Make your pick for the best knockout of the first half of 2019 in Bloody Elbow’s Half-Year Awards.
Over the next few days, Bloody Elbow is going to ask for your opinion on some of the best things that have happened in the MMA world over the first half of 2019. With these being half-year awards, there will be an abbreviated number of categories – five to be exact.
For the sake of simplicity we’re going to stick with high-level and relevant MMA stuff in these posts. While I’m sure there was a ludicrous knockout in an unscheduled MMA event at The Lumberyard strip club in Des Moines, or an insane pancreas lock submission on an obscure ZST! card in Japan, let’s just stick to stuff a lot of us have seen, okay? (If that spiel looked familiar, it’s because I’ve used the same one for nine years in a row. Originality? What originality?)
It’s pretty simple. I’ll post 5 options in a category, you vote for what you think was the best. If you think I left something really important off my list, post it in the comments and we can add it to the poll if it’s deemed worthy. I can almost guarantee you won’t like all my suggestions, but narrowing down these lists is tough.
Our second category will be best knockout. The first half of the year saw insane KOs, a couple that will be fixtures on best-of lists for years to come. Narrowing this down was ridiculously tough. So I didn’t. Here’s 9!
!
Anthony Pettis knocks Stephen Thompson clean out, UFC Nashville
Showtime Superman Punch?@ShowtimePettis finishes Thompson in round 2! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/m5D7PkvyHm
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Jorge Masvidal ends Darren Till, UFC London
Lights out! ?
Jorge Masvidal stunned Darren Till with a devastating KO at #UFCLondon!
You don’t get up from that!pic.twitter.com/eybTlW8Pnl
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) March 17, 2019
Jorge Masvidal stops Ben Askren in 5 seconds, UFC 239
OH MY GOD MASVIDAL STARCHES ASKREN IN 5 SECONDS!!!#UFC239 pic.twitter.com/8oWeqSIBhW
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2019
Johnny Walker stops Misha Cirkunov with a flying knee and punches, UFC 235
ARE YOU KIDDING ME JOHNNY WALKER?!@JohnnyWalkerMMA #UFC235 pic.twitter.com/PkrgEuerKZ
— UFC (@ufc) March 3, 2019
Valentina Shevchenko lands the perfect head kick on Jessica Eye, UFC 238
Valentina Shevchenko kicked Jessica Eye so hard to the head. Fear soon ran through everyone watching #UFC238. Listen for the moment when her shin make contact with her head.. Devastating. pic.twitter.com/iEwnQyUV8z
— KevinNoel (@KevinNoel) June 9, 2019
Jessica Andrade slams Rose Namajuna into oblivion, UFC 237
AND NEWWWWWWW!!!@JessicaMMAPro #UFC237 pic.twitter.com/7jl1IKN4Qp
— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2019
Aleksandar Rakic finishes Jimi Manuwa with a head kick, UFC Stockholm
UNBELIEVABLE!
OH MY, @RAKIC_UFC!
?? https://t.co/9sFxPgQC5a #UFCStockholm pic.twitter.com/bpU0Q7lnbA
— UFC (@ufc) June 1, 2019
Justin Gaethje smokes Edson Barboza, UFC Philadelphia
WE TOLD YOU THIS FIGHT WOULDN’T DISAPPOINT!@Justin_Gaethje puts Barboza away in round 1! #UFCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/WD40HcctN9
— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2019
Josh Emmett with a lethal right hook on Michael Johnson, UFC Philadelphia
OH MY GOODNESS JOSH EMMETT!!@JoshEmmettUFC #UFCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/2Ci5TSFFni
— UFC (@ufc) March 31, 2019