MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/26 – 7/2)

Welcome to this week’s 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. For the second-straight week, the UFC and PFL only…

Welcome to this week’s 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. For the second-straight week, the UFC and PFL only managed one spot each with a pair of vicious knockouts. UAE…

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/26 – 7/2) at MMA News.

MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/19 – 6/25)

Welcome to this week’s 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. Two weeks ago, we had a couple of spinning back fists, last week was all about head kicks, and now…

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/19 – 6/25) at MMA News.

Welcome to this week’s 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.

Two weeks ago, we had a couple of spinning back fists, last week was all about head kicks, and now this week there’s a pair of stoppages via flying knee. There were also multiple knockouts during the week from huge overhand punches, but there was only so much room left on the list in between some unorthodox submissions and a few brutal kicks.

PFL and Bellator kick things off, but two finishes from Cage Warriors and impressive showings from a number of regional MMA promotions account for the rest of this week’s Top 10.

#10: Stevie Ray’s Brutal Body Lock

Submitting Anthony Pettis is a feat in and of itself, but the way Stevie Ray forced a tap from the former UFC champion was unconventional to say the least.

“Braveheart” picked up his first PFL victory and earned a spot in the promotion’s playoffs when he tightened a body lock on “Showtime” and cranked his torso for the victory.

#9: Magomed Magomedov Jumps Into The Semifinals

UFC veteran Enrique Barzola started his Bellator career with two victories, and “El Fuerte” seemed in control of a bantamweight tournament bout with Magomed Magomedov up until the fourth round.

Barzola had largely been able to match the Russian’s grappling until Magomedov jumped for a guillotine that forced the Peruvian to tap for the first time in his career.

#8: Rhys McKee Claims Cage Warriors Gold

Rhys McKee’s UFC run ended after 2 fights, but the 26-year-old returned to Cage Warriors and quickly found himself fighting for a title in the main event of Cage Warriors 140.

“Skeletor” starched Justin Burlinson with a left hand early in the third round before jumping over the cage to celebrate as the new Cage Warriors welterweight champion.

#7: Luan Santana’s Shutdown Switch-Kick

A welterweight matchup between Luan Santana and Indio Quintella seemed bound for the scorecards with only a few seconds remaining at Iron Man MMA 24 in Brazil.

Santana landed a brutal body kick just after the 10-second warning that folded Quintella and left him curled up on the mat even after the ref stepped in.

#6: Michael Tchamou’s Thunderous Right Hand

Michael Tchamou only needed 30 seconds to close things out in his middleweight bout with Glenn Irvine at Cage Warriors 140.

“Jaguar” was swinging big from the opening bell before he finally landed a right hand that put Irvine on his back and sent his mouthpiece flying.

#5: Jojo Rajkumari Swings For The Fences

Heavier weight classes are known for hitting the hardest, but Indian strawweight Jojo Rajkumari showed that isn’t always the case at Matrix Fight Night 9.

“Cobra Queen” darted forward with a wide left hand that put Mary Jane Buna stiff on the canvas just over 30 seconds into their fight.

#4: Vitaliy Ten Stays Patient

Officially listed as a rear-naked choke, Vitaliy Ten’s record doesn’t do justice to the submission win he scored late in his flyweight fight for Octagon League in Kazakhstan.

Ten used his legs to lock up Tursynbek Boranbaev’s arm and held it through over a minute of scrambling before snatching a choke to secure the finish.

#3: Alexandre Castro Takes Flight In Brazil

Brazilian featherweights Alexandre Castro and Elifrank Cariolano had a frenetic few seconds of action at Jungle Fight 108 before Castro put an end to things in brutal fashion.

Cariolano pressed forward before eating a counter shot that staggered him, which allowed Castro to land a flying knee that put Cariolano down and a follow-up punch that appeared to wake him back up.

#2: Diego Robledo Steps Up In Argentina

Castro may have gotten things done quickly with his flying knee, but Diego Robledo made sure Cristian Dominguez stayed down at CAM 11.

With just seconds left in the first round, Robledo leapt forward and landed a knee that put Dominguez in a heap against the cage.

#1: Aerdake Apaer’s Perfect Timing

It takes a lot to beat out two flying knee knockouts for the week’s top finish, but Aerdake Apaer managed to lock up the top spot with his performance at JCK MMA.

The welterweight landed a perfectly-timed spinning back kick less than 30 seconds into his fight with Yan Guoxu that floored his Chinese countryman.

What do you think of this week’s list? Are there any finishes you think should have made the cut that didn’t? What about ones you think should have been ranked higher or lower?

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/19 – 6/25) at MMA News.

MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/12 – 6/18)

Welcome to this week’s 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 UFC’s card in Austin tied a promotional record for the most KO/TKO stoppages at a single event, but only…

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/12 – 6/18) at MMA News.

Welcome to this week’s 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 UFC’s card in Austin tied a promotional record for the most KO/TKO stoppages at a single event, but only a few of those managed to make the cut in a week full of impressive finishes.

The return of the PFL provided several candidates, but promotions from Europe and Mexico also managed to produce everything from head kicks to one-shot counters for this week’s list.

#10: Roman Dolidze Sets The Tone In Austin

The first of 9 stoppage victories at UFC Austin also serves as the first finish for this week’s list, courtesy of Georgian middleweight Roman Dolidze.

Dolidze pressed Kyle Daukaus to the fence just over a minute into their fight before throwing up a knee that dropped “The D’Arce Knight” and had the ref jumping in after a few follow-up punches.

#9: Itzel Padilla Impresses In Pro Debut

Debuting atomweights opened the night at Lux Fight League 23 where Itzel Padilla set a high bar for the rest of her career.

Padilla landed a head kick that sat Tania Tapia down on the canvas and provided the first of three head kick finishes included on this week’s list.

#8: Adrian Yanez Puts On A Show

The bad blood between bantamweights Adrian Yanez and Tony Kelley was a major talking point ahead of UFC Austin, and Yanez rose to the occasion in his home state of Texas.

Yanez pushed the pace for as long as the fight lasted before finally dropping Kelley with a series of punches that had the fans in Austin roaring.

#7: Omari Akhmedov Books A Playoff Spot

Omari Akhmedov put in an impressive performance that guaranteed him a spot in the 2022 PFL playoffs, but he also got a little help from the referee to earn a place on this week’s list.

Akhmedov locked up an arm triangle choke on Teodoras Aukštuolis that put the Lithuanian unconscious as the PFL’s “Ref Cam” gave fans a close-up of Aukštuolis’s face.

#6: Kacper Formela Defends FEN Title

This week’s second head kick finish comes from featherweight Kacper Formela’s main event victory at FEN 40 in Poland.

Making the first defense of his FEN featherweight title against Aleksandr Gorshechnik, Formela landed a head kick just before the end of the first round and followed-up with a few brutal hammer fists for good measure.

#5: Jeremiah Wells Flatlines “The Crusher”

Jeremiah Wells managed to deliver a highlight-reel KO on a night where the crowd at UFC Austin had already witnessed several fantastic finishes.

The 35-year-old welterweight flattened Court McGee with a left hook and handed the longtime veteran just the second stoppage loss of his MMA career.

#4: Joseil Silva Counters Off The Back Foot

Time was winding down in a flyweight bout at ACA 140 until Josiel Silva turned defense into offense with just over a minute remaining.

Goga Shamatava tried walking the Brazilian down with strikes, but Silva comfortably slipped away before landing a perfectly timed left hand.

#3: Ivan Vitasovi? Doesn’t Look Back

In a week that featured several head kick finishes, Ivan Vitasovi?’s win in the main event at FNC 6 managed to stand above the rest.

The Croatian claimed the FNC heavyweight title when he dropped Oli Thompson and walked away before his opponent even hit the mat.

#2: Alan Castro Refuses To Let Go

Mexican flyweights Alan Castro and Osovaldo Gonzalez managed to fit an entire bout’s worth of action into just over a minute of fight time at Naciones 7.

After the two traded on the feet and engaged in several scrambles on the ground, Castro locked up a triangle choke that eventually put Gonzalez unconscious.

#1: Ricardo Ramos Flashes Back To 2017

On a night where the UFC handed out bonuses to every fighter that earned a finish, Ricardo Ramos stole the spotlight be recreating a knockout he scored nearly 5 years ago.

The 26-year-old landed a spinning elbow that had Danny Chavez slumped against the cage just over a minute into their bantamweight bout on the UFC Austin prelims.

What do you think of this week’s list? Are there any finishes you think should have made the cut that didn’t? What about ones you think should have been ranked higher or lower?

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/12 – 6/18) at MMA News.

Watch: MMA Fighter Lands Flying-Knee Finish In Under 20 Seconds

Featherweight MMA fighter Alexandre Castro didn’t take long to finish Elifrank Cariolano in emphatic fashion at Jungle Fight 108 in Brazil. Cariolano was the initial aggressor when he backed Castro backed up with a flurry of strikes after the two Brazilians met in the center of the cage. “Negão WIFI” managed to land a counter-right…

Continue Reading Watch: MMA Fighter Lands Flying-Knee Finish In Under 20 Seconds at MMA News.

Featherweight MMA fighter Alexandre Castro didn’t take long to finish Elifrank Cariolano in emphatic fashion at Jungle Fight 108 in Brazil.

Cariolano was the initial aggressor when he backed Castro backed up with a flurry of strikes after the two Brazilians met in the center of the cage. “Negão WIFI” managed to land a counter-right hand that staggered Cariolano and allowed Castro to get his back off the fence.

That brief moment was all “Negão WIFI” needed to reset and come forward with a flying knee that floored Cariolano. Castro quickly jumped in with a follow-up right hand before the referee stopped the fight.

Castro extended his current win streak to 4 with this knockout victory. This was his second bout for Jungle Fight after he debut in the promotion earlier this year, and the 40-year-old is now 8-2 overall in his MMA career.

What’s your reaction to this flying knee KO from Alexandre Castro at Jungle Fight 108?

Continue Reading Watch: MMA Fighter Lands Flying-Knee Finish In Under 20 Seconds at MMA News.

MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/5 – 6/11)

Welcome to this week’s 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. Last week was a busy one, as the UFC debuted their series of Road to the UFC cards in the…

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/5 – 6/11) at MMA News.

Welcome to this week’s 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.

Last week was a busy one, as the UFC debuted their series of Road to the UFC cards in the lead-up to UFC 275. Those four events had enough finishes to fill out a separate Top 10, but they ended up only being a warm-up for the weekend’s action. UFC 275 provided a number of impressive finishes and was arguably the best event of the year, but a pair of big knockouts from LFA and Cage Warriors also made the cut for this week’s list.

#10: Muin Gafurov Arrives In LFA

First up this week is the main event from LFA 134, where Muin Gafurov competed in his first bout since a split-decision loss on Contender Series 2021.

The 26-year-old proved he may well get another chance at the UFC after landing a right hand that turned Herbeth Sousa around as he landed on the mat.

#9: Chasen Blair’s Hometown Walk-Off

Cage Warriors 139 was held outdoors under the beautiful San Diego sunshine, and welterweight Chasen Blair made the most of the spotlight against Kona Oliveira.

The San Diego-born fighter sent his hometown crowd into a frenzy with a huge right hand off a clinch break that put Oliveira down and had Blair raising his arms in victory.

#8: Jeong Yeong Lee Grabs An Arm

The Road to the UFC cards provided a number of impressive finishes, including this submission from Jeong Yeong Lee in the featured bout of Road to the UFC 3.

Lee looked like he might put Contender Series veteran Bin Xie out with elbows while defending a takedown, but once he hit the ground the South Korean quickly locked up an armbar just over 30 seconds into the fight.

#7: Jack Della Madellana Goes To The Body

Jack Della Madellana looked in serious danger of being submitted by Ramazan Emeev before showcasing the striking that has made him one of the UFC’s hottest prospects.

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The Australian caught Emeev swinging wildly and started to pour on volume, eventually landing a body shot that brought the Russian to his knees for Madallana’s second first-round stoppage in as many UFC bouts.

#6: Zhang Mingyang Beats The Odds

The very first bout of Road to the UFC featured some of the most lopsided betting odds of the series, which set the stage for Zhang Mingyang to kick things off with an upset.

The Chinese light heavyweight applied pressure to heavily-favored George Tokkos early, eventually landing a right hand and some vicious follow up shots to get the victory with just over a minute left in the first round.

#5: Silvana Gómez Juárez Gets Her First UFC Win

Silvana Gómez Juárez lost her first two UFC bouts via armbar, and a loss to Na Liang at UFC 275 could very well have ended her run with the promotion.

The 37-year-old strawweight rose to the occasion, rocking Liang with a right hand before landing a follow-up combination that had her opponent slumping to the canvas.

#4: Hayishaer Maheshate’s Explosive Debut

Of all the notable performances at UFC 275, the debut of 22-year-old Hayishaer Maheshate against Steve Garcia may have been the most impressive.

Maheshate landed a perfectly-timed counter shot that floored Garcia and gave Maheshate a moment to admire his work before jumping onto the cage to celebrate his first UFC win.

#3: Jeka Saragih Makes His Case To The UFC

Road to the UFC showcased a number of fighters hoping to make a lasting impression, and arguably no one did that more successfully than Jeka Saragih.

Not satisfied with what looked to be an impending decision win, the Indonesian lightweight dropped Pawan Maan Singh with a spinning back fist in the third round to make sure everyone remembered his performance.

#2: Ji?í Procházka Claims The Title

Are there more violent and technically impressive finishes ranked lower on this list? Absolutely. Did any of those fights carry the same stakes and end as dramatically as this one? Absolutely not.

After possibly the greatest fight in the history of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, challenger Ji?í Procházka handed Glover Teixiera the first submission loss of his career and won the light heavyweight title with less than 30 seconds left in the final round.

#1: Weili Zhang Sends Joanna Into Retirement

Even with two title fight headlining the card, the rematch between former strawweight champions Weili Zhang and Joanna J?drzejczyk was arguably the most anticipated fight at UFC 275.

After a whirlwind first round where both women seemed determined to top the action from their original fight, Zhang ended their rivalry with a spinning back fist that left J?drzejczyk facedown on the canvas.

What do you think of this week’s list? Are there any finishes you think should have made the cut that didn’t? What about ones you think should have been ranked higher or lower?

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/5 – 6/11) at MMA News.