During the furor of Bellator’s final season nine fight card, Lyoto Machida’s brother Chinzo Machida pulled off what Pat Miletich said the nastiest knee-inflicted KO he’d ever seen in his life—and it’s the nastiest we’ve ever seen in our lives too.
It was a flying knee to the head of one Brian Wood, who unfortunately shot right into Machida’s kneecap as it approached his face at 100 miles per hour. Wood was on the ground for several minutes after the fight stopped and left in a stretcher. In case you don’t have access to video, here’s the GIF courtesy of @ZProphet_MMA.
The victory was Chinzo Machida’s first since his MMA debut back in 2005 . He fought again in 2006, lost, and then took a furlough from the sport until 2010 but lost that fight too. At a disappointing 1-2, it seemed like Chinzo Machida was fated to be a Lance Evans or a Jason Guida—a Luigi to one of MMA’s many Marios. Maybe now he’ll be able to carve out his own name in the sport, but he better work fast: He’s already 36 years old.
There are also other highlights from the RFA 11 card on the video, enjoy.
It was a flying knee to the head of one Brian Wood, who unfortunately shot right into Machida’s kneecap as it approached his face at 100 miles per hour. Wood was on the ground for several minutes after the fight stopped and left in a stretcher. In case you don’t have access to video, here’s the GIF.
The victory was Chinzo Machida’s first since his MMA debut back in 2005 . He fought again in 2006, lost, and then took a furlough from the sport until 2010 but lost that fight too. At a disappointing 1-2, it seemed like Chinzo Machida was fated to be a Lance Evans or a Jason Guida—a Luigi to one of MMA’s many Marios. Maybe now he’ll be able to carve out his own name in the sport, but he better work fast: He’s already 36 years old.
There are also other highlights from the RFA 11 card on the video, enjoy.
I’m just going to go ahead and say it: Machida Bros. > Mario Bros.
After breaking his hand in a unanimous decision loss to Leonardo Laiola back in 2010, Chinzo Machida, the older brother of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, took a three year leave of absence from the sport to focus on his brother’s career. He “stepped out,” you might say.
In any case, Chinzo returned to the ring at RFA 11 last night, sporting a less-than-stellar 1-2 record against the 4-4 Brian Wood. We’ve thrown a gif of the finish above, which might just be a “Knockout of the Year” frontrunner for this year’s Potato Awards. Somebody let Chinzo know so he doesn’t double-book that evening.
Perhaps even more impressive than the KO itself was Chinzo’s use of restraint following the fight-ending blow. Classy individuals, those Machidas are. Anyone else wonder where he took Brad out to for a “no hard feelings” dinner afterward? I bet it was Jamba Juice. Or a Smoothie King. Or the hospital cafeteria.
I’m just going to go ahead and say it: Machida Bros. > Mario Bros.
After breaking his hand in a unanimous decision loss to Leonardo Laiola back in 2010, Chinzo Machida, the older brother of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, took a three year leave of absence from the sport to focus on his brother’s career. He “stepped out,” you might say.
In any case, Chinzo returned to the ring at RFA 11 last night, sporting a less-than-stellar 1-2 record against the 4-4 Brian Wood. We’ve thrown a gif of the finish above, which might just be a “Knockout of the Year” frontrunner for this year’s Potato Awards. Somebody let Chinzo know so he doesn’t double-book that evening.
Perhaps even more impressive than the KO itself was Chinzo’s use of restraint following the fight-ending blow. Classy individuals, those Machidas are. Anyone else wonder where he took Brad out to for a “no hard feelings” dinner afterward? I bet it was Jamba Juice. Or a Smoothie King. Or the hospital cafeteria.
(Gerard Gordeau delivers the first head-kick TKO in UFC history against Teila Tuli back at UFC 1, which took place exactly 20 years today on November 12th, 1993.)
There are literally thousands of ways a mixed martial arts match can end, but one of the most thrilling methods is the head kick knockout.
Over the course of two decades of fights in the UFC Octagon, there have been a number of memorable knockout blows delivered via head kick, and in honor of the UFC’s 20th anniversary, I’ve put together a list of what I believe are the top 20 head kick knockouts in UFC history.
I wanted to keep the list strictly to knockouts that happened during live UFC events, but I’m going to bend the rules a bit and kick off the list with one that happened on TUF.
Of course I’m talking about Uriah Hall’s spinning hook kick KO of Adam Cella, which took place earlier this year during TUF 17. It was a devastating knockout that made UFC president Dana White’s hyperbole raise to a whole new level as he declared Hall the nastiest fighter to ever step into the TUF house (the same house that produced Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin – you know, former UFC champs), and thus the UFC embarked on a social media campaign to play the clip non-stop on every medium in existence.
It was a brutal knockout, and I literally felt sick watching it. Even though Hall never lived up to the massive expectations that were placed on him, his most well-known career highlight deserves a place at #20.
19. Pat Miletich vs. Shonie Carter, UFC 32 (6/29/01)
(Gerard Gordeau delivers the first head-kick TKO in UFC history against Teila Tuli back at UFC 1, which took place exactly 20 years today on November 12th, 1993.)
There are literally thousands of ways a mixed martial arts match can end, but one of the most thrilling methods is the head kick knockout.
Over the course of two decades of fights in the UFC Octagon, there have been a number of memorable knockout blows delivered via head kick, and in honor of the UFC’s 20th anniversary, I’ve put together a list of what I believe are the top 20 head kick knockouts in UFC history.
I wanted to keep the list strictly to knockouts that happened during live UFC events, but I’m going to bend the rules a bit and kick off the list with one that happened on TUF.
Of course I’m talking about Uriah Hall’s spinning hook kick KO of Adam Cella, which took place earlier this year during TUF 17. It was a devastating knockout that made UFC president Dana White’s hyperbole raise to a whole new level as he declared Hall the nastiest fighter to ever step into the TUF house (the same house that produced Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin – you know, former UFC champs), and thus the UFC embarked on a social media campaign to play the clip non-stop on every medium in existence.
It was a brutal knockout, and I literally felt sick watching it. Even though Hall never lived up to the massive expectations that were placed on him, his most well-known career highlight deserves a place at #20.
19. Pat Miletich vs. Shonie Carter, UFC 32 (6/29/01)
I couldn’t do a best-of MMA list without sneaking Pat Miletich and Shonie Carter in it, and thankfully they were both involved in the same fight so I get to kill two birds with one stone here.
At UFC 32 in 2001, Miletich fought Carter in a matchup between two of my personal old-school fan favorites. Miletich was coming off a defeat to Carlos Newton where he lost the UFC welterweight championship, while Carter was coming off an amazing spinning backfist KO of Matt Serra, meaning this fight had serious title implications at the time.
But while many predicted a close matchup on paper, the outcome belonged to “The Croatian Sensation” as he hit “Mr. International” with a head kick so hard it knocked Carter out cold, one of the very rare head kick KOs that took place in the first decade of the Octagon’s existence.
I saw this one on a tape I borrowed from a friend a long time ago and I’ve always wanted to see it again but haven’t had the opportunity to. Fortunately I’ve found a GIF for all of us to enjoy, but if you can track down the entire fight I highly recommend it.
One of the most awesome head kick knockouts in UFC history took place at UFC 126, and no, I’m not talking about the one you’re already thinking of (that will come later). I’m actually talking about the head kick KO that Brit Paul Taylor delivered on Gabe Ruediger, one of the most underrated finishes in UFC history in my opinion and one that I don’t think enough people have seen.
On any other night, Taylor would have claimed a nice $50,000 bonus check for KOTN, but as we all know there was another very good head kick KO that same night. Still, we can give him some props for scoring a classic knockout in what turned out to be his final appearance in the Octagon; Taylor recently announced his retirement from the sport due to a variety of nagging injuries. At least we have this sweet finish to remember him by. (Watch the GIF here.)
Back in 2006, Georges St-Pierre was seen as the future of the UFC welterweight division and at UFC 65 he was able to get his revenge on Matt Hughes (who had earlier submitted St-Pierre with an armbar at UFC 50) when he kicked the Miletich Fighting Systems product in the head and then followed it up with a series of punches on the ground to capture the UFC welterweight title for the fist time in his career.
This head kick is the only part of the fight I really remembered, and I was going to place it higher on the list originally, but since St-Pierre needed the follow-up punches to finish off the job I decided to stick it at #17. Either way, a job well-done by St-Pierre in this fight, and arguably the best finish of his storied career to date. (Watch the GIF here.)
One of my favorite fights of all time took place at UFC FUEL TV 4, an unheralded middleweight bout between Andrew Craig and Rafael Natal. I was actually the reporter who first broke news of this fight back when I worked for theScore.com, and so it always holds a special place in my heart for that. But I’ve broken other fight announcements before, and rarely do the final products turn out to be as good as Craig vs. Natal ended up being.
In the fight, Natal was absolutely beating the crap out of Craig and looking like he was going to cruise to a stoppage win, but at the end of the second round, Craig – who was down big on points – threw a booming head kick out of desperation and caught Natal square on the chin, knocking him out cold.
An absolutely insane fight, and an even crazier knockout. Wow. (Watch the GIF here.)
15. Chuck Liddell vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral, UFC 40 (11/22/02)
Back in his prime, Chuck Liddell was an absolute killer, and at UFC 40 he showed that he wasn’t just a power puncher as he head-kicked Renato “Babalu” Sobral into oblivion to earn a shot at the light heavyweight title.
Despite coming from a karate background, this remains one of only two head kick knockouts in Liddell’s storied MMA career (and his only one in the UFC), so let’s savor it since we’ll never get another one of these from “The Iceman” now that he’s happily retired. (Watch the GIF here.)
Mark Hunt is considered by many to have one of the best chins in the history of combat sports, but at UFC 160 Junior dos Santos showed that Hunt is a human being like the rest of us when Cigano spinning wheel kicked Hunt in the temple to knock him to the ground, and then followed it up with a massive punch to put “The Super Samoan” completely out cold.
It was a beautiful, dominant performance by Dos Santos up until the KO, and the finish was just a cherry on top. I still can’t believe that Hunt was finished in this fashion, but then again dos Santos is one of the most powerful punchers the Octagon has ever seen – and, one of the hardest kickers as well, clearly. (Watch the GIF here.)
13. Rory Markham vs. Brodie Farber, UFC Fight Night 14 (7/19/08)
Another knockout that doesn’t get as much love as it should was Rory Markham’s massive head kick KO of Brodie Farber at UFC Fight Night 14. Just watch the GIF and tell me how awesome this is.
It’s too bad that Markham has had so many issues out side of the cage, because when he was in the Octagon he was an absolute killer. But at least he was able to give us this beauty before he rode off into the sunset, and for that we have to give him props.
12. Tim Sylvia vs. Tra Telligman, UFC 54 (8/20/05)
I know Tim Sylvia gets a bad rap from fans these days, but don’t forget that he gave us one of the best head kick knockouts ever witnessed inside the Octagon.
It took place at UFC 54, when Sylvia took on Tracy “Tra” Telligman. Sylvia was coming off a loss to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 51 that cost him a chance to capture the UFC heavyweight title, but after taking Telligman’s head off, Sylvia gained the confidence to make a run up the ladder and eventually capture the belt.
Sylvia has had an underappreciated career and this finish of Telligman is my favorite moment from it. It’s also one of the very few knockouts in UFC history that’s occurred at the 4:59 mark of round one, making it extra special.
11. Alan Belcher vs. Jorge Santiago, UFC Fight Night 7 (12/13/06)
One of my favorite all-time knockouts of any kind took place at UFC Fight Night 7, when a young Alan Belcher took on Jorge Santiago and delivered one of the most damaging head kick finishes in the history of the sport.
I don’t think Santiago was ever the same after this KO, which is a shame because he is a skilled fighter — although he was never able to prove that in the Octagon. As for Belcher, he has had a solid career but there’s no doubt in my mind this is his ultimate career highlight, and it’s for good reason. (Watch the GIF here.)
Ready for the Top 10? Hit that “next page” link and read on…
Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva will never fight.
I know, I know. It saddens me, too.
Despite the fact that both men are primarily counter strikers, this matchup represents a technical stand-up lover’s dream, as a knockout blow could prese…
Despite the fact that both men are primarily counter strikers, this matchup represents a technical stand-up lover’s dream, as a knockout blow could present itself at any time from any angle.
Now that Machida is officially a part of the UFC’s middleweight division, this fight had felt more possible than ever, but “The Dragon” put an end to any rumblings concerning a bout with his teammate during a Q&A session in Goiania, Brazil Wednesday.
MMAfighting.com translated Machida‘s responses regarding this situation:
He (Silva) said he would never fight me, that we are like brothers. Anderson told me he has other goals, that he was the champion for a long time and he’s focused on other goals now, like superfights. He said he would even leave the title to not fight me.
Did you catch that?
Despite the fact that Machida let us know that he and Silva would never square off inside the Octagon, he dropped another juicy tidbit during his delivery of the quote.
Anderson Silva is interested in superfights.
Silva currently has a rematch booked with middleweight champion Chris Weidman for Dec. 28 at UFC 168, but the former pound-for-pound king has long teased the idea of a superfight. He’s even dabbled in the light heavyweight division with stellar results, a fact which lingers every time these talks arise.
For now, nothing is certain, and Silva could very well recapture UFC gold at UFC 168. If that happens, where does that put Machida in the division?
The latest transfer to the promotion’s 185-pound class has a fight with GegardMousasi planned Feb. 8, and if The Dragon emerges victorious there, he will have to be considered a top contender for the middleweight strap.
If Silva holds the belt at that time, however, the UFC faces a serious issue, and we will get to see if Machida‘s claim that “The Spider” would vacate his title are true.
What do you make of this?
Will Machida fight Silva under any circumstance, or would Silva cough up his status as middleweight king in favor of superfights if Machida establishes himself as the No. 1 contender?
Bad idea: Booking it as the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on FOX Sports 2…because Machida main-eventing on that channel worked so well the first time.
Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi is a fight that’ll make hardcore fans happy. It’s one of those matches where you can’t help but go “Hmm, I really wonder how that’s gonna play out,” when you hear that it’s been booked. That’s what we did at CagePotato HQ. We stroked our burgeoning beards and pondered who would win.
Machida is coming off a dominant head-kick knockout of Mark Munoz, in the Dragon’s debut at 185 pounds. Mousasi, while on a four-fight winning streak, hasn’t competed since April 2013. By the time he steps into the cage against Machida in February, the Armenian will have nearly a year’s worth of ring rust.
No other matchups have yet been announced for the 2/8 Fight Night card, which will take place at the Arena Jaragua, the same venue that previously hosted Belfort vs. Rockhold. So will February’s lack of baseball produce a considerable uptick in ratings? Or is this one of those international events that us North Americans aren’t supposed to care about in the first place? Either way, we’ll keep you posted on any more updates for this card, or if either combatant pulls a Lil’ Nog.
(Come February, we’ll find out if “Middleweight Machida” is on par with “Motivated Penn” and “Broke Fitch.” / Image via Getty)
Bad idea: Booking it as the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on FOX Sports 2…because Machida main-eventing on that channel worked so well the first time.
Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi is a fight that’ll make hardcore fans happy. It’s one of those matches where you can’t help but go “Hmm, I really wonder how that’s gonna play out,” when you hear that it’s been booked. That’s what we did at CagePotato HQ. We stroked our burgeoning beards and pondered who would win.
Machida is coming off a dominant head-kick knockout of Mark Munoz, in the Dragon’s debut at 185 pounds. Mousasi, while on a four-fight winning streak, hasn’t competed since April 2013. By the time he steps into the cage against Machida in February, the Armenian will have nearly a year’s worth of ring rust.
No other matchups have yet been announced for the 2/8 Fight Night card, which will take place at the Arena Jaragua, the same venue that previously hosted Belfort vs. Rockhold. So will February’s lack of baseball produce a considerable uptick in ratings? Or is this one of those international events that us North Americans aren’t supposed to care about in the first place? Either way, we’ll keep you posted on any more updates for this card, or if either combatant pulls a Lil’ Nog.
Six days after his knockout win over Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night 30, Lyoto Machida has his next middleweight opponent in Gegard Mousasi.
The matchup was announced Friday evening via the official UFC Twitter account.
Breaking: #UFCFightNight main eve…
Six days after his knockout win over Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night 30, LyotoMachida has his next middleweight opponent in GegardMousasi.
The matchup was announced Friday evening via the official UFC Twitter account.
Following a loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163, Machida chose to make a move to the 185-pound division in search of his quickest route to a championship. By beating Munoz so convincingly in his middleweight debut, Machida immediately became a Top Five fighter and a legitimate title threat in his new weight class.
Like Machida, GegardMousasi is currently ranked among the Top 10 fighters in the light heavyweight division. The former Strikeforce champion will now look to follow Machida to 185 pounds in hopes of stealing the Brazilian’s thunder.
While Mousasi has not been beating elite competition recently, having defeated IlirLatifi in his lone UFC appearance, he does have a long track record of success under the Strikeforce, Dream and Pride FC banners.
Although UFC president Dana White initially showed interest in pairing Machida with VitorBelfort at the UFC Fight Night 30 post-fight press conference, Mousasi asked for “The Dragon” the morning following Machida‘s win over Munoz and was granted his wish.
Machida and Mousasi will meet in Brazil on Feb. 8. The fight card they will be featured on has not been numbered, but it will be a UFC Fight Night event televised on Fox Sports 2 in the United States. The newly converted middleweights will headline the fight card and could position themselves for a title shot with a victory.
