The 25 Latest Finishes in UFC History

Many people assume that when a fight gets to the final moments, it's probably going to a decision.

For the most part, that can be considered a fair assumption. The fighters have fought for a significant amount of time, and neither was able to finish the other.

This list just goes to show that fighters may go down, but you can never count them out.

A fighter is always a threat to finish his opponent, from the first second to the last. Be it a knockout, a TKO, a submission or a stoppage from another factor, you can never make assumptions about how a fight will go or how it will end.

So here we go—the top 25 (technically 26) latest finishes in the history of the UFC.

Note: UFC 21 was the first card that utilized three five-minute rounds for non-title fights and five five-minute rounds for title fights. Therefore, only fights from UFC 21 and on will be included.

No. 25 (tie): Rich Franklin vs. Jorge Rivera, UFC 50

To kick off this list, we've got a fight from UFC 50.

This fight was the co-main event of the evening, and it featured Rich Franklin before he was ever a UFC champion, taking on a man who's been around for what seems like forever, Jorge Rivera.

With about a minute left in the fight, Franklin was able to move to mount, and as Rivera regained half guard and turtled up, Franklin got an armbar at the 4:28 mark of Round 3.

No. 25 (tie): Drew Fickett vs. Josh Koscheck, Ultimate Fight Night 2

The next fight ended at the same exact time as the Franklin-Rivera fight.

This fight featured Josh Koscheck in his third UFC fight, fifth overall, taking on a guy with 31 fights at the time, Drew Fickett.

With a little under a minute left, John McCarthy stood the fight back up, at which point Fickett landed a heavy head kick that put Koscheck face first on the mat.

Fickett jumped right on and locked in a rear naked choke that put Koscheck to sleep at the 4:28 mark of Round 3.

No. 24: Will Campuzano vs. Nick Pace, The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale

One of the more recent fights on this list, this one took place at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale.

In what was to be the first bantamweight fight in UFC history (Nick Pace missed weight by three pounds), Nick Pace took on Will Campuzano.

Pace was able to submit Campuzano with a Pace Choke/Pillory Choke/Gogoplata+Triangle+Other Craziness at the 4:32 mark of Round 3.

No. 23: Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio Rua, UFC 93

At UFC 93, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua faced off against Mark Coleman with revenge on his mind. Shogun had previously lost to Coleman when Coleman broke Rua's arm in under a minute.

The rematch was Shogun's first fight after being upset by Forrest Griffin,and Coleman's first fight in the UFC in a decade.

It ended up being a controversial stoppage, as the two were exhausted, and Rua dropped Coleman with little time left.

Although Coleman was still defending, Kevin Mulhall stepped in to stop the fight—which Coleman immediately protested—and hand Shogun the victory.

The fight ended at the 4:36 mark of Round 3.

No. 22: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Kevin Jordan, UFC 56

The next fight on this list took place at UFC 56 when Gabriel Gonzaga, in his UFC debut, took on Kevin Jordan, who was making his second UFC appearance.

In a relatively boring fight, Gonzaga and Jordan went back and forth for 14 minutes, but in the closing seconds of the third round, Gonzaga put an emphatic finish on the fight.

At the 4:37 mark of Round 3, Gonzaga landed a superman punch that rocked and floored Jordan and then followed up with a couple punches before being declared the winner.

No. 21 (tie): Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben, UFC 116

Another relatively recent fight on the list, and a hell of a fight, too.

At UFC 116, Chris Leben, after fighting only two weeks prior, battled Yoshihiro Akiyama in a middleweight brawl for the ages.

Akiyama won the first two rounds but gassed out badly in the third, and with only 20 seconds left in the fight, he was forced to submit to a Leben triangle choke.

Leben won via submission at 4:40 of Round 3.

No. 21 (tie): Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie, UFC 112

At UFC 112, Matt Hughes faced off against his second Gracie, as he took on Royce's cousin, Renzo Gracie.

Throughout the fight, Hughes trashed the leg of Renzo, and toward the end of the fight Renzo could barely stand up.

In the third round, though, Hughes really turned it up, landing three straight jabs to Renzo up against the fence, followed by a one-two, another one-two and then an uppercut as Renzo was on his way down.

He beat the hell out of him and finished the fight at 4:40 of Round 3.

No. 19: Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox, UFC 115

At UFC 115, on the undercard and as the first fight of the night, Mike Pyle took on Jesse Lennox in a welterweight matchup.

This fight ended with only 16 seconds left in the third round, as Pyle was able to put Lennox to sleep with a triangle choke.

Mike Pyle won by submission at 4:44 of the third round.

More to come from this card later on.

No. 18: Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin, UFC 76

The next fight is the first matchup of Forrest Griffin and Shogun Rua and Shogun's second appearance on this list.

At UFC 76, Forrest was set to take on Shogun, and many thought Forrest was a lamb being led to slaughter, as Shogun was considered the No. 1 light heavyweight in the world.

Forrest proved them all wrong, as he was able to submit Shogun with a rear naked choke in the third round and shock the world.

Forrest Griffin won by submission at 4:45 of Round 3.

No. 17: Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller, UFC 86

At UFC 86, Jorge Gurgel took on Cole Miller in a lightweight fight on the undercard as the first fight of the night.

Gurgel was making his sixth appearance inside the Octagon, and Miller was making his fourth.

In the end, Miller was able to submit Gurgel with a triangle choke at the 4:48 mark of Round 3.

No. 16: Shonie Carter vs. Matt Serra, UFC 31

One of my personal favorite knockouts of all time took place at UFC 31, when Shonie Carter took on Matt Serra.

This welterweight bout was featured on the main card and had a highlight-reel finish.

With nine seconds left in the fight, Carter threw a spinning backfist that knocked Serra out cold.

Carter won by KO at 4:51 of Round 3.

No. 15: Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald, UFC 115

Told you there was more to come from this card.

At UFC 115, in the first fight on the main card, two fast-rising prospects in the welterweight division squared off, as final WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit took on Rory MacDonald.

Going into the third round, it was likely 20-18 in favor of MacDonald, but Condit came out knowing he needed the finish.

Condit was able to control and hurt MacDonald throughout the round, and with only seven seconds left, MacDonald was mercifully saved.

Condit won by TKO at 4:53 of Round 3.

No. 14: John Howard vs. Dennis Hallman, The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale

On the undercard of The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, John "Doomsday" Howard faced off against "The Speedo Torpedo" Dennis Hallman in a welterweight matchup.

Hallman was in control throughout the entire fight until Howard pulled off a miracle.

At the 4:55 mark of Round 3, Howard was able to knock Hallman out and pull off one of the best comebacks in history.

No. 11 (tie): Vitor Belfort vs. Randy Couture, UFC 49

The first of three fights to be stopped at the 5:00 mark of Round 3 was a title fight featuring Vitor Belfort attempting to defend the light heavyweight belt against the man who he defeated via cut in 49 seconds, Randy Couture.

This fight was quite different from the first, as all three rounds went to Couture definitively, and in the third round, Randy laid a smackdown on Vitor, and his white trunks turned pink from all the blood. In the third round, Randy was also able to open a nasty gash next to Belfort's right eye.

Couture won via doctor stoppage at 5:00 of Round 3.

No. 11 (tie): Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock, UFC 40

UFC 40 featured the first of three matchups between these two legendary competitors, and it was the only time that the light heavyweight title was on the line.

Tito came into the fight after defending his title for the fourth time, and Shamrock was coming off a split-decision loss to Don Frye prior to the fight.

Tito basically just mauled Shamrock for 15 minutes, and then after the third round, Shamrock's corner threw in the towel.

Ortiz won by corner stoppage at 5:00 of Round 3.

No. 11 (tie): BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk, UFC 84

The only stoppage that came directly due to strikes at the 5:00 mark of Round 3 was a fight between BJ Penn and Sean Sherk at UFC 84 with the lightweight title on the line.

The round was about to end, and Sherk appeared to let his guard down a little bit, at which point Penn flew at him with a flying knee that dropped him and followed up with a few punches to earn the stoppage.

Penn won via TKO at 5:00 of Round 3.

If you want to see Penn's win, watch the first trailer for the new UFC Undisputed game. It's featured in the first several seconds.

No. 10: Chuck Liddell vs. Jeremy Horn, UFC 54

Now we reach the top 10 latest finishes in UFC history.

In Chuck Liddell's first defense of his light heavyweight title, he faced off against Jeremy Horn at UFC 56.

Liddell did what he was known for and used his striking and defensive wrestling to keep the fight on the feet and control Horn. Liddell even knocked him down a few times.

In the fourth round, Liddell hit Horn with a right, and Horn began to bleed from his eye and nose and informed the referee that he could no longer see.

Chuck Liddell won via TKO at 2:46 of Round 4.

No. 9: Matt Hughes vs. Hayato Sakurai, UFC 36

This one was a one-sided blowout.

At UFC 36 back in 2002, Matt Hughes, making his first defense of his welterweight title the first time around, took on Hayato Sakurai, who was coming off a serious car accident.

Hughes dominated this fight from start to finish with takedowns and ground and pound.

At one point, Sakurai was able to knock Hughes down, but he got taken down soon after.

Matt Hughes won by TKO at 3:01 of Round 4.

No. 8: Evan Tanner vs. Rich Franklin, UFC 53

At UFC 53, Rich Franklin looked to win the middleweight title by defeating Evan Tanner for a second time.

The first matchup between these two ended with a Franklin TKO at 2:40 of the first round. This one would last a bit longer.

Throughout the fight, Franklin was able to pick Tanner apart on the feet and managed to avoid the ground and pound from Tanner.

Eventually, Herb Dean stepped in to have a cut looked at, and the doctor called a stop to the fight.

Rich Franklin won by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 3:25 of Round 4.

No. 7: Carlos Newton vs. Matt Hughes, UFC 38

Matt Hughes makes his third appearance on this list, as his second title defense—first time around—went even longer than the first.

At UFC 38, Hughes went up against Carlos Newton for a second time. The first time, Hughes won the welterweight title when he knocked Newton out with a slam in the second round.

However, as with the Tanner-Franklin matchup, this one went a bit longer.

It was the same story as every Matt Hughes fight, as he used his wrestling to control and ground and pound Newton.

At one point in the third round, Hughes went for an armbar and lost the position, and Newton ended up with top position and then moved on to Hughes' back.

Hughes came back out with a vengeance in the fourth, got the mounted crucifix and earned the stoppage.

Matt Hughes won by TKO at 3:35 of Round 4.

No. 6: BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian, UFC 101

B.J. Penn appears on the list for a second time, and he's on now for his lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian at UFC 101.

Penn and Florian had a very close, back-and-forth battle for the first three rounds. Those three rounds saw Florian utilize heavy clinch work in an attempt to tire Penn out.

It didn't work.

In the fourth round, Penn came out and scored a big takedown about a minute in; he then worked some ground and pound and eventually made his way to Florian's back.

If the picture isn't enough of a giveaway as to what happened, then I'll just let you know that Penn locked in the rear naked choke and got Florian to submit.

Penn won via submission at 3:54 of Round 4.

No. 5: Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz, UFC 22

The earliest fight on this list features Frank Shamrock, in the fourth and final defense of his light heavyweight title, against the up-and-coming Tito Ortiz.

Tito was just a young gun at this time, as he only had five pro fights under his belt, while Shamrock had well over 20.

Tito was in control for the first three rounds and part of the fourth, as he had takedowns and top position for most of the first 19 minutes.

With about a minute left in the fourth, Shamrock scored a sweep, got into a scramble and ended up holding a guillotine from his knees.

He rolled from that and ended up teeing off on Tito, who was desperately holding onto a low single.

At that point, the referee called a stop to the fight, and Shamrock had won.

Frank Shamrock won via TKO at 4:42 of Round 4.

No. 4: Georges St-Pierre vs. BJ Penn, UFC 94

Yes, folks, here we have "Greasegate." This was the fight where GSP was accused of greasing in between rounds.

This was the second meeting between GSP and B.J. Penn, with Penn looking to become the first man to simultaneously hold titles in two weight classes in the UFC.

The first round was relatively even, with Penn stopping all of GSP's takedown attempts—and even making GSP bleed—but in the second round, GSP was able to score a takedown and wear Penn down.

The third round was more of the same—takedowns with methodical ground and pound, plus GSP repaid Penn by bloodying him up.

The fourth round was just continuing the third round, with GSP beating down a gassed-out Penn.

After the fourth round, Penn's brother threw in the towel, and the fight was over.

GSP wins by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 4.

No. 3: BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez, UFC 107

This was one of the worst beatdowns in UFC history.

At UFC 107, Penn looked to make the third defense of his lightweight title by facing off against Diego "The Nightmare"—now known as "The Dream"—Sanchez.

In the first round, Penn almost knocked out Sanchez, and the referee could have stopped the fight, but Diego managed to outlast the barrage. Additionally, in that round, Sanchez went for at least 10 takedowns and didn't score one of them.

The rest of the fight just consisted of Penn picking Diego apart.

In the fifth round, Penn landed a head kick that opened a huge gash, seen in the picture, which forced the doctors to call a stop to the fight.

Penn won via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 2:37 of Round 5.

No. 2: Ricco Rodriguez vs. Randy Couture, UFC 39

Another fight from the early UFC days features none other than Captain America, Randy Couture, taking on Ricco Rodriguez for the vacant heavyweight championship.

Back when Couture was a spring chicken, at 39 years of age, he was able to win the first three rounds from the younger and bigger Rodriguez.

Unfortunately, after the third round, Couture began to gas out.

Then, in the fifth round, Rodriguez landed an elbow strike from the guard that immediately broke Couture's orbital bone.

Couture was forced to verbally submit, and Rodriguez became the new UFC heavyweight champion.

Ricco Rodriguez won via submission (verbal) at 3:04 of Round 5.

No. 1: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen, UFC 117

I'm sure an entire book could be written about this fight, but I'll try to keep it to just one slide.

At UFC 117, Anderson Silva was set to defend his middleweight title against Chael Sonnen.

Sonnen did an incredible job of hyping up the fight, and this was one of the most anticipated title fights in UFC history.

For the better part of 20 minutes, Sonnen backed up his talk and beat the hell out of Silva.

Then, in the fifth round, Silva showed the true heart of a champion, and with only 110 seconds left, Silva threw up a triangle armbar and was able to get the tap from Sonnen.

This was the latest finish in UFC history, and one of the most impressive given all the circumstances.

Anderson Silva won via submission at 3:10 of Round 5.

Thanks for reading!

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on Twitter @tmt2393.