We have seen some devastating knockouts this year, but one technique has reigned supreme.
While you’re always bound to forget about a crazy finish that happened earlier in the year, many of the best knockouts of 2025 have remained in the memory of the fans.
Stakes matter when it comes to awards like this, but only two UFC title fights have resulted in knockouts this year, including Ilia Topuria’s knockout over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
‘El Matador’ and Alex Pereira, who dismantled Magomed Ankalaev in October, may have produced two of the most impressive wins in 2025, but they aren’t found on this list.
That should tell you a lot about the quality of the five finishes that make up our list for the best KOs.
- LATEST NEWS: Ilia Topuria’s time off questioned by rivals after Khabib Nurmagomedov and Arman Tsarukyan comments
You can only recommended one knockout from 2025 to go back and watch, what’s your pick?
Drop the best KOs of the year in the comments below.
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Honourable mention: Elijah Smith slams Toshiomi Kazama
While it didn’t make the top five cut, anyone who records a slam knockout in the UFC deserves to get a mention at the end of the year.
Elijah Smith power bombed Toshiomi Kazama in August at the UFC Apex to continue his very impressive start to life on the roster, and receive a shout out from ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
5. Carlos Prates nearly decapitates Geoff Neal
Carlos Prates has been the definition of must-watch ever since he arrived in the UFC.
While his recent knockout of Leon Edwards at UFC 322 could also be in contention, it doesn’t beat out what ‘The Nightmare’ did in Chicago several months ago.
With a similar aura to a teammate of his who will also be on this list, Prates knocked out Geoff Neal with a spinning elbow before pulling a cool guys don’t look at explosions move and walking off.
The spinning elbow happened so fast that it was hard to see exactly how the Brazilian knocked his opponent out before the replays showed it in devastating detail.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian, as he admitted, his efforts were outdone in the very next fight.
4. Quillan Salkilld nukes Nasrat Haqparast with a horrific head kick
The sound and unexpected nature of Quillan Salkilld’s head kick knockout of Nasrat Haqparast earns it a spot in the top five.
With a finish that looked straight out of a video game, the Aussie’s knockout shot out of nowhere at UFC 321 was partially blocked but it made no difference whatsoever.
In the words of commentator Laura Sanko, Salkilld “chalked” his opponent with a shot that led to genuine concerns about Haqparast during the long wait for a positive sign that he was okay.
3. Cesar Almeida shuts the lights out with one shot
A knockout that is sure to go under the radar on some lists took place at the very first UFC event of 2025 at the Apex in Las Vegas.
Fans were expecting a knockout when Cesar Almeida clashed with Abdul Razak Alhassan, and it looked like one was coming from the blue corner at any moment towards the end of the first round.
However, the Brazilian former kickboxer stayed calm in the heat of the moment, responding to his opponent’s pressure with a massive left hand that left Alhassan out cold before he’d hit the floor.
It was so spectacular that fans thought they may have seen the KO of the year less than two weeks into 2025.
2. Mauricio Ruffy enters the matrix to slay King Green
Another knockout that was always going to be in contention for the best of the year from the moment it happened took place at UFC 313.
Fans went as far as to call Mauricio Ruffy’s spinning wheel kick KO of King Green one of the greatest of all time immediately after it connected.
The technique, the speed, the placement, there is so much that is perfect about this kick, but it takes the silver medal in 2025.
As noted at the very start of this list, while style goes a long way, stakes do matter.
Lerone Murphy silences critics with a picture-perfect KO
If you’re showing a non-MMA fan one knockout from 2025, there’s a good chance it’s Mauricio Ruffy, whose name you’re searching for.
However, fans know about the stakes heading into the UFC 319 co-main event between Lerone Murphy and Aaron Pico.
After receiving some criticism, Murphy made the ultimate statement by ending the highly anticipated debut of Pico with a picture-perfect spinning elbow.
Considering that the fight was being viewed by many as a title eliminator, you simply couldn’t have asked for a more impressive statement than that.
2025 has been the year of the spinning elbow, and nobody did it better or when the stakes were higher than Manchester’s ‘Miracle’.
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