2023 was the year of contenders in the UFC where MMA fans got to see multiple title changes. Eight contenders defeated their UFC champion rivals to become the new kings of their divisions. However, the year also contained several other enthralling fights, many of which ended with KOs. Most of the UFC audiences love watching fights getting finished within the stipulated time. This is why fighters often receive a different kind of admiration after finishing their rivals.
It also won’t be wrong to say that it’s a KO finish that earns a fighter the most amount of attention and admiration. 2023 presented a plethora of such finishes that got the audiences on the edge of their seats. However, now that we know that there are no more UFC events to be hosted, here’s a list of the top 5 KO finishes of the year 2023:
5. Arman Tsarukyan KOs Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin
The UFC head honcho Dana White aptly described the night of UFC Austin in his post-fight press conference. Even after the other barnburners on the night, the Beneil Dariush vs Arman Tsarukyan appeared to top them all. The enthralling fight lasted only a mere 1min and 4 secs before ending with an awesome victory for Tsarukyan. The Russian threw a knee that landed straight on the face of the ducking Dariush exactly a minute past the opening stanza.
However, the right straight that he also landed was hard to catch before the slow-motion replays displayed the KO. Most fans, along with the UFC CEO, Dana White, may probably agree that this was one of the best KOs of the entire year.
4. Islam Makhachev KOs Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 295
Several fans were confident about the UFC featherweight champ, Alexander ‘The Great’s’ Volkanovski’s victory after witnessing his UFC 284 fight against the lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev. Instead, the UFC 294 ended with Makhachev’s fans celebrating one of the best KO victories of the year.
The Dagestani attempted a few head kicks right from the opening seconds of the bout. But one of them found a way through ‘Volk’s’ guard and proved to be enough to drive him to the canvas. A few more hammer-fists from the UFC lightweight champ broke the hearts of the millions of ‘Volk’ fans for the second time.
The fight ended at 3:06 of the first round with a superb KO victory for Makhachev. Well, it somewhere also may have signaled the end of Volkanovski’s shots at becoming a champ-champ.
3. Justin Gaethje KOs Dustin Poirier at UFC 291
Justin Gaethje may have stepped into the UFC 291 octagon against his former rival Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier as an underdog. But eventually, ‘The Highlight’ came out on top of his favorite rival, winning the ‘BMF’ title of the UFC. Additionally, he did it spectacularly with a head kick KO in the second round. Much like Makhachev, Gaethje’s head kick also found a way through Poirier’s defense.
Despite a pretty well-matched first round, ‘The Diamond’ had to endure a devastating head kick KO at the 57-second mark of the second round. The fight ended just 3 seconds after that with a ‘BMF’ title victory for Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje.
2. Israel Adesanya KOs Alex Pereira at UFC 287
The UFC 287 main event presented the archrivals, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, squaring off inside the octagon for the second time. However, ‘Poatan’ had already defeated ‘Izzy’ thrice, including their history in kickboxing history. This is why many fans believed that the result of their fourth clash wouldn’t be any different. But ‘Izzy’ silenced all such fans with a vicious KO victory over Pereira in the second round of the UFC 287 main event.
Adesanya finally managed to conquer his nemesis probably in the best possible way. But, several pundits of the sport may also rate this KO as one of the most technically efficient KOs of the year.
1. Josh Emmett KOs Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296
Well, a large chunk of the UFC community may agree that the final PPV over the year provided fans with the best KO of the year as well. But, although Josh Emmett’s UFC 296 KO victory over Bryce Mitchell enthralled fans, it sent the latter into a pretty worrisome situation. After getting KO-ed by a furious overhand right from Emmett, Mitchell reached a near-seizure condition as his leg and body terrifyingly shook for a few seconds after he hit the canvas.
Well, the power behind this punch can be imagined by the reaction that Mitchell’s body showcased after absorbing it. After witnessing this terrifying KO, most fans may happily agree that this was one of the best, if not the best, KO of 2023.
Well, the promotional authorities have also revealed that they have massive events and also the UFC 300 coming up in 2024. Hence, fans will also hope that 2024 packs many such enthralling KO finishes to enthrall them.
