Ranking JDS’s UFC 160 Victory Among the Best Heavyweight (T)KOs Ever
This weekend brought us two great knockouts at the top of the UFC heavyweight food chain. While Cain Velasquez’ systematic destruction of Bigfoot Silva was a sight to behold, it was the result that most fans saw coming. On the other hand, while many picked Junior dos Santos to win over Mark Hunt, not many thought it would be by way of knockout, and definitely not with an incredible spinning wheel kick.
The flashy KO is up there with the greatest of all time at heavyweight, and part of that is based upon the sheer magnitude of the bout it was in. Let’s take a look at how it ranks among the best:
15) Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga – UFC 96: Before Shane Carwin became famous for his victory over Frank Mir and his near loss to Brock Lesnar, he was knocking lesser contenders’ heads off on a regular basis. Although Gonzaga took him down, Carwin weathered the storm and knocked Gonzaga out with an absolutely brutal right hand. “The Engineer” will be missed.
14) Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee – UFC 114: Perhaps the stakes set for this bout were not of the highest variety, but in the end, that didn’t matter. The physically imposing Duffee had a ton of hype going after he tied the UFC record for fastest KO, and he was on his way to dominating the lesser-known Russow. But Russow dug deep and hit Duffee with a surprise right hand that left him unconscious on the canvas. It was an unexpected victory and one of the best comebacks in UFC history.
13) Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers – Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers: Many people thought it was a waste to see Fedor plying his wares over in Strikeforce back in 2009. While Brett Rogers was coming off an impressive KO of Andrei Arlovski, he was no match for “The Last Emperor.” After Rogers bloodied his nose in the first, Fedor uncorked an overhand right that looked like a baseball pitcher throwing Rogers’ head into the stands. Good stuff.
12) Mirko Cro Cop vs. Igor Vovchanchyn – Pride Total Elimination 2003: Cro Cop was yet to be infamous for his headhunting kicks, but this fight made sure he was well on his way. Igor Vovchanchyn quietly made a career of destroying the best Pride FC had to offer, but on this day, Cro Cop was king. He nailed Vovchanchyn with a headkick that put him out immediately, earning Knockout of the Year Honors in the process.
11) Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira – UFC 110: In a fight that was truly to gauge just how good Cain Velasquez was becoming, he fought Pride legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Velasquez passed the test with flying colors, hitting Big Nog with a precise right before putting him out with some vicious ground shots. A star was born.
10) Bigfoot Silva vs. Alistair Overeem – UFC 156: In a strange bout, the heavily favored Alistair Overeem returned from a steroids suspension to win the first two rounds against Bigfoot. In the third, however, he appeared to tire, dropping his hands to a dangerously low level. Bigfoot took advantage of this and scored a flurry of punches that left Overeem in a heap. Silva has said this was his plan all along, to lose the first two and then finish Overeem in the third. While I’m not so sure that was the exact gameplan, great knockout nonetheless.
9) Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve – UFC 130: Both of these young heavyweights were riding the momentum of recent success, as Browne was undefeated and Struve had won 5 out of 6. Struve’s chin was a question mark though, and Browne exploited it with a picture-perfect Superman punch for the KO. Impressive work from the Hawaiian Browne, who looks to make a big statement against Overeem later this year at UFC 164.
8) Junior dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum – UFC 90: In one of the greatest Octagon debuts we’ve ever seen a young JDS was matched up against surging heavyweight Fabricio Werdum. Werdum was likely to get a title shot with a victory, but JDS spoiled those plans with a crushing right uppercut. Interestingly enough, we may one day see a rematch of these two talented Brazilian heavyweights.
7) Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski – Affliction: Day of Reckoning: Although Andrei Arlovski has had an extremely tumultuous MMA career, at this point he was on a roll, having won five in row including the only KO of one Roy Nelson. He looked sharp against Fedor, that is until he tried an ill-advised flying knee. Emelianenko capitalized in a big way with a thunderous straight right that looked shot out of a cannon. Arlovski went on to lose his next three, and was never seen in any serious title contention thereafter.
6) Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve – UFC on Fuel TV 8: This was quite the battle, as both fighters had shown extreme willingness to slug it out. Struve exercised his ground advantage by mounting Hunt and working the ground-and-pound while looking for submissions. Hunt responded by weathering the storm, and when the time was right he unleashed his trademark leaping left hook on Struve, breaking his jaw in the process. The X-ray photos that surfaced the next day tell the whole story here.
5) Dan Henderson vs. Fedor Emelianenko – Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson: While Dan Henderson was not a full-time heavyweight, this bout do doubt deserves a spot on this list. This clash of two legends saw both swing wildly early on, with Fedor rocking Hendo to the point of grounding him. Just when you thought Fedor had him almost finished, Hendo performed a slick wrestling reversal, coming out the backside and nailing “The Last Emperor” with a perfectly-placed uppercut on the button. While Fedor soon came to, it may have been the ground that brought him back. It was a defining win for Henderson. It was also one of the most heart-pumping fights I’ve ever watched.
4) Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez 1 – UFC on Fox 1: While the UFC’s debut on Fox left fans wanting more with only one fight that hardly lasted over a minute, the stage and magnitude it was on earns it a spot high on this list. Both fighters went into the bout with serious injuries, and Velasquez especially looked a bit less than himself. However, we’ll never know how good he actually was, because JDS smashed him with a looping, odd-looking blast to the temple that ended the bout early. Quite the statement for the UFC’s debut on network TV.
3) Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry – UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry: This was a bout between two known strikers, so the potential for fireworks was undeniable. Barry fought his usual style, utilizing intense kickboxing that appeared to have Kongo all but out. But looks can be deceiving, and Kongo responded with an uppercut brought from the deep waters, knocking out Barry in one of the most gasp-worthy UFC bouts we’ve ever seen.
2) Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt – UFC 160: Some may agree with this ranking, some may not, but the fact remains that this bout came in rolling with a ton of hype behind it. Most deemed it as UFC 160’s true main event, and indeed much more emphasis was placed upon this battle of heavy-hitters. Hunt came out looking strong but JDS responded with a thunderous punch similar to the one he used to drop Cain. Dos Santos was well on his way to earning a clear-cut uNanimous decision, but instead he decided to show the world why he is a true champion. He uncorked a jaw-dropping spinning wheel kick that knocked Hunt out. One of the best finishes I’ve ever seen, and just an incredible display of skill.
1) Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop – UFC 70: I want to rank JDS/Hunt as the number one (T)KO in heavyweight history, but I just can’t deny this masterpiece from UFC 70. While it is an obvious choice, the fact that Gabriel Gonzaga derailed Cro Cop’s hype train with his own signature move will firmly set this bout in the UFC history books forever. Like JDS’s kick last weekend, I was left with my mouth wide open wondering if what I had seen was actually real. It was.
So that’s where JDS’s most recent work ends up among all the best heavyweight (T)KOs in MMA history. I know there are many more that deserve an honorable mention, as fights like Ben Rothwell vs. Brendan Schaub, Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson, and Carwin vs. Mir, and Duffee’s 7-second destruction of Tim Hague could have all received a spot on the list. So could Stefan Struve’s one-punch KO of Christian Morecraft, Roy Nelson’s recent blasting of Cheick Kongo, and even Cain Velasquez turning Bigfoot Silva into a bloody mess at UFC 146 last year. The heavyweight division has obviously provided us with the many of the most hard-hitting and incredible knockouts in MMA history. What are your choices for the best?
