5 UFC fighters who are more terrifying knockout artists than Anthony Johnson
This week has seen a major announcement in the world of MMA, as former UFC Light-Heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson confirmed his return to the sport.
Surprisingly, though, Johnson won’t be competing in the UFC this time around. For the first time since 2006, ‘Rumble’ will be fighting outside the world’s biggest MMA promotion, as he’s signed for their biggest competitor – Bellator MMA. However, while Johnson may succeed there, it’s unlikely that UFC President Dana White will be too worried about losing him.
‘Rumble’ is undoubtedly one of the scariest knockout artists the UFC has ever seen, but somehow, the UFC is still home to a handful of even harder hitters. Here are 5 UFC fighters who are more terrifying knockout artists than Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.
#1 Francis Ngannou – UFC Heavyweight division
The UFC Heavyweight division is naturally home to the biggest hitters in MMA, and right now, there are few harder hitters than Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ is not just one of the scariest fighters in the UFC right now – he’s one of the scariest in UFC history, period.
Ngannou debuted in the UFC back in 2015 with a brutal knockout of Luis Henrique, and since then, he’s cut a path of destruction through the entire division. The native of Cameroon has defeated ten opponents inside the Octagon, and only one – Anthony Hamilton – was not rendered unconscious. Instead, Hamilton was submitted.
But Ngannou doesn’t just knock opponents out. He obliterates them. His uppercut knockout of Alistair Overeem in 2017 remains arguably the most violent knockout in UFC history, and looked like a move straight out of a Mortal Kombat video game.
And it’s not like Ngannou has been knocking out scrubs, either. His victims include Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski – some of the greatest Heavyweight fighters in UFC history. A comparison to Anthony Johnson is no contest – Ngannou is far more terrifying.
#2 Derrick Lewis – UFC Heavyweight division
Francis Ngannou might be the UFC’s scariest Heavyweight, but Derrick Lewis isn’t far behind him. ‘The Black Beast’ cuts an intimidating figure inside and outside of the Octagon, and when it comes to knockouts, he has the numbers to back that intimidation up.
Lewis has knocked out eleven opponents in the UFC, giving him the most KO finishes in the division’s history. And like Ngannou, he has knockout victories over some genuine UFC greats, including Alexander Volkov, Gabriel Gonzaga and Roy Nelson.
‘The Black Beast’ doesn’t always look like the best fighter in the world – he’s slow at times, doesn’t weather punishment to the body well, and doesn’t have the best ground game. However, the insane power in his hands is almost unmatched in the UFC and gives him an insane equaliser.
Essentially, if Lewis hits you cleanly, you’re probably going to sleep, whether it’s from a standing position or on the ground. And with the ability to lull an opponent into a false sense of security before destroying them, ‘The Black Beast’ is a genuinely frightening foe for any fighter.
#3 Israel Adesanya – UFC Middleweight division
The reigning UFC Middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya doesn’t really come across as a frightening knockout artist. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is flashy, looks like he’s having fun every time he steps inside the Octagon, and isn’t a huge physical specimen.
However, stop to think about things for a second and it’s easy to see that Adesanya is a genuinely terrifying prospect for any UFC fighter to face. Not only does he possess violent knockout power, but he’s also arguably the most accurate and precise striker in UFC history.
Adesanya doesn’t nail his opponents with brick-like hands like Lewis, Ngannou or Anthony Johnson. Instead, he catches them cleanly with rapier-like punches and kicks, landing them on his target perfectly almost every time. Essentially, he’s the UFC’s equivalent of an expert sniper.
And if you’re unconvinced about his intimidation factor, just ask Paulo Costa, who was undefeated before Adesanya knocked him out. Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson were also left discombobulated by ‘The Last Stylebender’ in a matter of a couple of rounds.
#4 Khaos Williams – UFC Welterweight division
One of the fastest rising stars in the UFC right now, Khaos Williams is also pound-for-pound one of the heaviest hitters in the promotion, too. He may not have been with the UFC for too long, debuting in February 2020, but ‘The Ox Fighter’ has definitely made his mark in his career to date.
After putting together a 9-1 record on the regional scene – with four knockouts to his name – Williams opened everyone’s eyes at UFC 247 by sparking out Alex Morono in just 27 seconds. Incredibly, Morono had not been stopped since 2014, but simply had no answer to the brute-force shots of Williams.
And his latest effort was even more terrifying. Faced with a fellow knockout artist in the form of Abdul Razak Alhassan, Williams was expected to have a firefight on his hands. But that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, he picked up his second UFC win in just 30 seconds, knocking Alhassan unconscious with a brutal right hand.
The shot was described by UFC President Dana White as one of the most vicious he’d ever seen. And worryingly for the rest of the UFC’s Welterweights, Williams has claimed “nobody is bulletproof” and that he’ll knock out anyone he faces. Judging by what he’s done so far, who would doubt him? Simply put, he’s a genuinely scary man.
#5 Amanda Nunes – UFC Bantamweight division
There’s nothing to suggest that a terrifying knockout artist in the UFC has to be male, as one of the scariest fighters of all time currently competes in both the UFC Women’s Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. Her name? Amanda ‘The Lioness’ Nunes.
The reigning UFC champion in both weight classes, Nunes stands as comfortably the greatest female fighter in MMA history, and that reputation has been built on the back of terrifying fight-ending power. Of Nunes’ 20 career wins, 13 of them have been finished by knockout.
In the UFC, ‘The Lioness’ has scored a total of seven knockouts, with four of them coming against former UFC champions. And it’s hard to pinpoint her most vicious.
Was it her 48-second destruction of Ronda Rousey, who was beaten like a training dummy? Or her stunning 51 second beatdown of Cris Cyborg, who was once considered the world’s scariest female fighter in her own right?
Either way, there’s no disputing that Amanda Nunes is one of the scariest knockout artists in the UFC right now. Whether it’s with her fists, or her legs – as Holly Holm found out in 2019 – Nunes has the power and killer instinct to end a fight at any given moment.