5 best knockouts in the UFC in February 2022
The UFC put on four events in February 2022, including three Fight Nights and one pay-per-view.
The world's premier MMA promotion kicked off the second month of the year with a fight card headlined by top middleweight contenders Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland. February was closed out with a catchweight bout between Islam Makhachev and Bobby Green.
The marquee event of the month went down on February 12th at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas with UFC 271. Israel Adesanya, the reigning middleweight champ, successfully defended his title against Robert Whittaker on the night.
February produced some fantastic performances across these fight cards. The five best finishes of the month are discussed below.
#5. Jared Cannonier's TKO win over Derek Brunson at UFC 271
Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson squared off at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, with a shot at the middleweight championship on the line. Brunson was riding a five-fight win streak going into the bout and was looking to secure a rematch with Israel Adesanya, the reigning champ.
Brunson dominated the first round of the bout. He scored a knockdown early on and even finished the round attempting a rear-naked choke. Cannonier was arguably saved by the bell after the opening five minutes.
The second round saw Cannonier come into his own. As Brunson fatigued, 'The Killa Gorilla' landed numerous heavy shots including a vicious right hook, a thunderous elbow and a sneaky backhand strike. With his opponent clearly compromised, the former heavyweight and light heavyweight fighter staked his claim for the middleweight title with some vicious ground-and-pound strikes to finish the fight.
Jared Cannonier dropped vicious elbows en route to the second-round TKO at #UFC271 😨 https://t.co/ncAxFRNwUk
In his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, Cannonier emphatically called for a shot at the 185 lbs title. Israel Adesanya successfully defended his title against Robert Whittaker later that night to set up an intriguing Adesanya-Cannonier matchup down the line.
Watch Jared Cannonier's post-fight interview below: