5 quickest UFC finishes of 2021

Jorge Masvidal owns the all-time record with his five second KO of Ben Askren

Part of the fun of watching the UFC is knowing that every fight can end at any moment. While watching a grueling bout go into the later rounds can be great to watch, there is not much better than a quick finish and the pop it produces among all in attendance.

These moments are also the type of fights that tend to go viral as the entire fight can be shared so easily. Fighters can benefit massively from pulling off a quick finish as their popularity typically receives a boost.

We have seen this happen repeatedly in the UFC as a number of the defining moments in the sport's history have come in lightning-fast fights. Conor McGregor's 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo to win the featherweight title was a massive moment for the sport's popularity.

More recently, Jorge Masvidal's flying knee knockout of Ben Askren produced one of the most viral moments in UFC history and elevated 'Gamebred' into one of the most popular fighters on the roster.

One year ago today, Jorge Masvidal (+175) knocks out Ben Askren with this insane flying knee, breaking a UFC record by doing so in just 5 seconds. #UFC239
https://t.co/WLc0tblEGQ

While no fighters were able to surpass Masvidal's five-second knockout this year, there was no shortage of quick finishes in 2021. Each of the finishes on this list came less than 20 seconds into each fight.

Here are the 5 quickest UFC finishes of 2021:

=#4. Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall II - UFC 261

Hall defeated Weidman via TKO in 17 seconds

Chris Weidman suffered a 17-second TKO defeat to Uriah Hall at UFC 261 after suffering a freak leg injury that left him unable to continue.

The injury came after Hall checked a heavy outside leg kick from Weidman. Weidman broke both his right fibula and tibia on impact and fell to the mat immediately, leading to Herb Dean waving off the bout. As a result, Hall became the first fighter in UFC history to win a bout without throwing a strike.

All love between Chris Weidman and Uriah Hall a few months after Weidman broke his leg against Hall https://t.co/QlMPkYA2Dd

Impressively, Weidman has already returned to light training after coming back from his injury in inspiring fashion. Hall lost to Sean Strickland later in the year and is now being touted as a potential opponent for Darren Till in early 2022.