Welcome to the first edition of MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the Week! Every week there’s highlight-reel finishes all across the MMA world, and we’ve found some of the absolute best ones to showcase.
The return of the UFC after a two-week break provided a number of impressive finishes, several of which made this week’s Top 10. The list also includes an explosive debut from a top prospect, come-from-behind victories, and some one-shot knockouts.
#10: Guelor Sondi Doesn’t Need A Follow Up
This week’s list opens with a lightweight bout between Guelor Sondi and Elvis Ngwalangwala from EFC 94 in South Africa.
Blitzing forward, Sondi landed a right hand right behind the ear of Ngwalangwala that sent the South African falling to the canvas as a follow-up kick flew just over his face.
#9: Erin Blanchfield Locks Up Standing Guillotine
The very first bout from last week’s UFC Vegas 56 provided the first of several impressive finishes on the card.
This submission was Cold Blooded
#UFCVegas56 pic.twitter.com/svsIAssEOu
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 4, 2022
Erin Blanchfield picked up the biggest victory of her young career and maintained her perfect UFC record when she forced veteran JJ Aldrich to tap with a standing guillotine choke.
#8 Fabricio de Andrade Lands Brutal Liver Kick
The UFC will be in Singapore this week for UFC 275, but the southeast Asian country is also the home of ONE Championship.
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) June 3, 2022
FOLDS Kwon Won Il in Round 1 with a kick to the liver!
Fabricio de Andrade needed just over a minute to finish Kwon Won Il in the co-main event of ONE Championship 158, landing a body kick that folded the South Korean and had the ref already running in as de Andrade tried to follow up.
#7: Ode Osbourne Brings The Violence
Ode Osbourne put the UFC’s flyweight division on notice with his performance against Zarrukh Adashev last week.
HE WAS OUT COLD
— ESPN (@espn) June 4, 2022
“The Jamaican Sensation” landed a counter right hand that sat Adashev down before he followed-up with punches to get the stoppage just over a minute into the fight.
#6: Marif Mazhidov Grabs Surprise Submission
At MMA Series 52 in Russia, featherweight Marif Mazhidov showed that you can find a way to win from any position in MMA.
Making his pro debut, Mazhidov was in serious danger of being choked out before he locked up one of Demin’s legs and forced him to tap from a seemingly dominant position.
#5: Bo Nickal Proves The Hype Is Real
Few prospects have entered MMA with expectations as high as Bo Nickal, but the 26-year-old made good on the hype at iKON FC 3 without even needing to use his vaunted wrestling skills.
Bo Nickal is a BEAST
(via @UFCFightPass, @ikonfights)pic.twitter.com/1NypzEW6cc
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 4, 2022
The 3x National Champion in freestyle wrestling rocked John Noland before landing an uppercut and hooks that sent Noland to the canvas and Nickal walking off to celebrate.
#4: Tony Gravely Shows Off His Power
Tony Gravely had shown flashes of power in his previous UFC bouts, but nothing like what he did against Johnny Munoz Jr. last week.
RIGHT ON THE JAW
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 4, 2022
With his back to the fence, Munoz came forward and walked straight into a short right hand from Gravely that sent him to the canvas amidst a barrage of follow-up punches.
#3: Menifield Rains Elbows From Crucifix
Alonzo Menifield and Askar Mozharov opened the main card of UFC Vegas 56 in a light heavyweight matchup that few expected to go the distance.
These elbows were VICIOUS
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 4, 2022
Menifield’s plan to take things to the ground was on display early, and “Atomic” eventually set up a mounted crucifix that Mozharov had no hope of escaping from.
#2: Trey Waters Lands Hail Mary Knee
The main card of LFA 133 included a matchup between two undefeated welterweights, and late in the fight it looked like Trey Waters would be leaving with his first career loss.
The ref separated Waters and Benjamin Bennett with about 30 seconds left, allowing Waters to throw up a knee that floored Bennett and avoided a probable decision loss for “The Truth”.
#1: Moses Diaz Only Needs 6 Seconds
MMA is all about limiting the damage your opponent can do, and sometimes the best way to do that is just not give them a chance to fight back.
On the main card of last week’s Combate Global event, Moses Diaz landed a right hand that floored Carlos Cordoba Fonseca and forced the ref to intervene just 6 seconds into the fight.
What do you think of this week’s list? Are there any finishes you think should have made the cut that didn’t?
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