Let’s admit it: This is what we’re all here for.
As much as we as a combat sports collective can appreciate gorgeous jiu-jitsu exchanges, five-round battles of will, and the finer points of a single-leg takedown, at the end of the day, what so many fans crave is the thrill of the knockout. We want that definitive moment that sends the crowd into a frenzy and reminds us why we’re so obsessed with this crazy business of ours.
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This year, we had a clear front-runner set in the summer, but there were so many good options even narrowing it down to a list of 10 proved difficult. From legacy-defining punch-outs to spinning strikes to flatlinings that honestly left us feeling a tad squeamish, here are our choices for the best of the best KOs of 2025.
1. Mauricio Ruffy def. King Green (UFC 313)
Let’s briefly start with what Mauricio Ruffy’s incredible UFC 313 knockout isn’t.
It isn’t from a matchup of ranked lightweights.
It isn’t a major upset or a crazy come-from-behind victory.
It isn’t a finish that will hold any sort of historical value 10 years from now.
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You know what it is, though? One of the cleanest spinning kick KOs you’ll ever see. A striking artist styling at the peak of his powers. And a truly brutal face-plant thanks to King Green bouncing off of the cage before going down.
Watch.
Sometimes you’ve got to go for aesthetics and while, as we mentioned, there have been so many superb KOs this year to consider, none are quite as visually pleasing as Ruffy spinning and winning. Yes, Green has been much more susceptible to being knocked out ever since he reached the 50-fight range, but to catch a veteran who has historically been an elusive fighter with a full extension kick and have it instantly remove him from his senses? That’s legendary work.
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If you’re looking for a narrative to latch on to, this was also one of the highlights that kept the Fighting Nerds team in the spotlight even during an up-and-down year. Caio Borralho fell short of a title shot, Jean Silva suffered his first UFC loss to Diego Lopes, and even Ruffy failed to capitalize on his big moment as he took a loss at the hands of Benoit Saint Denis after the Green fight.
But the individual spectacular moments authored by these men can’t be ignored, even if not every outing was a banger. It’s like when Wu-Tang Clan members release solo albums. They’re not all classics, but there’s still enough there to remind us why the squad is such a big deal in the first place.
Mauricio Ruffy is Ghostface Killah and his spinning KO of King Green is his Supreme Clientele.
2. Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico (UFC 319)
The vision for Lerone Murphy finally earning a title show was clear: Just finish somebody, man!
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Murphy had undoubtedly impressed in his UFC run, taking Zubaira Tukhugov to a split draw in his debut and then rattling off eight straight victories to keep his unblemished pro record intact. Still, he remained on the outside looking in of the 145-pound title picture.
When he was matched up with popular Bellator signing Aaron Pico, there was the understanding that if the all-action Pico managed to steal Murphy’s thunder, he’d be the one marching to the front of the featherweight contender line. One of MMA’s great glass cannons, Pico got the job done in his UFC debut—though not the kind of job he was hoping for.
Murphy, approaching a four-year knockout drought, perfectly timed a spinning elbow and drove it right into Pico’s face. Pico was instantly flattened and Murphy finally had the exclamation point to put at the end of his No. 1 contender statement.
The UFC somehow went in another direction for featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski’s next title defense, which makes it all the more imperative that we appreciate what Murphy did in this spot, because his bosses certainly don’t seem to.
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3. Ilia Topuria def. Charles Oliveira (UFC 317)
Ilia Topuria beating down Charles Oliveira—one of the greatest lightweights of all time, a former UFC champion, and a surefire Hall of Fame inductee—finishes THIRD in our voting? Feels wrong.
You can’t land a more perfect punch than the one Topuria put on Oliveira to complete his quest of becoming a two-division UFC champion… or at least that’s what I’d be saying if he hadn’t also done this to Alexander Volkanovski (who had never lost a fight at 145 pounds before he faced Topuria)… and Max Holloway (who had never been finished via strikes before he faced Topuria). Even if you take Oliveira’s questionable defense into account, this was a crowning achievement and only further boosted Topuria’s case that he could be the star to lead the UFC in the second half of the 2020s.
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When we talk about KOs that capture the imagination, this is what we mean. Seeing Topuria bulldoze opponent after opponent regardless of weight class should convince even the most hardened fan that he can floor anyone—maybe even pound-for-pound rival Islam Makhachev.
I wouldn’t bet on it, but I also wouldn’t put anything past Topuria, who has earned the benefit of the doubt thanks to absurdly explosive knockouts like this one.
4. Sergio Pettis def. Magomed Magomedov (PFL Champions Series 2)
Big brother Anthony still gets love to this day for his legendary Showtime Kick, but every now and then its Sergio Pettis does something that leaves us breathless.
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In 2021, it was an unreal spinning backfist of Kyoji Horiguchi that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat; four years later, Pettis took us for a ride again, fully turning his back to Magomed Magomedov and somehow sneaking in a back elbow that fully connected with Magomedov’s chin, leaving him limp on the mat.
It’s unfortunate that Pettis then landed an unprotected follow-up ground strike that would make Dan Henderson blush, but for some of you sickos out there that might make this finish even better. Magomedov had never been knocked out before, so maybe Pettis felt like he had to do it twice for good measure.
5. Quillan Salkilld def. Nasrat Haqparast (UFC 321)
Comparing an MMA knockout to watching a snuff film is rarely a good thing, but what else can we make of what Quillan Salkilld did to Nasrat Haqparast?
Salkilld was a promising lightweight prospect coming off of a 2024 Contender Series signing, and he looked good winning his first two UFC fights, but few could have predicted he’d flatten a hardened veteran like Haqparast. Keep in mind, Haqparast was in good form heading into UFC 321, having scraped together five straight wins to keep himself on the cusp of a ranking.
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But one high kick, a gap in the defense, and suddenly Haqparast was down. And out. And it was a long time before he (fortunately) made it back to his feet.
Just like that, Salkilld announced himself as one of the most feared knockout artists in the deepest division in MMA. We can’t wait to see what he does next, even if the result might leave us looking away.
Here is how voting for MMA Fighting’s 2025 Knockout of the Year played out
HONORABLE MENTIONS
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Jaron Lathrop def. Yevgeni Shinkarevsky
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Juan Archuleta def. Dennis Linton
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Jiri Prochazka def. Khalil Rountree
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Randy Brown def. Nicolas Dalby
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Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal
