MMA
Who Has the Most Knockouts in UFC History?
Being a knockout artist in mixed martial arts holds you in elite company. Here are the fighters with the most knockouts in UFC history.
Although it is a vicious act, knocking somebody out in combat sports is considered an artform because of how skilled you need to be in order to actually accomplish such a thing.
While having heavy hands and natural power helps, there is a lot more to it than just going out there and swinging hoping to land a KO victory. You have to set up your strikes and time your shots to perfection.
In MMA, unlike boxing, you're of course able to use other strikes such as elbows, knees and kicks, so the dressing up process to land your heavy shots is slightly easier; you have more weapons at your disposal. This also means you can be a bit more creative with your feints and level changes, which essentially increases your chances of landing a KO blow.
Who Has the Most Knockouts in UFC History?
Over its thirty-year history, the UFC has been the home of some of the scariest fighters in combat sports history. Being a knockout artist is rare, even for some of the most elite fighters on the planet. Having the skill and athleticism is one thing, but to have ferocious power and the natural killer-like instincts to end a fight in a short flurry is another skill in itself.
Here is a list of the fighters who have the most knockouts in UFC history.
5. Thiago Santos – 11 Knockouts
Many will remember the Brazilian for putting the pressure on Jon Jones in their light-heavyweight title clash before Santos suffered a nasty cruciate ligament injury midway through the fight. Thiago Santos has never really recovered his career's momentum since that point in time.
Before this moment, Santos was an absolute powerhouse destroying several top fighters which gained him the nickname “Sledgehammer”.
4. Anderson Silva – 11 Knockouts
To some, Anderson Silva is regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, however, due to his controversial past with his failed performance enhancing drug test, others refuse to acknowledge him in that category.
While the Brazilian was reigning over the middleweight division, he was putting together some epic finishes, including his iconic front-kick knockout of Vitor Belfort, which is still considered as one of the most brutal knockouts in UFC history.
3. Vitor Belfort – 12 Knockouts
As mentioned above, Vitor Belfort was on the receiving end of one of the most devastating KO's inside the octagon. But, most of the time, he was the one putting a beatdown on his opponents between the 2000's and early 2010's at 185-pounds.
Belfort's career will always have an asterisk over it because of his failed drug test for steroids following his defeat to Dan Henderson at Pride 32, back in 2006.
2. Matt Brown – 13 Knockouts
Matt Brown is a veteran of MMA, having amassed 43 professional fights, winning over half of them via some form of stoppage. During his time in the UFC, Brown recorded 13 wins by knockout, helping him to hold the record for the most wins via stoppage in UFC welterweight history, even surpassing 170-pounds greats like Georges St-Pierre and Kamaru Usman.
Brown was a fan-favourite due to his brutal fighting style and his ability to push the pace for the duration of the fight.
1. Derrick Lewis – 14 Knockouts
For those that are familiar with the modern day UFC, it comes to no surprise to see Derrick Lewis ranked at number one on this list. The Houston native is adored by the fans for two reasons: his fun personality and his devastating knockout power.
Although he is far from the most skilled heavyweight the UFC heavyweight division has ever seen, he is the hardest hitting big man to ever fight in the company. Lewis’ knockout highlight reel is full of crazy moments, particularly his KO's of Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes.
Jake Staniland is a sports writer who excels in covering a wide range of sports: football, combat sports and the NFL - All three subjects are his lifelong passions.
Jake is a boyhood Sheffield United fan, which is often a curse that he thanks his family for. His favourite Blades player ever is Billy Sharp