UFC/MMA best ‘Knockouts Of Year’ 2023 – Top 5 List

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

No matter how optimized mixed martial arts (MMA) becomes, no matter how high the skill floor climbs, no matter how many rough edges get sanded down, we can take solace in the fact tha…


UFC 296: Emmett v Mitchell
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

No matter how optimized mixed martial arts (MMA) becomes, no matter how high the skill floor climbs, no matter how many rough edges get sanded down, we can take solace in the fact that fighters will never stop rendering each other unconscious in brutal and outlandish ways.

Let’s check out 2023’s “Knockouts of the Year.”

5. Krzysztof Glowacki Disproves Existence Of Jiu-Jitsu

Krzysztof Glowacki was, for a time, a very good boxer — a standout Cruiserweight in an era where that division possessed extraordinary depth. He is no longer a very good boxer, and with all due respect to him, I don’t expect him to be a very good mixed martial artist.

Clearly he knows something we don’t, though, because he somehow knocked Patryk To?kaczewski unconscious while stuck in full mount (watch highlights). Don’t see that every day.

4. (Tie) Come On and Slam, and Welcome to the Jam

KO’ing someone with a slam is significantly harder than it looks, especially when trying to escape a submission. Most times, the best a fighter can hope for is that it’ll loosen his or her grip a little, but he or she is just as likely to wind up in more danger than when you started.

Watching someone look at the storied history of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and say, “just drop them on their head, stupid” is cause for celebration. Watching it happen twice in a row merits some form of commemoration. Here’s to you, Drakkar Klose and Cody Brundage. May you continue to pick people up and put them back down at alarming speeds for years to come.

3. The Platonic Ideal of Flying Knees

By my reckoning, the most aesthetically pleasing flying knee was thrown by Chris Beal in his UFC 172 knockout of Patrick Williams. This one’s way up there, though.

You’re guaranteed something memorable whenever Terrance McKinney enters the cage … and Ismael Bonfim isn’t far behind when it comes to entertainment. It’s honestly impressive that the fight lasted longer than one minute, but I’m very thankful it did, allowing Bonfim to uncork one of the cleanest and most violent knees you will ever see.

That said, 1,000 poxes on whichever A/V nerd cut away from Gabriel Bonfim in the locker room before he could react. I wanted to see him lose his mind.

2. The Last Word?

This was not the cleanest knockout of 2023. It was not the most aesthetically pleasing or technically superb.

But man, it was something.

Israel Adesanya’s celebration after clubbing his personal demon unconscious remains a genuinely iconic moment that will live in highlight reels for years to come.

1. The Earth Ain’t Flat … But He Sure Is

Maybe there’s some recency bias here, but no other knockout this year produced such a strong sense of, “I think I just watched a man die” than this one.

Literally.

Josh Emmett knocked Bryce Mitchell into another plane of existence (watch highlights). He hit that dude so hard the concussion went back in time and turned Mitchell into what he is today.

Heck, Dan Henderson himself gave it the highest praise of any overhand right, calling it a mini H-bomb. Who am I to argue with the expert on the subject?

Honorable Mentions

Best Submissions 2023 | Best KOs 2023 | Best Fights 2023 | Best Fighters 2023 | Best Events 2023