With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from December 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for December.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Nominee: Iwo Baraniewski def. Ibo Aslan at UFC 323
They weren’t there for a long time, but fight fans sure had a good one when the two light heavyweight sluggers stepped into the cage and delivered absolute chaos before Iwo Baraniewski (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) finished Ibo Aslan for good at 1:29 of Round 1.
Baraniewski was first to drop Aslan, who immediately returned the favor moments later. Aslan swarmed by Baraniewski dropped him again. Aslan grabbed hold of a leg and worked his way back to the feet, and stunned Baraniewski again. Baraniewski then dropped Aslan, and that was it.
Nominee: Fares Ziam def. Nazim Sadykhov at UFC 323
Joe Rogan called Fares Ziam’s performance against Nazim Sadykhov “an absolutely flawless demonstration of mixed martial arts.”
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Ziam (18-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) had his way withSadykhov during their lightweight bout, landing some hard elbows to stun his opponent and then attack until the referee stopped the fight at the 4:59 mark of Round 2.
Nominee: Patrick Habirora def. Kevin Jousset at PFL Lyon
Only two fights into his PFL stint, Patrick Habirora (8-0) has already provided two highlights. The second came when he flattened UFC alum Kevin Jousset with punches 2:42 into Round 1.
A left hook started off the finishing sequence. Jousset seemed still aware of his surroundings until Habibora landed some hellacious ground-and-pound to follow it up. By the time the referee pulled Habibora off, Jousset was stiff.
Nominee: Melquizael Costa def. Morgan Charriere at UFC on ESPN 73
Melquizael Costa closed out a career year in electric fashion with a devastating head kick knockout against Morgan Charriere.
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Costa (25-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) became the first to stop Charriere with strikes in MMA competition when in the first round of the featherweight bout, he landed a precious left head kick that broke the guard of his opponent and instantly put him unconscious at the 1:14 mark of Round 1.
The winner: Kevin Vallejos def. Giga Chikadze at UFC on ESPN 73
Kevin Vallejos’ debut year has been one to remember.
Vallejos (17-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) took on Giga Chikadze, a featherweight contender who had never been knocked out before. However, that all changed when Vallejos found the chin with a spinning back fist, knocking out Chikadze (15-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) at 1:29 in Round 2.
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The first round was competitive, and Chikadze gave Vallejos trouble with his signature powerful kicks that put welts on the right side of his body. Chikadze won the opening frame on all three judges’ scorecards.
Remaining patient, Vallejos continued to march forward while hunting for his own openings in the second round. The fight came to a screeching halt when Vallejos charged forward as Chikadze backed into the fence and then unleashed a spinning backfist, sending Chikadze crashing to the mat. Vallejos added a few vicious elbows on the ground until referee Mark Smith pulled him off.
During his post-fight interview, Vallejos called for an April matchup against Cub Swanson, who was in Chikadze’s corner.
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Vallejos began his UFC run with a debut first-round stoppage of Seung Woo Choi in March. His second fight was a unanimous decision nod over Danny Silva, and now, he closes out his first year under the UFC banner with a third victory as he extends his winning streak to six.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Knockout of the Month, December 2025: Kevin Vallejos def. Giga Chikadze
