The sport of MMA is obviously the most brutal one out there. Many knockouts and brutal beat downs have been witnessed over the years. So many that actually it’s easy to forget about most of those. Yet, some moments are really hard to forget. I’m talking about moments where a fighter landed a (or more) strike(s) so devastating that you couldn’t help but cringe while watching.
Let’s have a look at the 7 most absolutely strikes ever landed in MMA competition. Fair warning: this article is not for the faint of heart.
7) José Aldo destroys Urijah Faber’s legs
José Aldo and Urijah Faber met back in 2010 at WEC 48 and it didn’t really go well for the ‘California Kid’. Aldo proceeded to blast Faber’s legs with devastating low kicks over the course of five rounds en route to a lopsided victory. Have a look at the aftermath of Aldo’s kicks on Faber’s left leg while trying not to cringe.
6) Fedor sends Andrei Arlovski to LaLaLand
No matter how much you’re dominating Fedor in a fight, you always have to watch out for his monstrous overhand right. Andrei Arlovski was getting the better of Fedor during their 2009 clash but got overconfident and decided to throw a flying knee… Fedor caught him flush on the chin with a big overhand right that sent him unconscious on the canvas. What looks like a crime scene is the aftermath of their fight.
5) Beware of Rashad Evans’ counters
Uppercuts are tricky punches. High-risk, high-reward. KO artist and fan favorite Chuck Liddell went for an uppercut during the second round of his 2008 fight against Rashad Evans and well, it didn’t go well for him as Evans countered with a beautiful right hand flush on the chin. Most fans still remember watching Liddell crumble down and wondering if Evans didn’t legitimately kill him. It was that brutal.
4) Wanderlei Silva dismantles Rampage Jackson with a knee
Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson have been rivals for years. The two fought for the first time in 2003; Silva got the TKO victory. They had a much-anticipated rematch in 2004 at PRIDE 28. The Brazilian battered Rampage with vicious strikes in the first round before deliver a crushing fight-ending knee to the American’s jaw in the second. Definitely one of the most impressive knockouts of all time.
3) Dan Henderson unleashes the H-bomb
Dan Henderson’s UFC 100 KO victory against Michael Bisping truly remains one of the most iconic knockouts of all time. The American put an end to a heated rivalry when he landed his patented ‘H-bomb’ overhand right on the Englishman’s chin. Henderson followed up with a vicious flying elbow that landed on an already-unconscious Bisping. That fight was pretty much as brutal as it gets.
2) Mirko Cro Cop gets a taste of his own medicine
Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic is most known for his terrific run back in the PRIDE FC days and also for his patented, devastating left hick kick. Cro Cop utilized it to crush most of his competition in Japan. The Croatian was set to take on Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70. The latter, a ground specialist, was not given much chance by most observers. However, Gonzaga not only managed to win, he also did so by landing a BRUTAL high kick that left Cro Cop laying on the canvas with his leg literally bent backwards. Truly one of the most shocking moments in MMA history.
1) Michael Page crushes Cyborg’s skull
Alright, brace yourself because this one is heart-wrenching, and I’m saying this with no hyperbole whatsoever. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of fights but this is the first time I’ve witnessed a single strike being that devastating. British rising star Michael ‘Venom’ Page took on Brazilian slugfest artist Cyborg Santos at this past Saturday’s Bellator 158 event.
4 minutes and 30 seconds into the second round, Page goes for a flying knee that lands on Cyborg. The Brazilian is immediately knocked out, and he’s shaking his legs in utter pain. What happened exactly?
Well the post-fight medical exams revealed that Michael Page *literally* shattered Cyborg’s skull. I’ve seen a fair lot of painful injuries happen in MMA competition but this one takes the cake, by far.
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