10 underrated UFC knockouts you may not have seen
Ask a UFC fan to name their favourite knockout and they’ll probably come up with something pretty well known and iconic – Anderson Silva’s front kick KO of Vitor Belfort perhaps, or Chuck Liddell’s famous combo on Tito Ortiz. Those kind of moments have had years of replay value and remain classic to this day.
There have been plenty of cool – and violent – knockouts in the UFC though, that have been forgotten. Whether that’s because they took place in the ‘dark ages’ of the sport prior to the TUF boom, because they were buried on an untelevised prelim card, or happened on a lesser UFC show, the following ten knockouts are all brilliant – and you may never have seen them. With the whole UFC library now being available via Fight Pass, I suggest you track them down.
#1 Phil Baroni vs Dave Menne, UFC 39
Coming into UFC 39, Phil Baroni had a relatively modest UFC record of 2-1, and yet he’d already gained a reputation for being a flashy, trash-talking power puncher. When he was matched with former Middleweight champ Dave Menne, nobody expected him to unleash the knockout that would define his career.
A big right hand in the opening seconds of the fight lead to Menne stumbling back towards the fence, and with the former champion reeling, Baroni opened up with the kind of combination more likely to be seen in training – usually on a speed bag. Menne was kept standing by the sheer force and speed of the punches before finally dropping after taking what felt like about twenty shots.
The fight was over in eighteen seconds and Baroni topped things off by cutting one of the greatest promos in UFC history – screaming “I’m the best evah!” in his thick New York accent. It’s a knockout that’s now become forgotten in time, but it remains jarring and insanely violent some sixteen years on.