5 UFC champions who won their titles with head-kick knockouts
In the world of the UFC, there are few things more entertaining than a brutal knockout. In terms of KOs, head kicks are arguably the most entertaining of them all.
Despite head-kick finishes being relatively rare, we have seen instances over the years of fighters using them to claim UFC titles inside the octagon. Often, these head kick finishes quickly entered into legend, and some are still fondly remembered even years down the line.
Here are five UFC champions who won their titles with head kick knockouts.
#5. Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman – UFC 278
The latest entry on this list came this past weekend, as Leon Edwards pulled off one of the most memorable finishes in UFC history to down pound-for-pound great Kamaru Usman, taking his welterweight title in the process.
Nobody really gave ‘Rocky’ a shot in the fight, as Usman had looked absolutely imperious since claiming the title from Tyron Woodley back in 2019. He’d defended it successfully on five occasions, stopping Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal, and had never lost in 15 trips to the octagon.
Sure enough, despite winning the first round, it looked like Edwards was on his way to a decision loss as Usman began to dominate all facets of the bout, landing the better strikes and controlling the British fighter on the ground too.
With just moments left in the final round, the fight appeared to be petering out, with Usman seemingly content to cruise to victory. That was until ‘Rocky’ feinted with a left hand and then caught ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ unawares with a brutal left head kick.
#UFC278EDWARDS KNOCKED OUT USMAN 😱 #UFC278 https://t.co/RWYU2n3lap
The shot folded the champion, and Edwards didn’t even need to follow the shot up before referee Herb Dean called the bout off.
Not only had ‘Rocky’ claimed the title by dethroning one of the greatest welterweight champions of all time, he’d done it in the most memorable way possible, too. Even if his reign doesn’t last all that long, nobody will ever forget this finish.
#4. T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao – UFC 173
Like Leon Edwards coming into his fight with Kamaru Usman, few fans were giving T.J. Dillashaw a chance of dethroning UFC bantamweight kingpin Renan Barao prior to their title bout in the summer of 2014.
After all, Dillashaw wasn’t technically the division’s top contender at the time, and he’d only gotten a shot at the gold due to Raphael Assuncao being injured. More to the point, Barao had looked like a monster, winning a ridiculous 32 fights in a row. He hadn’t lost since 2005.
Despite this, the challenger was clearly confident, and it turned out to be for good reason. Dillashaw dropped the Brazilian badly in the first round, almost finishing him off. From there, he simply dominated the fight in all areas.
As the bout reached its fifth and final round, though, it looked like the challenger would have to settle for claiming his title via the judges, as Barao looked set to survive the punishment he’d taken.
Dillashaw wasn’t willing to let that happen, though. At the midway point of the round, he nailed the Brazilian with a heavy left head kick, and followed it with another barrage of strikes that finally ended the fight.
T.J. Dillashaw vs Renan Barao at UFC 173 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV on May 24, 2014. #DWCOTD https://t.co/TSz8D1E72U
After the bout was over, Dillashaw’s performance was immediately christened as one of the UFC’s all-time great title wins. The fact that he finished it in highlight reel fashion definitely helped, too.
#3. Rose Namajunas vs. Weili Zhang – UFC 261
After Rose Namajunas lost her UFC strawweight title to Jessica Andrade in 2019 in devastating fashion, many fans were convinced that she’d never ascend back to the top of the division. Put simply, her mental state appeared to have been shattered.
When she was awarded a shot at new champion Weili Zhang in early 2021, then, few fans were giving ‘Thug Rose’ much of a shot at winning.
Zhang hadn’t fought in over a year, admittedly, but she was also unbeaten in the octagon and had taken out the likes of Jessica Andrade and Joanna Jedrzejczyk with extreme violence.
Despite that, Namajunas showed no fear when the fight began, absorbing some early leg kicks and keeping her distance. From there, literally out of nowhere, she threw a left head kick that landed perfectly on the jaw of ‘Magnum’, dropping her like she’d been shot.
Namajunas did land a couple of follow-up punches, but realistically, they certainly weren’t needed, as Zhang was already unconscious. After the fight, Namajunas proclaimed herself to be “the best,” and after this performance, it was hard to disagree.
#2. Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes – UFC 65
When Georges St-Pierre first faced legendary UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes in the autumn of 2004, he came up short, falling to a first-round armbar. According to ‘GSP’, he had simply never believed that he could defeat Hughes.
That wasn’t the case when the two men rematched just over two years later. Buoyed by victories over the likes of Frank Trigg and B.J. Penn, St-Pierre came into the bout with the knowledge that he had the skills needed to defeat Hughes – and went about proving it to the world.
Despite Hughes being largely dominant over everyone he’d faced prior, the fight was astonishingly one-sided in of the challenger. St-Pierre shrugged off the champion’s takedown attempts, abused him with strikes, and dropped him twice in the first round, once with a leg kick and once with a superman punch.
It seemed like only a matter of time before he put the legend away for good, and sure enough, in the second round he pulled it off in dramatic fashion. After feinting with another low kick, GSP instead went high, catching Hughes on the side of the head and neck with his shin.
Hughes was sent crashing to the ground, and after a series of follow-up elbows, the bout was stopped, crowning St-Pierre the new welterweight champion.
YouTube video: On This Day: Georges St-Pierre vs Matt Hughes 2 | UFC 65, 2006 dlvr.it/SCmDzS https://t.co/yk1ss07STz
The bout remains one of the most memorable examples of the proverbial torch being passed in the octagon, and St-Pierre had pulled off arguably the most highlight reel-worthy finish of his career.
#1. Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey – UFC 193
While Joe Rogan was quick to christen Leon Edwards’ recent head kick knockout of Kamaru Usman as the best such knockout in UFC history, it’s probably fair to say that it wasn’t quite as memorable as Holly Holm’s legendary 2015 finish of then-bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
To say that Rousey was a huge favorite coming into the clash would be an understatement. After all, she was unbeaten in MMA at 12-0, had registered six successful title defenses in the octagon, and had been dispatching contenders such as Cat Zingano and Alexis Davis in a matter of seconds.
‘Rowdy’ was so dominant, in fact, that some observers were willing to suggest that she could compete with the UFC’s best male bantamweights.
The idea that she was unbeatable, though, was quickly shattered by Holm. ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ – recognized as one of the best strikers in MMA – essentially picked her apart.
Using Rousey’s own aggression against her, Holm played the role of the matador throughout the fight, dodging the champion’s attacks and hurting her with counter-strikes as she rushed in.
By the time the second round began, it was clear that Rousey was in big trouble, but even so, nobody really expected what happened next. A left hand dropped ‘Rowdy’, and when she stumbled back to her feet, ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ clocked her with a left head kick, knocking her out cold.
Five years ago today, @HollyHolm shocked the world by knocking out Ronda Rousey with a picture-perfect head kick at UFC 193 ⚡️🌏
Holm was a big underdog against Rousey, who had never lost to that point in her career. https://t.co/hE6iDqDmCQ
The fight was over, as was Rousey's title reign, and essentially, her MMA career was over too. She’d fight just one more time in the octagon before retiring in 2016.
As for Holm, while her title reign lasted just four months, the knockout made her a superstar, a position she’s largely retained to this day.