Moments like these ignite stadiums into a roar and help define combat sports— but brutal finishers like the ones below are also scary at times— particularly for those concerned about the recipient’s health. Suffice to say, the mixed feelings of emotion provoked from moment to moment occurrences are what embody the spirit of combat sports in its purest form.
10) Ljubo Jalovi vs. Alex Trofimov
–Kickboxing- December 7, 2014- Tatneft Arena, Kazan, Russia
Serbian K-1 champion Ljubo Jalovi leveled Israeli K-1 champion Alex Trofimov with a flying knee from halfway across the ring.
He actually had to be dragged back to his corner… enough said.
9) Ann Wolfe vs. Vonda Ward
–Boxing- May 8, 2004- Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
5’9 Anne Wolfe knocked out 6’6 World Champion Vonda Ward with a big right hand that was tantamount to a lighting bolt.
8) Tommy Morrison vs. Harry Terrell
–Boxing- October 17, 1989- State Fair, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Tommy Morrison landed a brutal overhand right that launched Harry Terrell into the punch counter ringside.
7) Dan Hornbuckle vs. Akihiro Gono
–Mixed Martial Arts- August 2, 2009- Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Dan Hornbuckle landed a cracking head-kick that put Akihiro out cold…
…he had to be taken out on a stretcher.
6) Tadas Jonkus vs. Giuseppe Patane
–Kickboxing- December 4, 2011- Trieste Fight Night, Trieste, Italy
Tadas Jonkus pressed Giuseppe Patane against the ropes and annihilated him with a barrage of punches. Patane first hung on the ropes before eventually falling out of the ring. He was knocked out twice that night.
5) Marcus Aurelio vs. Keegan Marshall
–Mixed Martial Arts- April 4, 2009- Mickey McDougall Community Recreation Centre, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Marcus Aurelio lands one of the most savage spinning Capoeira kicks of all time. It’s the first Meia Lua KO in MMA history.
4) Travis Fulton vs. Jeremy Bullock
–Mixed Martial Arts- November 21, 1998- Extreme Challenge 22, West Valley City, Utah, United States
This fight is one of the most egregious MMA mismatches ever. Travis Fulton was a 200-pound brawler with dozens of fights under his belt, while Jeremy Bullock was a 170-pound taekwondo instructor who had no MMA experience whatsoever. At only 44 seconds into the bout, Fulton picked Bullock up over his head and slammed him directly onto his neck. Bullock suffered a serious back injury, but reportedly made a full recovery. He went back to teaching taekwondo, but never fought again.
3) Courtney Blocker vs. Dominic Goode
–Boxing- January 24, 2015- GPG Events Center, Pennsauken, New Jersey
This is what happens when you put a legit boxer with a 3-0 record up against a tomato can with a 0-3 record. With a devastating right hand, Dominic Goode was left crumpled and defeated. The victor Courtney Blocker is now 6-0, with all six wins coming via knockout.
2) Jonathan Tuhu vs. ???
–Kickboxing- November 1, 2014- Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
This has to be the greatest falling tree knockout ever and a virtuoso display of a much shorter fighter knocking out his giant opponent. Muay Thai ace Jonathan Tuhu obliterated his opponent with a 360-degree kamikaze-style tornado kick.
1) Collin Reuter vs. Gerald Fike
–Mixed Martial Arts- February 1, 2013- Fairbanks, Alaska
In the number one spot, it wasn’t the punch landed by Collin Reuter that was so memorable, but more so the KO victim’s reaction. After eating the right-handed shot, Gerald Fike fell backward and as he did, he arched his back, hitting the canvas headfirst.
His feet remained planted on the ground, but his legs, rear-end and back stayed off the mat. All things considered, the scene looked quite worrisome. Thankfully, Fike didn’t get badly hurt— though he never did fight again.
