September saw some sick stoppages inside the Octagon, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld as he selects the top five UFC knockouts of the month.
Knockouts weren’t easy to come by initially, but ultimately, September had its fair share of fine finishes.
These were the best of the bunch:
Honourable Mention:
Sitting Duck
Kyle Nelson was the epitome of a sitting duck at UFC Vegas 97. Steve Garcia had him pinned up against the fence and connected with a brutal short left elbow with the American continuing to batter his Canadian foe until the referee stepped in.
5: Potent Precision
A potently precise Ignacio Bahamondes picked up the only knockout at UFC 306. A sharpshooter inside the Sphere, he pieced up Manuel Torres and sealed the deal with a slick counter right hook while moving backwards.
4: Open And Shut Case
Chris Padilla came up with the goods at UFC Vegas 97, catching Rongzhu with a standing elbow from hell that immediately shut the Road to UFC season 2 winner’s left eye. The Chinese fighter tried to continue with the grotesque hematoma, but the ref intervened, and the cage-side doctor had no choice but to stop the fight, handing “Taco” his first TKO win in the UFC.
3: Breaking Bad
Ultimate Fighter season 29 winner Bryan Battle was happy to play the bad guy at UFC Paris, flipping off and taunting the crowd after he outgunned Frenchman Kevin Jousset to score a second-round TKO.
2: French Fried
Local favourite Morgan Charriere sent the French fans into a frenzy at UFC Paris when he murked Gabriel Miranda with a thunderous left hook in the second round.
1: Pure Devastation
Fares Ziam finished Matt Frevola with one of the most devastating knees you’ll ever see in the third round of their clash at UFC Paris and landed two follow-up shots on the already unconscious veteran.