Top 5: Scariest Knockouts of All-Time

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Not all knockouts are created equal.

Team Alpha Male mainstay and perennial Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight contender Josh Emmett cut down Bryce Mitchell with a savage right hook in the first round of a featured UFC 296 attraction on Dec. 16, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their encounter reached its conclusion 1:57 into Round 1, and it was violent, sudden and unsettling.

Emmett controlled the cage from the center, circled on the perimeter and closed in on his prey. He beat Mitchell to the punch with a devastating shot that sent “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27 semifinalist crashing to the canvas in an unconscious state. No follow-up shots were required. Mitchell suffered a seizure before he regained consciousness.

“When I hit him, I got excited and then I looked over and he’s still down, and it’s hard to celebrate,” Emmett said at the post-fight press conference. “I just wish him nothing but the best. We’re all trying to achieve the same thing. You know, I wish no harm on my opponents, but at the end of the day, if it’s him or I, I’m choosing me every day.”

Emmett’s one-punch finish of Mitchell ranks as one of the scariest knockouts in mixed martial arts history. Here are four more to consider:

David “Tank” Abbott vs. John Matua
UFC 6
July 14, 1995 | Casper, Wyoming
Jaw-dropping violence was always a possibility whenever Abbott was nearby. One needs only to ask Matua. Their tournament quarterfinal lasted all of 20 seconds at the Casper Events Center, and none of them were kind to the monstrous 400-pound Californian. Only seven strikes were landed in the bout, all of them by Abbott, the majority of them concussive right hands. Matua stumbled on multiple occasions, only to return to his feet to absorb further punishment. Abbott continued to uncork right hooks to the side of the head until his unconscious counterpart hit the canvas, his arms rigid and outstretched. “Tank” delivered one final diving right hand to the defenseless Matua, as the impact stiffened him into a V and had his legs shaking involuntarily. Abbott showed no regard for his opponent’s well-being, as he stood over him and mocked the unfortunate state in which he found himself. Sportsmanship at its finest it was not, but Abbott had nevertheless made certain his professional MMA debut would not be forgotten.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson
Pride 28
Oct. 31, 2004 | Saitama, Japan
Silva had touched off one of Pride Fighting Championships’ most heated rivalries in the 2003 middleweight grand prix final, where he stopped “Rampage” with knee strikes in the first round. Fans waited for the rematch with bated breath, and the two light heavyweight greats did not disappoint when they met again at the Saitama Super Arena. They spent more than 13 minutes trying to pick off each other. Silva was again the better man, landed the cleaner strikes and wore out the Memphis, Tennessee, native before kneeing him to a bloody pulp in the second round. Jackson was battered and gasping for air when he walked into a clubbing right hook in Round 2. The blow buckled his knees, as Silva went for the kill and trapped him in the collar tie, cracking a sadistic smile as he did so. “The Axe Murderer” unleashed five consecutive knees, and though Jackson did well to defend them, this sixth one snuck through. He was out cold upon impact and fell face first onto the ropes, where he bobbed up and down lifelessly, droplets of blood dripping onto the mat beneath him. It was a gruesome scene that remains burned into the collective consciousness of MMA fans far and wide.

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Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem
UFC 218
Dec. 2, 2017 | Detroit
Ngannou melted the former Dream, Strikeforce and K-1 World Grand Prix champion with a destructive uppercut in the first round of their heavyweight co-main event at Little Caesars Arena. “The Predator” separated Overeem from his senses 1:42 into Round 1. The two behemoths stalled along the fence for a time before referee Dan Miragliotta saw fit to put some space between them. A blindingly fast and powerful left uppercut from Ngannou snapped back the Dutchman’s head, lifted him off his feet and deposited him on the canvas. He then landed a crushing toe-curling hammerfist on the prone and defenseless Overeem for good measure, putting the finishing touches on one of the most memorable knockouts on record.

Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell
UFC 88
Sept. 6, 2008 | Atlanta
Evans took on “The Iceman” when their light heavyweight title eliminator shouldered the marquee at Philips Arena, where “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 winner was given the opportunity to prove he belonged with the best the 205-pound weight class had to offer. Liddell was no longer champion and had begun to show signs of decline. Evans followed his game plan to perfection, drew the future hall of famer out of his comfort zone and forced him to give chase. Liddell reached with one too many punches and left himself vulnerable to the counter, eating a devastating overhand right in the middle stanza. He hit the deck limp and unconscious 1:51 into Round 2, as a deafening hush enveloped an arena filled with more than 14,000 people, many of them sporting Liddell’s trademark Mohawk. The punch landed with such ferocity and force that some quietly wondered if they had witnessed a fatality. Liddell eventually regained his senses, but Evans had arrived as one of the game’s elite fighters at his expense.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Rashad Evans vs. Sean Salmon, UFC Fight Night 8; Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Francisco Bueno, Pride 8; Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren, UFC 239; Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping, UFC 100; Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim, UFC 142; Gary Goodridge vs. Paul Herrera, UFC 8; Quinton Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona, Pride Critical Countdown 2004; Cory Sandhagen vs. Frankie Edgar, UFC Fight Night 184; Dan Hornbuckle vs. Akihiro Gono, Sengoku 9; Mirko Filipovic vs. Wanderlei Silva, Pride Final Conflict Absolute; Damacio Page vs. Marcos Galvao, WEC 39; Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Eye, UFC 238; Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba, Pride Total Elimination 2003; Vitor Belfort vs. Matt Lindland, Affliction 2; Michael Page vs. Evangelista Santos, Bellator 158; Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Filipovic, UFC 70; Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef, Strikeforce Miami; Eddie Wineland vs. Ken Stone, WEC 53; Rich Franklin vs. Nate Quarry, UFC 56; Fedor Emelianko vs. Andrei Arlovski, Affliction 2