Conor McGregor, Holly Holm and Joaquin Buckley: Top 10 knockouts in UFC history

Over the years, there have been a number of incredible knockouts in the UFC. 

10 - Molly McCann defeats Luana Carolina (UFC Fight Night - 2022)

The UFC returned to British soil for the first time since the pandemic began and the crowd were treated to one of the best cards of the year.

Headliner Tom Aspinall secured a quick finish to announce himself to the upper echelon of the heavyweight rankings and brash lightweight Paddy Pimblett secured a submission win to send the crowd into hysterics.

McCann was comprehensively winning the fight before catching a kick from Carolina and executing a perfect spinning back elbow that knockout her opponent out cold.

9 - Holly Holm defeats Ronda Rousey (UFC 193 - 2015)

The headkick that shocked the world.

Holly Holm's knockout of Ronda Rousey sent shockwaves across the globe and ushered in a new era at women's bantamweight.

Holm entered the fight as an underdog and was given little chance of success against the unbeaten and all conquering champion Rousey.

8 - Conor McGregor defeats Jose Aldo (UFC 194 - 2015)

Conor McGregor's knockout of Jose Aldo stunned everyone who watched it. From the simplicity of his movement to the crushing implications of the knockout, the entire sequence was poetry in motion.

During the build up to the fight, McGregor was approaching unparalleled levels of superstardom. The Irishman attracted eyes from across the globe as he taunted Aldo and made promises of becoming the new featherweight king.

Record numbers tuned in to see the brash Irishman fulfil his destiny or get his comeuppance. What they saw was the birth of a superstar.

7 - Gabriel Gonzaga defeats Mirko Cro Cop (UFC 70 - 2007)

Fresh from signing from Pride Fighting Championships, Mirko Cro Cop was one of the most feared strikers to enter the UFC. A title shot seemed to be a formality as he just needed to get past fearsome grappler Gabriel Gonzaga.

"Napao" entered the fight with a 7-1 record and an ADCC silver medal to his name. The plan appeared simple for Cro Cop, stay out of the grappling and KO his unknown opponent.

6 - Dan Henderson defeats Michael Bisping (UFC 100 - 2009)

When Dan Henderson detonated the now patented "H-Bomb" on Michael Bisping's jaw, it sent the Brit crashing to the canvas and inspired an image that would become associated with Henderson to this day.

5 - Valentina Shevchenko defeats Jessica Eye (UFC 238 - 2019)

Valentina Shevchenko looked to extend her dominant title reign as she took on Jessica Eye in the co-main event of UFC 238.

After a successful run at bantamweight where her only losses came to champion Amanda Nunes, Shevchenko moved down to her more natural weight class and secured wins over Priscila Cachoeira and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

She secured that performance against Jessica Eye. After a dominant opening round, she landed a clean left high kick to Eye's head which immediately shut her lights out, securing a walk off KO and a place in UFC highlight reels for years.

4 - Leon Edwards defeats Kamaru Usman (UFC 278 - 2022)

Their first encounter in 2015 saw Usman come away with a unanimous decision victory. The university of Nebraska native used his dominant wrestling to get the nod from the judges.

Seven years later the two squared off once more to determine the best welterweight in the world.

In the opening round Edwards became the first man in the UFC to take Usman down. However, that was quickly drowned out by three rounds of dominance from the champion, leading into the final minute of the final round where the challenger knew a finish was needed to win the fight.

3 - Edson Barboza defeats Terry Etim (UFC 142 - 2012)

At UFC 142, the pair squared off in a match between two lightweight prospects. Barboza was undefeated since entering the UFC whilst Etim was 4-1 in his previous five fights, the only loss being to future champion Rafael dos Anjos.

A competitive opening two rounds saw Barboza enter the third with an advantage but by no means out of danger. If he wanted to secure his victory on home soil he would need a finish.

2 - Jorge Masvidal defeats Ben Askren (UFC 239 - 2019)

Prior to the fight, Askren was relentless with his trash talk, insulting Masvidal's intelligence and culture.

Masvidal was visibly fired up at the media day face off.

In the opening seconds of their fight, Masvidal sprinted across the octagon and launched into a flying knee that connected perfectly on Askren's chin.

Two "Super necessary" follow up shots saw an end to the contest and sent Masvidal's popularity into the stratosphere.

1 - Joaquin Buckley defeats Impa Kasanganay (UFC Fight Night - 2020)

The greatest knockout in UFC history took place in an almost empty arena, during a time when fans could not come and watch due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the second round of their middleweight contest, Kasanganay caught Buckley's left ankle as he threw a kick. In a moment of improvised brilliance Buckley leveraged his entire body to spin and land a back kick with his right leg sending Kasanganay to the canvas unconscious.