(What? KO’s that come via “mind bullets” don’t count anymore? BULLSHIT. Photo via Getty.)
So you might have heard that the UFC celebrated its 20th anniversary on Tuesday, and the organization’s head honchos could not have rang in the milestone more differently: Dana White took a dump on Tito Ortiz’s lawn, Joe Silva bought a new Ferrari, and Lorenzo Fertitta did push ups for 14 hours in a row. The UFC also uploaded two “Top 20″ countdowns to their Youtube page, taking a nostalgic look back at the most impressive knockouts and submissions ever seen inside the octagon.
As is always the case with list-style countdowns, the interwebs have exploded with controversy regarding both the UFC’s placement of certain subs/KO’s on the lists and, perhaps more importantly, their exclusion of several far more impressive entries entirely. Thankfully, we are here just two days late to quell the fires of your outrage.
Check out videos of the UFC’s Top 20 knockouts and submissions after the jump, followed by our scathing takedown of said lists – which we grant you total permission to pile in on.
Let’s start with the KO’s. The UFC’s “official” list is as follows:
20. Vitor Belfort defeats Wanderlei Silva
19. Renan Barao stops Eddie Wineland
18. Yves Edwards edges Josh Thomson
17. Rashad Evans stuns Sean Salmon
16. B.J. Penn keeps rolling against Caol Uno
15. Travis Browne takes down Alistair Overeem
14. Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva complete the trilogy
13. Pete Williams finishes Mark Coleman
12. Lyoto Machida knocks out Randy Couture
11. Rashad Evans takes down Chuck Liddell in Atlanta
10. Chuck Liddell drops Tito Ortiz
9. Rich Franklin stops Nate Quarry
8. Maurico Rua stuns Lyoto Machida
7. Matt Hughes downs Carlos Newton
6. Chuck Liddell knocks out Randy Couture
5. Dan Henderson finishes Michael Bisping
4. Gabriel Gonzaga ‘Cro Cops’ Mirko Filipovic
3. Edson Barboza rolls past Terry Etim
1B. Chris Weidman shocks Anderson Silva
1A. Anderson Silva stops Vitor Belfort
Notably absent from the list: Junior Dos Santos’ uppercut from Hell against Fabricio Werdum, Joe Lauzon KO’ing Jens Pulver in one of the greatest upsets in UFC history, and Shonie Carter’s OG spinning backfist of Matt Serra. Oh yeah, and only THE GREATEST KO OF ALL TIME: SCOTT SMITH VS. PETE SELL. That Sell vs. Smith was left off the list is a tragedy on par with Hurricane Katrina.
Now, onto the subs…
20. Anderson Silva submits Travis Lutter
19. Carlos Newton chokes out Pat Miletich
18. Matt Hughes taps Georges St-Pierre
17. Royce Gracie makes Kimo Leopoldo tap
16. Nate Diaz subs Kurt Pellegrino
15. Anderson Silva chokes Dan Henderson
14. Murilo Bustamante snaps Matt Lindland’s arm then chokes him out
13. Chris Lytle submits Jason Gilliam
12. Karo Parisyan taps Dave Strasser
11. Frank Mir breaks Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s arm
10. Ronda Rousey armbars Liz Carmouche
9. Chan Sung Jung twists Leonard Garcia
8. Forrest Griffin upsets Mauricio Rua
7. Royce Gracie tames “The Beast” Dan Severn
6. Frank Mir breaks Tim Sylvia’s arm
5. B.J. Penn dethrones Matt Hughes
4. Frank Mir snaps Brock Lesnar’s ankle
3. Royce Gracie chokes out Ken Shamrock
2. Matt Hughes chokes Frank Trigg
1. Anderson Silva stuns Chael Sonnen
Notable omissions: Dustin Hazelett’s leaping armbar of Josh Burkman, for starters. Chris Lytle’s career-ending guillotine of Dan Hardy, The Mir Lock, Phil Davis’ “Mr. Wonderful” one-armed kimura, and Matt Hughes’ power front headlock of Ricardo Almeida also bare mentioning, but what do you think of the lists, Potato Nation? Sound off in the comments section.
