UFC 132: Carlos Condit, Anderson Silva and the Best Flying-Knee KOs in MMA

Heading into UFC 132, the main concern for Carlos Condit was whether he would be able to keep his fight with Dong Hyun Kim standing. After being taken down early in the fight, Condit quickly swept Kim and showed that he was not going to be another victim of the South Korean's outstanding top control.

Shortly after, Condit landed a beautiful flying knee that led to a first round stoppage. With the impressive performance, Condit is now considered one of the top contenders in the welterweight division.

Let's take a look at where Condit's flying knee ranks among other fight-ending strikes of its kind in the history of MMA.

15. Gesias Cavalcante vs. Hiroyuki Takaya

In the quarterfinals of the 2006 Hero's Middleweight Grand Prix, Gesias Cavalcante was paired with Hiroyuki Takaya.

Just 30 seconds into the fight, Cavalcante dropped Takaya with a flying knee and finished the job with punches.

Cavalcante proceeded to win the tournament by defeating Rani Yahya and Caol Uno in his next two bouts.

14. Gilbert Yvel vs. Carlos Barreto

Very rarely do you see a heavyweight attempting flying knees, but Gilbert Yvel is a much more athletic striker than most other heavyweights. Yvel actually has a number of knockouts due to flying knee throughout his career.

After losing to Kazuyuki Fujita at Pride 12, Yvel was given a fight with Carlos Barreto in March 2001. In the first round, Yvel crumpled Barreto with his signature flying knee.

Credit this referee for preventing Yvel from inflicting unnecessary damage, as "The Hurricane" is a notoriously dirty fighter who has even knocked out a referee before.

13. Marius Zaromskis vs. Ross Mason

Before finding success in Dream, Marius Zaromskis made a name for himself in Cage Rage with this flying knee knockout of Ross Mason.

After two rounds of hard-fought action, Zaromskis caught Mason in a moment of carelessness.

Check out the video of the knockout here.

12. Robbie Lawler vs. Joey Villasenor

After losing to Jason Miller in September 2006, Robbie Lawler fought in his first and only Pride event against Joey Villasenor. After 22 seconds, Lawler was already being pulled off of Villasenor due to a brutal flying knee.

The win began the most successful run of Lawler's career, which culminated in the win and defense of the EliteXC Middleweight Championship.

11. Joachim Hansen vs. Caol Uno

On a three fight winning streak, Joachim Hansen met Caol Uno in the first ever event under the Hero's banner, which also featured fighters like Lyoto Machida and B.J. Penn.

With only 12 seconds remaining in what had already been an outstanding fight, Hansen took full advantage of a momentary lack of concentration of Uno's part.

Although Hansen barely left the ground, this knockout deserves mention on this list.

Check out the video of the knockout here.

10. Nick Pace vs. Collin Tebo

In only the second fight of his career, Nick Pace was invited to compete at Bellator 11 against Collin Tebo. Less than two minutes into the fight, Pace put an exclamation point on his Bellator debut.

Pace is now competing in the UFC, where he recently completed another exciting finish with a creative submission of Will Campuzano.

9. Pablo Garza vs. Fredson Paixao

Having lost in his first and only WEC fight before the merger, Pablo Garza's job was likely on the line in his UFC debut against Fredson Paixao.

In what was the first ever featherweight bout in UFC history, Garza scored one of the most brutal flying knee knockouts ever.

8. Patricky Freire vs. Toby Imada

After scoring a knockout of Rob McCullough, Patricky Freire moved on to meet Toby Imada in the semifinal round of the 2011 Bellator Lightweight Tournament.

Midway through the first round, Freire landed a flying knee on the button. Imada was out on his feet and a few extra punches finished the fight for Freire.

Freire would go on to lose against Michael Chandler in the tournament finals, though.

7. Anderson Silva vs. Carlos Newton

Even before Anderson Silva was the dominant force he has become in the UFC, he was still producing highlight reel finishes in other promotions such as Pride.

At Pride 25, Silva clipped Carlos Newton with this perfectly executed flying knee. Newton remained sitting upright, but his head was not all there and Silva jumped on him for the finish.

6. James Irvin vs. Terry Martin

James Irvin may not have been the most successful fighter in UFC history, but he was able to produce plenty of spectacular finishes in his time with the organization.

At UFC 54, Irvin wasted no time in attacking at the beginning of the second round against Terry Martin. Less than 10 seconds of the bell rang, Martin was out cold after a flying knee landed right on his temple.

5. Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

For the third straight fight, Carlos Condit finished his opponent with a memorable knockout. This time, Condit timed a flying knee to perfection against Dong Hyun Kim.

With the win, Condit may be at the top of the waiting line to challenge his teammate and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.

4. B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk

After winning the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship in a dominating performance against Joe Stevenson, B.J. Penn looked to defend his 155 pound title for the first time against Sean Sherk.

This combination and flying knee led to the first of multiple title defenses for "The Prodigy."

3. Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson

After dominating the first four opponents he faced in the WEC, Jose Aldo finally earned a step up in competition against Cub Swanson at WEC 41. As you can see, even Swanson wasn't enough of a challenge for the eventual WEC and UFC Featherweight Champion.

With this eight second knockout, Aldo earned a title shot against Mike Brown, who he also finished in dominant fashion.

2. Spencer Fisher vs. Matt Wiman

While in the prime of his career, Spencer Fisher met Matt Wiman after a split decision loss to Sam Stout. Against Wiman, Fisher showcased his superior striking en route to a spectacular finish.

After getting clipped with a right hand, Wiman shook his finger in the air to signal that he wasn't hurt. A split second after that, Wiman was seeing stars from an epic flying knee.

1. Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

In his first fight after winning the 2005 Hero's Lightweight Grand Prix, Norifumi Yamamoto fought Kazuyuki Miyata at Hero's 5 in May 2006.

To be perfectly honest, this knockout was more humorous than anything, as Yamamoto ended the fight with a flying knee in only four seconds.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter here.