If you’re a fan of combat sports, you are most likely also a fan of the elusive knockout as well. Scoring a knockout is exciting enough on its own, but doing it seconds within the start of the bout has to be even more exhilarating.
Plus, going home and collecting a check after seconds of work must not be too bad. In the list below we have ten of the most shockingly quick knockouts you could hope to see, including ones from MMA legend Takanori Gomi and rising superstar Conor McGregor.
10) Takanori Gomi vs Ralph Gracie
-PRIDE Bushido 3, May 23rd, 2004
For years Takinori Gomi has been regarded as one of the greatest lightweights to ever grace the sport. Ralph Gracie was an undefeated fighter coming into this bout, but it only took just over six seconds for Gomi to hand Gracie his first loss. Ralph retired from the sport of MMA following this fight.
9) Hector Lombard vs Jay Silva
-Bellator 18, May 13th, 2010
Hector Lombard at the time was Bellator’s flagship fighter and many believed he would be the man to defeat the then reigning UFC champion Anderson Silva.
Coming into the fight on an eighteen fight win streak, he was the heavy favorite to win. It only took him a handful of seconds to make it a nineteen fight win streak while also proving he was a force to be reckoned with at any weight division.
8) Conor McGregor vs Patrick Doherty
-Immortal Fighting Championship 4, April 16th, 2011
This may be the only man on the list that needs no introduction. In Conor McGregor’s 9th professional contest he took on Patrick Doherty, ending the fight with the same punch he would eventually go on to knock out Jose Aldo with.
This was the third fight of Conor’s now fifteen fight winning streak.
7) Mike Garrett vs Jimi Animashaun
-WCMMA 15, June 13th, 2014
Coming off of a two second knockout win over Sam Heron, Mike Garrett stepped back into the cage to face Jimi Animashaun. When your opponent is coming off such a quick KO win, you might not want to walk across the cage when the bell rings only to plant your feet and stand completely still in front of him, just as Animashaun did.
6) Marian Rusu vs Ben Schneider
-UCMMA 39, May 3rd, 2014
Everyone knows when heavyweights are in the cage, you can’t look away for even a second. But even with that knowledge, this four second knockout win was even a shock to the winner.
The referee having to use all of his strength to pull the winner off until he realizes that the fight is already over.
5) Chris Clements vs Lautaro Tucas
-TKO 25, May 5th, 2006
It is rare to see such a speedy knockout in a regulated fight, they usually only happen when one fighter or the other takes a massive risk. It is clear which fighter in this clip took the risk, as at the bell Tucas runs across the ring at full speed charging his opponent.
Clements circles away from the charging attack and lands one quick strike on his opponent that immediately knocks him out.
4) Steve Ramirez vs Darvin Wattree
-Pure Combat IX, July 25th, 2009
There are only so many things that can happen when two fighters refuse to take a step back. They will either end up exchanging strikes or in a clinch. But in this fight in particular there was no time for either as the first strike thrown knocks Wattree completely out cold sending him face first onto the mat.
3) Norifumi Yamamoto vs Kazuyuki Miyata
-K-1 Hero’s 5, May 3rd, 2006
There have been plenty of instances in MMA where a fighter has started the fight by charging forward with a flying attack, but there are far fewer instances of it actually working.
Yamamoto catches his opponent like a deer in caught in headlights as he charges across the ring jumping into the air and landing a vicious knee.
2) Mike Garrett vs Sam Heron
-WCMMA 14, March 15th, 2014
If you’re wondering why the name Mike Garrett sounds so familiar, it might be because he also holds the 7th fastest knockout on the list as well. He might not have the number one KO on the list, but making it on a top 10 list twice has to count for something right?
1) Ryohei Masuda vs Takahiro Kuroishi
-The Outsider 2, July 19th, 2008
So far in our countdown we’ve seen multiple people charge at the ring of the starting bell, with it working out for some and others not so much. But in this final clip the fighter rushes forward with what seems like absolutely no plan, running straight into a counter punch that knocks him out before being able to even attempt a single strike of his own.
His unconscious body drops face first down onto the floor completely limp, allowing Ryohei Masuda to celebrate his two second win with a backflip center ring.
