UFC Mid-Year Awards 2011: Top 5 Knockouts of the Year

After a long stretch of major MMA events ended with UFC 132, we are now midway through the calender year. As we wait for the MMA schedule to pick back up, Bleacher Report will be taking a look at several different mid-year awards.

This installment will focus on the UFC Knockout of the Year. Already, there have been plenty of options for the award, but we had to narrow it down to five nominees.

Here are the top five UFC knockouts from the first half of 2011.

5. Sam Stout vs. Yves Edwards

A bout between two fighters known for their striking abilities, Sam Stout and Yves Edwards were expected to provide fireworks on their feet at UFC 131.

It took less than four minutes for an explosion to occur, as Stout landed a brutal counter left hook. Edwards lost consciousness before he even hit the canvas.

4. John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson

One of the brightest lightweight prospects in the UFC, John Makdessi met Kyle Watson at UFC 129. After dominating the fight with his technical striking, Makdessi finished Watson in the third round.

At 1:27 of the final frame, Makdessi landed a spinning backfist to the chin of Watson, which extended the Canadian's undefeated record to 9-0.

3. Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture

Heading into UFC 129, Randy Couture announced that, regardless of the outcome, he would retire after his fight against Lyoto Machida.

With a jumping front kick knockout, Machida left no doubt in Couture's mind that it was the right time to call it quits.

2. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

Lyoto Machida wasn't the only Black House MMA fighter to score a front-kick knockout in 2011, though.

At UFC 126, Anderson Silva hit Belfort with a perfectly timed front kick and defended his middleweight belt for an eighth consecutive time.

Belfort was expected to give Silva one of his toughest tests in the standup, but "The Spider" showed once again why he is the best in the world.

1. Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry

At UFC on Versus 4, Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry competed in one of the most exciting one-round fights in the history of the sport.

After getting dropped multiple times by Barry, Kongo planted his feet and threw two haymakers, which left Barry unconscious and viewers in shock.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.