There’s nothing more definitive in combat sports than a knockout and there were some great ones in the UFC this year.
Here are our choices for the best UFC knockouts in 2016.
WINNER: Lando Vannata def. John Makdessi
When Vannata connected with a spinning heel kick to the jaw of Makdessi at UFC 206 it sounded like a baseball bat hitting a coconut.
“I practised that kick about 2,000 times in camp and I knew it was going to work,” Vannata said after the fight. “I was planning on using it and I knew he couldn’t stop it. I expected it to be successful.”
Boy was it ever. It turned Makdessi’s lights out, electrified the crowd at the Air Canada Centre and put Vannata on the map as a rising lightweight star to keep an eye on in 2017.
Honourable mention: Anthony Johnson def. Glover Teixeira
Everyone knew when these two light-heavyweight contenders entered the Octagon at UFC 202 somebody was going to sleep. Most would’ve expected the fight to last longer than 13 seconds though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XMj1YOki-w
Honourable mention: Dan Henderson def. Hector Lombard
Henderson is known for his “H-Bomb” of a right hand yet it was a head kick followed by a viciously creative back elbow that ended Lombard’s night at UFC 199.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKiI_JE9-KQ
Honourable mention: Yair Rodriguez def. Andre Fili
Rodriguez finished Fili with a kick at UFC 197 that is typically reserved for action movies.
Honourable mention: Stipe Miocic/Michael Bisping/Tyron Woodley
This trio of heavy hitters earned shiny new titles thanks to the power in their hands.
Miocic silenced the Brazilian crowd at UFC 198 when he put away Fabricio Werdum with a counter right. It’s remarkable how much power he generated while moving backwards. He celebrated by jumping over the cage to embrace his teammates and coaches while repeating, “I’m a world champ! I’m a world champ!” Never forget, kids, Miocic brought a championship to Cleveland before the Cavaliers did it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj08V4hdowU
In what was probably the upset of the year, Bisping dropped Luke Rockhold with a pairs of lefts then finished him with a flurry along the fence to become middleweight champion at UFC 199. To make the accomplishment more impressive, the Brit took the fight on short notice.
Robbie Lawler is known for his incredible durability, so when Woodley flattened him with an overhand right in just two minutes at UFC 201 it sent shockwaves through the welterweight division.
