The hype around the BMF title bout at UFC 300 was like nothing we’d seen in a long time. The two men promised violence and they absolutely delivered, especially on the side of Hawaii’s own, Max Holloway. Blessed would dominate Gaethje for almost five whole rounds, cruising to victory as the claxon sounded to signal just 10 seconds left in the fight itself.
Holloway, in his legendary style wanted to put on (even more) of a show for the fans. Welcoming Gaethje to the middle of the octagon (after the defending champion threw a rolling thunder), pointing down to the centre and inviting The Highlight to throw down…and throw down they did.
As we all know now, it would be Holloway that would get the better of the exchange, mixing it up high and low as well as being able to take the shots that Gaethje threw on his guard. A massive right hook would crown him not only the BMF champion, a legend but also potentially one of the greatest moments in UFC history. That is why it’s #1.
