MMA: The Weekend’s Best Knockout Finishes

This weekend was a real treat for fight fans. It was one of those brilliant Saturdays where the stars aligned (or promoters failed to consider each other) and there was a UFC card, a GLORY kickboxing card and a boxing card on the same night. There were plenty of bad fights, of course. Michael Johnson […]

This weekend was a real treat for fight fans. It was one of those brilliant Saturdays where the stars aligned (or promoters failed to consider each other) and there was a UFC card, a GLORY kickboxing card and a boxing card on the same night. There were plenty of bad fights, of course. Michael Johnson […]

Melvin Guillard and the 7 Best Lightweight Knockout Artists

Despite recent departures by longtime divisional standouts Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida, the UFC lightweight roster has steadily evolved. Promotional additions like Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson and Bobby Green have padded an expanding totem pole of top contenders. Let’s not forget the maturation of key names like Khabib Nurmagomedov, T.J. Grant and Michael Johnson, eiher. […]

Despite recent departures by longtime divisional standouts Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida, the UFC lightweight roster has steadily evolved. Promotional additions like Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson and Bobby Green have padded an expanding totem pole of top contenders. Let’s not forget the maturation of key names like Khabib Nurmagomedov, T.J. Grant and Michael Johnson, eiher. […]

UFC 170 Video: Watch Ronda Rousey’s Record-Breaking Knockout of Sara McMann

Ronda Rousey established a couple of firsts Saturday night at UFC 170. The UFC women’s bantamweight champion captured the first knockout victory of her pro career and also set a record for the young division she rules by finishing Sara McMann in only 66 seconds. The UFC announced the record through its official Twitter account.  […]

Ronda Rousey established a couple of firsts Saturday night at UFC 170. The UFC women’s bantamweight champion captured the first knockout victory of her pro career and also set a record for the young division she rules by finishing Sara McMann in only 66 seconds. The UFC announced the record through its official Twitter account.  […]

Dana White Promises “A Knockout That Beats Uriah Hall’s” on TUF 19 [HOORAY?]

(And when Cella was just lying there all comatose while everyone was fearing for his life? FUCKING. AWESOME.)

As MMA fans, it’s safe to say that we can appreciate a good knockout when we see one. The timing, the precision, the simultaneous grace and utter devastation — these are all factors we take into account when, say, deciding the greatest knockout of the year. But as we are continuously reminded in the aftermath of knockouts like the spinning back kick Uriah Hall hit Adam Cella with on TUF 17, the line between a brilliant knockout and a hard-to-watch knockout is a thin one. As amazing as these displays of technique are to witness, they can often leave a sour taste in one’s mouth when the victim appears to be seriously injured as a result.

So perhaps we’re in the minority here, but when Dana White recently attempted to hype the 19th season of TUF by promising fans “a f*cking scary knockout,” we were less than enthused (okay, sarcastically enthused) to say the least (via Fox Sports):

We had the fights to get into the house yesterday on The Ultimate Fighter, probably the nastiest f-king knockout.  It beats Uriah Hall knockout. Was Uriah Hall not one of the sickest knockouts you’ve ever seen?  This one beats it.  Picture how f-king scary this knockout is.

On one hand, this could just be another instance of White attempting to stir up some buzz for a season of TUF that he knows no one is interested in. On the other, should we even be excited by this news?


(And when Cella was just lying there all comatose while everyone was fearing for his life? FUCKING. AWESOME.)

As MMA fans, it’s safe to say that we can appreciate a good knockout when we see one. The timing, the precision, the simultaneous grace and utter devastation — these are all factors we take into account when, say, deciding the greatest knockout of the year. But as we are continuously reminded in the aftermath of knockouts like the spinning back kick Uriah Hall hit Adam Cella with on TUF 17, the line between a brilliant knockout and a hard-to-watch knockout is a thin one. As amazing as these displays of technique are to witness, they can often leave a sour taste in one’s mouth when the victim appears to be seriously injured as a result.

So perhaps we’re in the minority here, but when Dana White recently attempted to hype the 19th season of TUF by promising fans “a f*cking scary knockout,” we were less than enthused (okay, sarcastically enthused) to say the least (via Fox Sports):

We had the fights to get into the house yesterday on The Ultimate Fighter, probably the nastiest f-king knockout.  It beats Uriah Hall knockout. Was Uriah Hall not one of the sickest knockouts you’ve ever seen?  This one beats it.  Picture how f-king scary this knockout is.

On one hand, this could just be another instance of White attempting to stir up some buzz for a season of TUF that he knows no one is interested in. On the other, should we even be excited by this news?

Rewatch the video of Hall’s KO, or Matt Riddle’s KO of Dan Simmler, for that matter, and ask yourself: Should this really be a selling point for our sport? It’s kind of contradictory to declare that our sport is so much safer than boxing one day — which, it barely is — and then promote this kind of uber-violence the next. While there are surely some MMA fans out there who follow the sport to satiate their own sadism, not everyone of us adopts a “Just Bleed” guy mentality towards fighters. Likewise, the UFC should be past the point where it needs to hype the brutality of the sport in order to get people interested.

But who knows, maybe ol’ DW is simply speaking in hyperbole again. Or maybe TUF 19 will feature a KO that leaves a fighter in a coma for a week. No matter the case, “scary” should probably be on the short list of words *not* to use when describing a knockout in a positive manner. That is, if you’re ever hoping to convert the Tim Rothfield’s of the world to our fine sport.

J. Jones

Watch Chinzo Machida’s Brutal Knockout of Brian Wood at RFA 11

After three years out of the cage, Chinzo Machida, brother of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, returned in devastating fashion with a savage knockout of Brian Wood. You can check out a GIF of the hellacious flying knee that put Wood on a stretcher here (courtesy of Bloody Elbow’s Zombie Prophet). Machida has […]

After three years out of the cage, Chinzo Machida, brother of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, returned in devastating fashion with a savage knockout of Brian Wood. You can check out a GIF of the hellacious flying knee that put Wood on a stretcher here (courtesy of Bloody Elbow’s Zombie Prophet). Machida has […]

Knockout of the Year Watch: October 2013 Edition

At Bellator MMA 106, Muhammed Lawal will attempt to avenge his stunning loss to Emanuel Newton. In February, Lawal met Newton in the light heavyweight tournament semifinals. Though heavily favored to walk through the tournament field and battle for the…

At Bellator MMA 106, Muhammed Lawal will attempt to avenge his stunning loss to Emanuel Newton. In February, Lawal met Newton in the light heavyweight tournament semifinals. Though heavily favored to walk through the tournament field and battle for the 205-pound championship, Lawal was knocked out by a spinning backfist from Newton. Newton went on […]