Issue 176

We all love knockouts. Nobody has to feel bad for admitting that; it’s an essential inquisitive part of the human condition that compels us to constantly search for bigger, badder knockout finishes. Here’s 10 of the very best – and worst – from the early days of MMA fight nights.

1: Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Jackson 2, Pride 28 

Back in the heady Pride days, few people separated folks from their senses quite like Wanderlei Silva. There had been a lot of hype behind his rematch with ‘Rampage’ Jackson and not unlike the first fight; it was the knees of Silva that would prove to be the clincher. The Brazilian poured on the pressure in the second round before landing a knee that shut Jackson down in a heartbeat, his tumbling frame lodging between the ropes whilst bleeding badly. Rampage has, to this day, never watched footage of that fight and on reflection that seems a smart decision.

2: Gary Goodridge vs Paul Herrera, UFC 8

UFC 8 was billed as a David vs Goliath tournament and, with that in mind, it’s hard to understand the logic of any non-heavyweight who entered. One such fighter was Paul Herrera who the met now famous Gary Goodridge in a bout that many thought would be the end of the UFC’s brief televisual run. Goodridge, an arm wrestler, was wearing the kuk sool won outfit that he’d been given by the school who’d made him a fourth degree black belt after two lessons in exchange for publicity. Herrera shot in, was caught in a reverse crucifix position and was elbowed in the head until he stopped moving. Brutal really doesn’t do this one justice somehow.

3: Tank Abbot vs Steve Nelmark, Ultimate Ultimate 96

If you have a move or situation named after you in a sport then you’re generally very skilled or very unlucky. Steve Nelmark was the latter. Tank Abbot should have met Ken Shamrock in the semi finals but a hand injury put a stop to that fight. Steve Nelmark stepped in to meet everyone’s favorite barroom athlete. Tank started strong with a huge slam but once he found his range and unleashed the knockout shot; Nelmark fell to the floor in a yoga trainwreck, coining the phrase ‘Nelmarked’ in his wake.

4: Igor Vovchanchyn vs Francisco Bueno, Pride 8

Igor Vovchanchyn, nicknamed ‘Lethal Weapon of the North’ by Japanese fans, wrote the book on nasty-looking knockouts. The Ukrainian was a veteran of the vale tudo tournament scene and often dispatched multiple opponents on a single evening, long before Pride and the UFC burst into the mainstream. This night would be no different as Bueno ducked and bobbed for a minute or so before Igor found the off button. His foe fell to the canvas as if turned to stone and also took a few more scarily accurate punches on the way down for good measure. 

5: Paul Daley vs Scott Smith, Strikeforce: Hendo vs Babalu

Paul Daley may not be on Dana White’s Christmas card list but the facts about his concrete-laden fists speak for themselves. Scott Smith had always got by as an iron-chinned Rocky type but, against a power puncher like ‘Semtex,’ this seemed as dangerous as flamethrower tag. Smith gave a typically stoic performance before a left hook ended his night, and nearly his Christmas, as Daley strolled off unimpressed. Semtex may be a curious enigma but there are very few people equipped to handle the heat he brings. 

6: Zorobabel Moreira vs Roger Huerta, ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors

In the midst of the Pride era, most hardcore fans had become desensitized to stomps and soccer kicks. One FC, however, has brought soccer kicks back to modern MMA and Zorobabel Moreira is currently surfing a huge wave of notoriety as a result. Former Sports Illustrated cover star and UFC veteran Roger Huerta was the unfortunate recipient of one of the nastiest knockouts in recent memory; Moreira’s soccer-kick finish was a chillingly efficient blend of David Beckham and Derek Vinyard.

7: Dan Simmler vs Matt Riddle, TUF7 Qualifiers

TUF 7 will always be remembered as the first season that fighters had to earn their spot in the house rather than being specifically cherry picked by the UFC. One fight from the process, however, stole the show. Dan Simmler had described his stand-up as “limited at best” and although Riddle was no Ramon Dekkers; he landed a starching right hand in the second round before dropping some hammerfists for good measure. Simmler moaned for a while, asked if this was a real fight or practice and Dr Rampage diagnosed that he’d “broke his jaw a little bit.” All that and the show hadn’t even started. 

8: Fedor Emelianenko vs Andrei Arlovski, Affliction: Day of Reckoning

Ah, the flying knee. When it works, you’re truly a cerebral assassin but on the flip side it presents a very clear and present danger if you’re not so lucky. Andrei Arlovski was doing the unthinkable against Fedor Emelianenko; he was holding his own in the stand-up and gaining confidence as the round went on. He pushed all-in with a flying knee, however, and caught the feared Fedor right hand for his troubles, which sent him nosediving to the canvas with eyes wide open. ‘The Last Emperor’ may not have showed much in the way of in-ring emotion but he did cataclysmic finishes better than most.

9: Rashad Evans vs Sean Salmon, UFC Fight Night 8

Sean Salmon’s career may have hit the skids over the past 18 months but his debut Octagon performance is still conceivably the worst part of his fighting life. Rashad Evans had been criticized for a lack of finishing ability and the unorthodox Salmon, complete with Jeff Speakman-style high kicks, looked to be a good test of the TUF winner’s mettle. That was, until one minute and six seconds into the second round when Rashad Evans landed a high kick that practically decapitated his opponent where he stood. Salmon fell to the canvas like a puppet with severed strings as Rashad not only proved he could finish fights but that he had the power to do it in truly emphatic fashion. 

10: Kazuhiro Ito vs Shintaro Ishiwatari, Shooto: Shooting Disco 4 – Born in the Fighting

The only thing crazier than the name of this event was one of the more incredible slam knockouts in the short history of the sport. Submission-happy Kazuhiro Ito dived on a Sakuraba-esque standing kimura before transitioning between submission attempts on the canvas against Ishiwatari. It was an ill-fated straight armbar-cum-triangle that would be his undoing, though, as Ishiwatari simply picked him up and slammed him down flat on his face. The crowd erupted in equal parts astonishment and curiosity as the truly brutal comedy of this knockout reverberated around Shinjuku Face Hall.