Highlights
Wildest Final Seconds In UFC History
A Look Back At Five Of The Most Exciting Finishes In The Final Moments Of UFC Fights
There are often two reasons a fighter throws caution to the wind: they’re down on the scorecards or they’re determined to give the fans a show. In one case you’ll see later on, however, a fighter was so dominant that they simply chased style points instead of settling for a decision.
Regardless of what sparked these moments, they often lead to chaos and unforgettable scenes inside the Octagon. Below is a collection of five such instances that stand among the wildest fight-ending conclusions in UFC history.
2025 UFC.COM AWARDS: The Newcomers
Max Holloway Knocks Out Justin Gaethje In The Final Second
This list obviously had to feature what many consider the single greatest moment in UFC history. At UFC 300 - similarly discussed as one of the greatest events of all time - Justin Gaethje put his BMF title on the line against Max Holloway in the third fight on the main card.
RELATED: Max Holloway To Defend BMF Title Against Charles Oliveira
For 24 and a half minutes, Holloway was largely in control and on his way to winning on the scorecards, which is what makes this moment all the more special. Instead of circling the cage for the final 15 seconds and walking away with a clear victory and new belt for his collection, Holloway met Gaethje in the center of the Octagon, stood his ground and began ripping shots, the final one being a right hand that sent Gaethje crashing to the canvas. While we’ve seen Holloway do this before, producing that level of knockout against that level of opponent is something that will be incredibly hard to ever top.
Yair Rodriguez Stops The Korean Zombie At The Buzzer
At UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs Rodriguez in 2018, the main event featured another knockout in the final second of the fifth round which, up until Holloway’s knockout years later, was one of, if not the wildest moment the UFC had ever seen.
READ: Greatest Short-Notice Wins Of 2025
With 10 seconds to go in the fight, The Korean Zombie and Yair Rodriguez met in the middle of the Octagon, nodded, touched gloves and then just started swinging. As The Korean Zombie charged toward Rodriguez, the former interim featherweight champ ducked and threw an elbow that landed flush on his opponent's chin, shutting The Korean Zombie's lights out before he even hit the canvas. What made this moment even greater was the camera panning to Rodriguez as two of his cornermen threw themselves over the side of the Octagon to celebrate with their fighter.
Derrick Lewis Come-From-Behind KO vs Alexander Volkov
A moment often forgotten from one of the biggest events in UFC history, UFC 229: Khabib vs McGregor, was a Top 10 heavyweight tilt that produced one of the most unexpected finishes in UFC history. While the knockout king Derrick Lewis scoring a KO isn’t surprising in itself, finishing perennial contender Alexander Volkov with just 11 seconds left on the clock after being dominated for three rounds certainly is.
RELATED: Derrick Lewis To Face Waldo Cortes Acosta At UFC 324
For the entirety of the fight, Volkov was ahead in striking, as he often is. Having landed nearly 100 more significant strikes than Lewis through 14 minutes, “The Black Beast” knew he needed something spectacular to secure a win. With just under 20 seconds to go, Lewis threw back-to-back right hooks, the second one dropping Volkov. Eight vicious ground-and-pound strikes later, Volkov was out. While there wasn't one second to go like these other entries, the drama and unexpected nature of this finish easily earned it a spot on the list.
Paul Craig Taps Out Magomed Ankalaev With One Second To Go
Following that same pattern was a matchup between Paul Craig and former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev at UFC London in 2018. At the time, Craig was still very early in his UFC career, while an undefeated Ankalaev was making his first-ever walk to the Octagon.
WATCH: Greatest Knockouts Of 2025
It looked like we were seconds away from Ankalaev securing a dominant win, as the Russian led 59-18 in significant strikes with nearly seven minutes of control time. That was until Craig locked in a triangle in the waning seconds of the third round, forcing Ankalaev to tap for his first-ever defeat.
Demetrious Johnson Scores Last Second Submission vs Kyoji Horiguchi
At UFC 186, former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson collected what was by far the most unnecessary, but arguably the most skillful finish on this list. In what was his sixth of 11 eventual successful UFC flyweight title defenses, Johnson was on his way to yet another complete domination.
READ: Monthly Report | December 2025
In the five-round main event, Johnson led 149 to 61 in total strikes with just under 14 minutes of control time against Kyoji Horiguchi, who just made a successful return to the Octagon at UFC Qatar last month. With 20 seconds to go, Johnson had Horiguchi in a crucifix, and instead of raining down elbows until the final horn, “Mighty Mouse” switched to an armbar, forcing a tap with just one second left on the clock.