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A couple of weeks back, we were witnesses to UFC 239.
Thiago Santos fought off multiple knee and leg injuries to go five rounds with Jon Jones. Jones won by a hairline but that wasn’t the highlight of the night. In the co-main event, women’s champ-champ Amanda Nunes knocked out former bantamweight champion Holly Holm with a spectacular head kick. Again, that was not the highlight of the night.
And then there was Jorge Masvidal who fought Ben Askren in a welterweight bout. There was no title on the line in that fight but after the trash talk in the weeks and months leading to the fight, it was probably the most anticipated fight of the night. Unfortunately for the fans, it didn’t last long because Masvidal knocked out Askren with his first strike of the fight. Just like that, it was goodnight, Ben Askren.
Officially, it was declared as a five-second knockout. And officially, it is the fastest knockout in UFC history. But that isn’t the only sub-10 seconds knockout that we’ve seen in the UFC. In the history of the promotion, there 7 other knockouts under 10 seconds.
Let’s take a look at the fastest knockouts in UFC history. Note: if you think Conor McGregor’s 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo is in the list, think again because it’s not.
Here are the other fastest knockouts in UFC history:
Jorge Masvidal UFC 239 ( 5 seconds )
Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren was a stylistic battle between striker and wrestler. And right off the bat, both went, each went to his bread and butter. Askren charged at Masvidal, looking to catch him and take him down instantly. Masvidal ran towards Askren and attempted a flying knee. Well, the knee got there first. Askren was already out before Masvidal was even on top of him. As Joe Rogan said, it could have very well been 3 seconds.
Todd Duffee UFC 102 ( 7 seconds )
One punch knockouts are common in heavyweight bouts. This one was no exception. All it took was one stiff jab from Duffee that landed flush on Tim Hague’s grill to make the latter’s knees crumble. Duffee rushed on top of his downed opponent and finished him off with a flurry.
Ryan Jimmo UFC 149 ( 7 seconds )
Ryan Jimmo couldn’t have plotted his UFC debut much better. He vacated the MFC light heavyweight title to sign with the UFC. For his first assignment, he was given Anthony Perosh. After the bell, Jimmo threw an overhand right that immediately floored Perosh. The Aussie was already out before he even fell on the canvass.
The Korean Zombie UFC 140 ( 7 seconds )
Chan Sung Jung is one of the most exciting fighters of this era and in this particular fight, The Korean Zombie was indeed spectacular. Jung has always been known for his incredible recovery skills but in this fight, he displayed his offense. Mark Hominick had just gone the distance with Jose Aldo and he was expected to beat the Korean Zombie. But the latter had other plans. Chan Sung Jung landed a straight right counter that put the Canadian down in front of his countrymen.
James Irvin UFC Fight Night 13 ( 8 seconds )
James Irvin’s superman punch shortly after the opening bell immediately dropped Houston Alexander. Irvin went on top of his foe and landed a couple of shots that didn’t matter. The punch landed flush on the jaw and Alexander went limp right away. Irvin then pulled out the imaginary gun and shot his downed opponents to celebrate.
Done Frye UFC 8 ( 8 seconds )
This is the oldest fight in our list and it takes us back to the early years of the UFC where a fighter fought multiple times in a day. Don Frye was both a wrestler and boxer before he entered MMA. Meanwhile, I’m not sure what Thomas Ramirez’s background was but Frye put Ramirez to sleep in this one. Frye went on to defeat Sam Adkins and Gary Goodridge later that day to win the tournament.
Makwan Amirkhani UFC on Fox 14 ( 8 secs )
Makwan Amirkhani was a submission specialist and he had not recorded a knockout before his UFC debut. He introduced himself to the world with a flying knee that knocked out andy Ogle in less than 10 seconds.
Gray Maynard UFC Fight Night 11 (9 seconds)
What a way to bounce back from a ludicrous previous bout. Gray Maynard and Rob Emerson had a double-KO in Maynard’s last bout. But against Joe Veres, Maynard came up with his most impressive victory ever, and the fastest. It took him just one left hook to win this one.
Mark Weir UFC 28 ( 10 seconds )
Mark Weir’s UFC debut was his best moment. Weir threw a hook-kick to open the fight. Then he tagged Eugene Jackson with a perfectly timed counter that sent the latter down. He followed up with a flurry and the fight was over. A year later, Weir was cut from the UFC after suffering back to back losses.
BJ Penn UFC 34 (12 seconds )
The Prodigy BJ Penn took on Shooto champion Caol Uno in what was supposed to be a routine outing for the veteran. Uno opened with a flying knee. But Penn refused Uno to take charge as he dropped the veteran with a nasty uppercut. The Prodigy then finished off the fight by pummelling Uno to a stoppage.
