Highlights
The Knockouts | 2024 Half-Year Awards
The Highly Unofficial Half-Year Awards Season Continues With The Best Knockouts Of The First Half Of 2024 And How We Saw Them On Fight Night…
The highly unofficial half-year awards season continues with the best knockouts of the first half of 2024 and how we saw them on fight night…
5 – Dustin Poirier defeats Benoit Saint Denis by KO (strikes) at 2:32 of Round 2
Dustin Poirier halted the ascent of Benoit Saint Denis, battling through suffocating pressure and tough spots to earn the second-round stoppage.
Saint Denis was in Poirier’s face the entire fight, walking him down without care for his defenses in the first, using his wrestling and his physicality to get the better of things. In the second, Poirier started letting go of his hands a little more, and after working back to his feet along the fence, he landing with force, dropping Saint Denis and sealing the deal with a thudding blow on the canvas.
This was a massive finish for “The Diamond,” who took a risk taking a fight against an ascending threat while coming off a loss, and he made the absolute most of it. That’s now 22 UFC wins for the Louisiana native, who remains one of the most all-action, entertaining fighters on the roster.
4 – Vinicius Oliveira defeats Benardo Sopaj by KO (flying knee) at 4:41 of Round 3
Vinicius Oliveira and Benardo Sopaj combined for one of the best fights between duelling debutants in UFC history, with the Brazilian capping things in spectacular fashion.
Vinicius Oliveira Flying Knees Benardo Sopaj | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev
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Vinicius Oliveira Flying Knees Benardo Sopaj | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev
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Oliveira started well, taking advantage of some nerves on the part of Sopaj before the 23-year-old settled into the contest and grabbed hold of all the momentum. Midway through the second round, it seemed like Sopaj was on the verge of securing a finish, but Oliveira survived and shifting things back into his favor, hurting his fellow newcomer later in the round and before capping things with an insane flying knee knockout in the waning moments of the third.
2024 HALF-YEAR AWARDS: Knockouts | Submissions | Newcomers
This was a thoroughly entertaining fight and a devastating finish, one that instantly rockets to the top of the Knockout of the Year standings.
3 – Alex Pereira defeats Jiri Prochazka by KO (high kick) at 0:13 of Round 2
Alex Pereira is operating on another level than everyone else in the UFC right now.
Alex Pereira KOs Jiří Procházka | UFC 303
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Alex Pereira KOs Jiří Procházka | UFC 303
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Saturday night, “Poatan” successfully defended his light heavyweight title with a left high kick seconds into the second round that caught Jiri Prochazka all the way out. The follow-up blows were academic.
Pereira is now 4-0 at light heavyweight, with each of his last three victories coming in devastating fashion. He has eight wins and titles in two weight classes all in the span of 32 months; it’s unprecedented what he’s doing.
2 – Ilia Topuria defeats Alexander Volkanovski by KO (right hand) at 3:32 of Round 2
Ilia Topuria is your new featherweight champion!
For the entirety of the fight, the undefeated challenger stalked the champion, looking for an opening to land a devastating shot that ended the fight in a hurry. He just missed a couple of times during the first and through the midway point of the second, but late in the frame, as the two men got into close quarters along the fence — BOOM!
A right hand found the chin and put Alexander Volkanovski out cold, ushering a new era in the UFC featherweight division.
Just an absolutely tremendous performance from the confident, unbeaten Spaniard, who becomes the sixth undisputed champion to sit on the throne in the 145-pound weight class.
1 - Max Holloway defeats Justin Gaethje by KO (right hand) at 4:59 of Round 5
Max Holloway is the latest to hold the UFC’s BMF title, claiming the symbolic belt with a masterful performance against Justin Gaethje midway through Saturday’s pay-per-view main card, capped by one of the gnarliest knockouts you're ever going to see.
Fighters React To Max Holloway's BMF Knockout Punch
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Fighters React To Max Holloway's BMF Knockout Punch
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The former featherweight champion was sharp from the start, using his long punches to pick at Gaethje early before shattering his nose with a spinning back kick on the buzzer at the end of the first round. From there, “Blessed” continued to consistently land the better shots, stinging Gaethje on multiple occasions while weathering the shots coming back his way exceptionally well through the first 15 minutes.
Gaethje found more success in the fourth, dropping Holloway and continuing to crash home low kicks to the Hawaiian’s battered lead leg, but Holloway responded by taking the fight to him in the fifth… and then it happened.
When the final 10 second clacker sounded, Holloway invited Gaethje to stand in the center with him, much like he did Ricardo Lamas at UFC 199. Gaethje obliged and the two started slinging, with Holloway putting a right hand on Gaethje’s jaw, knocking him out cold.
This was every bit as captivating as expected, and an absolutely tremendous showing from the long-time ruler of the 145-pound weight class, with an insane finish that affirmed his standing as the baddest dude on the planet.
