Top 5 UFC Knockouts of the year 2020
In spite everything that went on in the world, the UFC was still able to keep the show going in 2020.
In a year that was marred by a global pandemic, the UFC was able to put on 41 events, including 11 pay-per-views. Of course, these events all provided some amazing matches and memorable moments.
As 2020 draws to a close, it's time to take a look back at the best moments that took place inside the UFC Octagon in the past year. Of course, that includes all the spectacular knockouts.
There were 139 recorded knockouts inside the UFC in 2020, and here are the 5 best ones:
Top 5 UFC Knockouts for 2020: Cody Garbrandt vs. Raphael Assuncao (June 6, 2020)
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody 'No Love' Garbrandt made a successful return to the Octagon in 2020 when he smashed Rafael Assuncao with a last-second knockout at UFC 250 last June 6th.
After losing his last three bouts, Garbrant was looking to get back on track and return to the top of the 135-pound division. Standing in front of Garbrandt was the always dangerous Assuncao, who was also looking to arrest a two-fight skid of his own.
Garbrandt and Assuncao felt each other out in the opening round, with the former 135-pound titleholder being the more aggressive fighter.
In the second round, Garbrandt ramped up the aggression as he continued to punish Assuncao's legs with some vicious kicks. Garbrandt dropped Assuncao with a punch midway through the round, but the Brazilian claimed that it was a slip.
With seconds left to go in the round Assuncao had Garbrandt backed up against the cage. In literally the last second, Garbrandt uncorked a vicious ducking left hook that connected flush on the jaw, putting Assuncao straight to sleep just as the horn sounded to signal the end of the second round.
Garbrandt's KO win earned him Performance of the Night honors for the second straight fight and helped him return to the winner's circle.
Top 5 UFC Knockouts for 2020: Joaquin Buckley vs. Impa Kasanganay (October 11, 2020)
Joaquin "New Mansa" Buckley delivered one of 2020's most spectacular knockouts when he blasted Impa Kasanganay with a WWE-like spinning kick at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen back in October 11th.
Buckley started out strong and immediately had Kasanganay rocked with a heavy hook. Buckley looked to finish the fight quickly, but Kasanganay was able to land one of his own and keep the former at bay. Buckley took the fight to the ground and mounted some offense, but Kasanganay was able survive and keep the action going.
The thunderous striking exchanges continued in the second round, and Kasanganay stunned Buckley with a big shot of his own. Buckley weathered the storm and unloaded a body kick, which was caught by Kasanganay.
In an attempt to counter, Buckley executed a spinning side-kick, sort of like a reverse-enziguri. Buckley's heel landed flush on Kasanganay's face, shutting the lights out instantly.
Apart from earning a Performance of the Night bonus, Buckley's KO went viral and caught the attention of people such as Donald Trump and Kanye West:
Top 5 UFC Knockouts for 2020: Khaos Williams vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (November 14, 2020)
Khaos "The Ox Fighter" Williams announced himself as the welterweight division's newest knockout artist after needing just 30 seconds to put away Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Dos Anjos back in November 14th.
Williams already turned in an impressive performance in his UFC debut, knocking out Alex Morono in just 27 seconds. Against Alhassan, Williams was facing a fighter who had won all ten of his career wins by KO. Many people expected the fight to end in a knockout, but nobody expected it to last just half a minute.
Williams landed a well-placed right straight just as Alhassan was charging in. The punch landed right on the jaw and knocked Alhassan right out. Williams landed one more punch on the ground for good measure before he was pulled off by the referee.
The flash KO earned Williams his second Performance of the Night bonus in as many UFC outings.
Top 5 UFC Knockouts for 2020: Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone (January 18, 2020)
Conor McGregor kicked off 2020 with another spectacular performance in his return to the UFC Octagon, displaying creative striking techniques to finish off Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds at UFC 246 back in January 18th.
McGregor was coming off his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and was looking to bounce back in a big way. Cerrone, meanwhile, was trying to snap a two-fight losing streak, and a win over McGregor would arguably be the biggest one of his UFC career.
'The Notorious' had other plans however, as he blasted Cerrone with shoulder strikes, immediately busting up Cowboy's nose and taking him off his game.
McGregor finished things off with a head kick, followed by some ground and pound.
Top 5 UFC Knockouts for 2020: Kevin Holland vs. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza (December 12, 2020)
Speaking of creative knockouts, surging middleweight Kevin Holland authored his own creative stoppage win with his first round KO against Brazilian middleweight legend Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza.
Already with four wins in 2020, Holland was targeting a historic 5th win for the year, and standing in front of him was a very dangerous submission specialist in Jacare.
Early on, it looked like Holland was in trouble, with Jacare in a dominant position on the ground. Holland found an opening and stunned Jacare with a right hook as he was getting back up. Holland landed one more punch that put Jacare out on his knees before finishing things off with a succession of unanswered punches.
The KO earned Holland his third Performance of the Night bonus for 2020 and propelled him to the top-10 of the UFC middleweight rankings.
Which one is your pick for 2020's UFC Knockout of the Year?