5 best last-gasp finishes in UFC history
In the world of the UFC, a fight is never over until the final buzzer. That's because it’s impossible to count any fighter out even when the final seconds on the clock tick away.
The UFC has seen many stunning last-gasp finishes over the years. Whether they’ve come in the third or fifth round, they’ve always been spectacular.
I can't believe it's been 10 years since Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117. Until Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, this was my favourite fight of all time. The build up was epic and the fight it self was drama of the highest order.
https://t.co/4xwK8bgyiM
We’ve seen last-gasp finishes by both knockout and submission across all weight classes and title bouts. Naturally, whenever these finishes happen, they instantly enter UFC folklore.
On that note, here are the five best last-gasp finishes in UFC history:
#5. Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg – UFC 216
The UFC flyweight title bout between Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg wasn’t all that dramatic in itself. That was largely because ‘Mighty Mouse’ essentially dominated Borg in all five rounds of the clash.
However, the last-gasp finish pulled off by the then-champion was both stunning and unique. It also required a nearly unmatchable level of skill, meaning that it definitely belongs in this list.
WOOOOOAH! 😱
@MightyMouseUFC with a submission worthy of making history at #UFC216 👏 https://t.co/UUp45VA18y
Johnson was once considered a dull fighter who would often go to decision rather than finish his opponents. However, by the time UFC 216 rolled around, Johnson had become renowned as a fighter capable of putting his foes away at any point.
In fact, he’d already picked up two of the UFC’s latest-ever finishes, over John Moraga and Kyoji Horiguchi respectively. While those finishes came slightly later in the fifth round than his win over Borg, this one was far more exciting to watch.
Borg had been unable to handle the striking and grappling of ‘Mighty Mouse’ throughout the fight. However, as the clash ticked into its last few moments, it looked like he’d survive until the final buzzer.
That wasn’t to be the case, though. With just under two minutes remaining, after taking his back, Johnson lifted Borg into the air with a German suplex, and then dropped back directly into a straight armbar.
‘The Tazmexican Devil’ was immediately forced to tap out as UFC fans across the world were marvelled by the insane show of skill from ‘Mighty Mouse’. The fact that he won came as no surprise, but jaws were left on the floor by this finish.