2016 is coming to a close, and another year of mixed martial arts (MMA) competition will soon be in the books. This year has given us some great memories in fighting; some historic, some spectacular, and some just plain amazing. One of the most exciting parts of MMA are the vicious knockouts fans tune in to
2016 is coming to a close, and another year of mixed martial arts (MMA) competition will soon be in the books. This year has given us some great memories in fighting; some historic, some spectacular, and some just plain amazing.
One of the most exciting parts of MMA are the vicious knockouts fans tune in to see every week, and 2016 has presented plenty highlight reel KOs that we’ll never forget.
To commemorate those bouts, we’ve compiled a list of the best knockouts that we’ve seen this year, so let’s dive into LowKick’s top 10 MMA knockouts of 2016….
12. Paige VanZant vs. Bec Rawlings
Following her fifth-round submission loss to Rose Namajunas in December of last year, Paige VanZant took a little break from mixed martial arts (MMA) competition to compete in the 22nd season of Dancing With The Stars.
After finishing the competition as the runner-up, VanZant made her return to fighting action against Bec Rawlings, who was coming in off of a two-fight win streak that included a submission win over Lisa Ellis.
VanZant opened up the second round of her bout with Rawlings with a flashy maneuver that would land and send the Vancouver crowed into a frenzy, as the Team Alpha Male star landed a flush jumping head kick on Rawlings and finished her off with a few punches.
The jaw-dropping knockout earned VanZant her seventh professional win of her MMA career, and No. 12 on our list of top knockouts of 2016.
No. 5-ranked UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi has been on a rabid tear through the 185-pound division with his current three-fight win streak. The former Strikeforce champion is coming off of a first round knockout win over Uriah Hall in their rematch main event at UFC Belfast earlier this month, marking Mousasi’s third straight knockout finish
No. 5-ranked UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi has been on a rabid tear through the 185-pound division with his current three-fight win streak.
The former Strikeforce champion is coming off of a first round knockout win over Uriah Hall in their rematch main event at UFC Belfast earlier this month, marking Mousasi’s third straight knockout finish since July. Now that he’s broken into the top five the Dutchman is looking to propel himself into the crowded middleweight title picture, and he believes a win over two certain fellow top ten 185-pounders will do the trick.
Mousasi recently spoke to Independent.co to discuss his future plans after his win over Hall, setting his sights on the co-main event slot of UFC London in March of 2017, a card he believes will be headlined by current division champ Michael Bisping:
“The UFC is coming back to the UK and I’ve already fought there a few times so it makes sense I fight there again,” Mousasi said. “If Michael Bisping fights Yoel Romero in the main event then I should fight in the co-main event – that would be nice.
“I like fighting in the UK and I prefer fighting in Europe so to me that all makes sense. I know that’s when Michael Bisping wants to defend his belt because that’s his home turf.”
As for his potential opponent in the co-main event slot, Mousasi targets up-and-coming middleweight Robbert Whittaker and former division champion Luke Rockhold as viable candidates:
“I think a fight with Robert Whittaker or Luke Rockhold would be good,” Mousasi said. “If I fight one of those guys in the co-main event I think that’s what makes most sense for me and what makes most sense for the UFC.
“A win over either of those guys should put me in line for the title shot, but I know it has to be impressive. I want that co-main event and I want it in March,” Mousasi said.
Mousasi does not have a preference as to whether or not it’s Whittaker or Rockhold next, but believes the UFC will determine the next challenger for the middleweight title with a bout between Rockhold and No. 3-ranked Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza:
“I’m not sure what the UFC are going to do, but I’m guessing they will do Jacare [Souza] versus Luke Rockhold to decide the next guy,” Mousasi said. “They are ahead of me right now I know that and I think the winner of that will be the next guy to fight for the title. Whatever though, I’m confident I would be Rockhold, I’ve seen things in his game that I can take advantage of.
“Now Robert Whittaker is coming through. I saw him beat Derek Brunson last weekend. He looked good and he’s powerful, but that was a crazy fight. He was wild and that wouldn’t work against me. I don’t care what the UFC are going to do. They could put me with anyone and I’m confident I would beat them.”
Regardless of who Mousasi gets matched-up with next, it is certain to be an entertaining bout for fight fans to enjoy. Who do you think the UFC will pair the Dutchman up with next?
MMA is such a competitive, multi-faceted and unpredictable sport that putting together long winning streaks very rarely happen – particularly in the UFC, where many of the sport’s best fighters battle each other on a regular basis. With that in mind, you’d think that compiling a lengthy unbeaten run inside the Octagon would lead to
MMA is such a competitive, multi-faceted and unpredictable sport that putting together long winning streaks very rarely happen – particularly in the UFC, where many of the sport’s best fighters battle each other on a regular basis.
With that in mind, you’d think that compiling a lengthy unbeaten run inside the Octagon would lead to a title shot sooner than later, but unfortunately the record books show that’s not always been the case.
As you’ll see in the pages that follow, there has been numerous examples in recent years of fighters putting together impressive winning streaks in the UFC without ever getting the opportunity to fight the champion of their division.
This is the story of some of those fighters who came so close, yet so far away to winning the belt, some who stubbornly refused to lose until they achieved their dream, and others who to this day continue to add to their unprecedented, record-breaking winning streaks in the hope that one day the blood, sweat and tears that they’ve spilled in the Octagon will finally be rewarded.
Matt Brown
7 Fights (February 2012 – May 2014)
Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown’s seven fight winning streak between 2012-2014 will go down as one of the most unexpected career resurgences in UFC history, as prior to that he was on the verge of being cut after losing four of his previous five bouts.
A sudden surge in form saw him stop six out his next seven opponents by either TKO or KO, defeating well-respected fighters like Stephen Thompson, Mike Swick, Jordan Mein, Mike Pyle and Erick Silva along the way.
One final hurdle awaited him – a title eliminator fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC On FOX 12, but alas that proved to be a step too far, with Brown losing out by unanimous decision.
Brown has never been able to replicate that form in the years since, slumping to another 1-4 record over the past couple of years.
Yoel Romero always believed he would finish former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
While many saw it as a surprise that the ex-Olympic wrestler was able to finish Weidma…
Yoel Romero always believed he would finish former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
While many saw it as a surprise that the ex-Olympic wrestler was able to finish Weidman, the “Soldier of God” did everything before the fight to accomplish such a feat.
“That’s exactly how we planned out the fight, how we thought the fight would go,” Romero said (thanks to MMAFighting for the quotes). “From half the second round on, we knew we would finish. That was trained. 100 percent.
“My coach and I were discussing battle tactics and we talked about connecting the right knee when he attempted the takedown. We were training it and and we decided that was the way to end the fight, if it happened in that manner, that I would end the fight. That’s exactly how the coach and I had planned. Get him some food so he’d get happy with that food, and as soon as he comes for seconds, we’re going to hit him with the knee.”
Weidman, who had success in the first round, shot in for another takedown and was left bleeding and out on the ground courtesy of the flying knee. It marked the second such finish in Romero’s Octagon career.
Thanks to the win, Romero is expected to challenge UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping for the belt in 2017.
Strange times have been experienced at middleweight recently. Right about the time that Chris Weidman defeated Anderson Silva, things started down a new path, leading us to a highly unexpected 2016 in the 185-pound division. As ‘The All-American’ planted that left hook on Silva way back in 2013, we knew for sure anything was possible.
Strange times have been experienced at middleweight recently. Right about the time that Chris Weidman defeated Anderson Silva, things started down a new path, leading us to a highly unexpected 2016 in the 185-pound division. As ‘The All-American’ planted that left hook on Silva way back in 2013, we knew for sure anything was possible. Who would have predicted, though, that three years later Michael Bisping would hold the title.
Taking nothing away from ‘The Count,’ but prior to his title win, the British slugger had fallen at the final hurdle before the title shot. Crushing losses to Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort saw the long-serving Brit come up short, but his fortunes really changed in 2015. Victories over CB Dollaway, Thales Leites and Anderson Silva led Bisping to a UFC 199 rematch with Luke Rockhold. His KO victory was equal parts entertaining and unexpected.
Unexpected Rematch
Although ageing veteran Dan Henderson was miles outside the title picture, he was paired with Michael Bisping in an unlikely rematch at UFC 204. ‘The Count’ would win the battle of attrition after five rounds, but the strange occurrences at middleweight weren’t over yet. Bisping went on record as saying he would not fight Yoel Romero if he beat Chris Weidman at UFC 205. Referencing Romero’s USADA pop, ‘The Count’ caught more backlash from ‘Soldier of God’ on social media.
With the rivalry building, Romero left no questions in New York. Typically explosive, the Cuban blasted the former champion, and today Bisping had a change of heart. Claiming he’d agreed to fight Yoel Romero at a yet-to-be determined event next spring, Michael Bisping was strangely complimentary of his next opponent. This leads us nicely to the topic of who will win this 185-pound title tilt.
Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Sprint vs. Marathon
Looking at the first round of both men’s recent fights, it’s clear to see how they implement their striking game. Romero, against Weidman at UFC 205, threw just 40 strikes over the course of ten minutes & 24 seconds of action. although ‘Soldier of God’ only needed that one knee to finish the fight, he landed a total of 18 strikes at an accuracy of 66%. Bisping’s last fight, against ‘Hendo,’ saw the champ throw 335 strikes over five rounds, landing 119 at an accuracy of 35%.
Bisping’s stand up has improved massively, and his power is consistently overlooked, but he is outmatched in terms of KO ability against Romero. Obviously this isn’t the ‘be all & end all’ of this fight, but a big factor nonetheless. If the past year at middleweight has taught us anything, though, it’s that anything’s possible with the current crop of 185-pounders.
Anderson, Chris, Luke, Michael
If you thought the title championship timeline would go like this, well then you shoulda put money on it. The odds of the belt going through the hands of Anderson Silva to Chris Weidman were long enough, but for Michael Bisping to finally reach UFC gold was just insane. The brash Brit hit everyone for a six when he cold-cocked ‘Rocky,’ so what’s to say he can’t do the same against Romero?
The biggest difference aside from physicality is wrestling. If Romero is getting lit up by Bisping, which is possible, he has the wrestling base to control even the elite of the division. Interesting times at middleweight, and surely a few more spots up the pound-for-pound rankings if Bisping wins.
It appears that the planned middleweight title fight between champion Michael Bisping and top contender Yoel Romero has a date.
Romero, who recently finished former titleholder Chris Weidman to cement his status in the division, sent out a message on Twitter Tuesday indicating UFC 208 in January as the landing spot for the bout.
If the rumors are true, I’ll be hosting a retirement party on 1/21 @bisping#ynuevo
Romero, a former silver medalist in wrestling at the Summer Olympics, has won all eight of his Octagon fights. Along with besting Weidman, he’s also defeated Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Lyoto Machida and Tim Kennedy.
Bisping claimed the belt earlier this year with a finish of Luke Rockhold, defending it in England vs. Dan Henderson.
UFC 208 takes place January 21 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. No bouts have been revealed for the lineup.
It appears that the planned middleweight title fight between champion Michael Bisping and top contender Yoel Romero has a date.
Romero, who recently finished former titleholder Chris Weidman to cement his status in the division, sent out a message on Twitter Tuesday indicating UFC 208 in January as the landing spot for the bout.
If the rumors are true, I'll be hosting a retirement party on 1/21 @bisping#ynuevo
Romero, a former silver medalist in wrestling at the Summer Olympics, has won all eight of his Octagon fights. Along with besting Weidman, he’s also defeated Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Lyoto Machida and Tim Kennedy.
Bisping claimed the belt earlier this year with a finish of Luke Rockhold, defending it in England vs. Dan Henderson.
UFC 208 takes place January 21 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. No bouts have been revealed for the lineup.
12. Paige VanZant vs. Bec Rawlings
