The 12 Most Brutal 1-Punch Knockout Artists in MMA

Mixed martial arts is the blend of all disciplines: boxing, wrestling, muay thai, jiu-jitsu, etc.

However, some fighters are born with a God-given ability to finish a fight at any given moment, courtesy of their fists.

Some, like Anderson Silva, have expert-like precision and speed at their disposal, which make them dangerous based on skill alone. Then there are others who yield true one-punch knockout power that has laid waste to many a great fighter.

12. Chris Leben

Aptly dubbed "The Crippler," Chris Leben has developed a full arsenal of skills, including an underrated ground game, though he has always relied on the dynamite attached to his arms.

In his battle with Terry Martin some years ago, Leben was likely on his way to losing a decision before the "Dangerous" Martin connected on a flush right hand.

Sensing the finish, Martin began to press the action on a reeling Leben, who answered by plodding forward in zombie-like fashion, delivering a single left hook to the jaw that sent Martin crashing to the canvas.

Aaron Simpson, Jorge Rivera, Jorge Santiago and Wanderlei Silva have also fallen victim to the dangerous punching power of Leben.

11. Neil Grove

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Though Grove washed out of the UFC 0-1, the former Bellator heavyweight tournament finalist has perhaps the truest one-punch knockout power in the division.

Of his 11 career victories, 11 have come by some form of knockout, with the Brit regularly cutting down to make the 265-pound limit.

In his battle with Zak Jensen, the "Goliath" proved his punching prowess once again when he was rocked early by The Ultimate Fighter veteran, later turning the tides with heavy shots that ended the bout two minutes into the opening round.

Grove also owns knockout victories over UFC veterans James McSweeney and Eddie Sanchez. 

10. Melvin Guillard

The hardest-hitting lightweight in the world is none other than Melvin Guillard.

The Greg Jackson product has finished many great opponents in his 40-plus fights as a professional, but none were more emphatic than his deftly swift finish over then UFC newcomer Rick Davis.

A heavy-handed striker himself, Davis underestimated the speed of Guillard, who dropped Davis with a single right hook which connected square on the jaw.

The bout ended in just 97 seconds, with Guillard retiring Davis from mixed martial arts following the embarrassing defeat.

Former Zuffa contenders Shane Roller, Dennis Siver and Evan Dunham have also fallen victim to the heavy hands of "The Young Assassin."

9. Jake Ellenberger

Current UFC contender Jake Ellenberger has arguably the heaviest hands in the welterweight class.

Long before he entered the Octagon, Ellenberger relied on only two things—his collegiate wrestling background and his God-given gift to knock people out. 

Now riding a five-fight win streak in the UFC, Ellenberger has finished off 4 of those 5 opponents before the final bell, though his biggest career highlight is perhaps his battle with Jose Landi-Jons under the EFC banner.

There, Ellenberger was taking on a talented and touted striker in "Pele," who was a legendary figure in Brazil who hailed from the Chute Boxe Academy, owning victories over former UFC champions Matt Hughes and Pat Miletich by knockout.

Ellenberger needed just nine seconds to shut off the lights of the Brazilian, who was added to the long list of victims of the "Juggernaut," who also owns a knockout victory over former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields. 

8. Robbie Lawler

UFC, Strikeforce and Pride veteran Robbie Lawler has seen and done it all.

Much like Ellenberger, Lawler has relied on a wrestling background and heavy hands in order to garner most of his career victories, and the hits just keep on coming.

Both of his victories in the San Jose-based promotion have come via highlight reel knockout, with his most recent win coming at the expense of former UFC title challenger Matt Lindland, who was finished off by "Ruthless" in just 50 seconds.

In fact, 15 of Lawler's 18 victories have ended by knockout, to which Pride veterans Frank Trigg, Murilo Rua and Joey Villasenor can lay credence. 

7. Hector Lombard

The Bellator middleweight champion in Hector Lombard has defended his status as the top dog in the promotion thanks to his heavy, heavy hands.

The Hulk-like power that this man possesses is rarely seen of any significant champion in this sport.

Though Lombard is a considerably small middleweight who has intentions of moving back down to 170 pounds, he doesn't let his size get in the way of knocking out his opponents left and right.

The Cuban is undefeated in his last 25 fights and has cinched up a perfect 8-0 mark inside the Bellator cage.

In his last outing, Lombard took on UFC, Strikeforce and Dream veteran Trevor Prangley—a large middleweight who has heavy hands and a formidable wrestling background.

Lombard was able to finish off the durable fighter inside of the second round of their 195-pound battle, scoring the knockout midway through the fight.

The victory over Prangley was Lombard's 17th finish by way of knockout. 

6. Shane Carwin

The former UFC champ got to the title by way of some crushing knockouts inside the Octagon.

Carwin entered the UFC on the heels of an undefeated record of 8-0, with all of his battles ending inside of the first round.

The Greg Jackson fighter continued to blast through opponents, with his career eventually culminating in a battle with former title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga.

The Brazilian rocked Carwin early, but "The Engineer" managed to find a way to recover and connect on a stiff right hand that sent Gonzaga crashing to the mat.

Subsequent ground-and-pound blows followed, but the damage was already done.

A knockout victory over Frank Mir followed, earning the native of Colorado the title in the process. 

5. Vitor Belfort

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The Brazilian built his career on the powerful and fast hands that yielded many memorable knockouts.

Beginning his journey through MMA as an undersized heavyweight, Belfort's power carried over well into the light heavyweight and now middleweight division, where "The Phenom" worked his way toward a title shot earlier this year.

In his last outing, Belfort took on the durable and equally heavy-handed Yoshihiro Akiyama, finishing off the K-1 veteran inside of the first round via KO.

UFC veterans Matt Lindland, Terry Martin and former champion Rich Franklin have all felt the punching power of the former 205-pound king. 

4. Quinton Jackson

The former UFC light heavyweight champion in Quinton "Rampage" Jackson first claimed gold when he took on rival Chuck Liddell.

Liddell at the time was going into his battle with Jackson looking to defend his belt for a fifth time, though the Pride vet played spoiler when he knocked out Liddell emphatically inside the first round.

It was the first time that "The Iceman" had been stopped so decisively on strikes, with Jackson later going on to unify his belt with the Pride middleweight title when he bested Dan Henderson.

His power was on display yet again when he took on another rival in "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva some time later.

The Brazilian owned two KO victories over Jackson in Pride, but the tides turned when the Memphis native claimed the rubber match with a single left hook that sent his nemesis crashing to canvas, out cold before he hit the deck.

UFC vet Marvin Eastman and former champion Kevin Randleman have felt the brunt of Jackson's punches. 

3. Junior Dos Santos

"Cigano" first made waves in the MMA world when he took on then-top contender Fabricio Werdum some years ago.

The Pride veteran was the consummate favorite leading into the bout, but Dos Santos played spoiler when he connected on a vicious uppercut that sent Werdum turtled up and fetal on the ground, who eventually succumbed to a first-round KO.

Dos Santos continued to prove that the victory was no fluke when he then met with Stefan Struve, finishing off the 6'11" Dutchman in just 54 seconds of cage time.

His Octagon run eventually culminated in a battle with then-champion Cain Velasquez this November. Dos Santos emphatically finished the previously unbeaten Californian with another knockout victory, which took all of 64 seconds, claiming the prestigious title in the process. 

To date, Dos Santos has three "Knockout of the Night" bonuses to his credit.

2. Marlon Sandro

Though his base remains his well-versed jiu-jitsu prowess, Sandro's infamy began when he was knocking out opponents left and right.

The former Pancrase and Sengoku featherweight king hails from the Nova Uniao camp, the same academy that has yielded the likes of BJ Penn, Eduardo Dantas, Diego Nunes and UFC champ Jose Aldo.

Sandro first made waves on the Sengoku circuit where in his five victories with the promotion, four resulted in vicious and decisive knockout victories, the culmination of which came when the Brazilian took on Masanori Kanehara.

The Japanese fighter was the reigning champion and was just coming off of an impressive performance against Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.

Sandro needed just 38 seconds to finish Kanehara with a single uppercut, earning the KO and the belt in the process. 

1. Dan Henderson

The former Pride and Strikeforce champion, Dan Henderson's career has spanned across three different weight classes where the Californian has finished very formidably opposition in each division.

His rise began in the now-defunct Pride organization, where Henderson earned knockout victories over UFC veterans Ryo Chonan, Akihiro Gono and former champion Murilo Bustamante—all ending inside of the first round.

Though his accolades in the middleweight class were impressive, "Hendo" eventually took his exploits to the light heavyweight division, where he later took on Wanderlei Silva for the Brazilian's 205-pound title.

Henderson connected on a violent left hook that sent Silva reeling to the canvas, where he followed up with the infamous "H-Bomb" to the jaw, sealing the deal and making history in the process in becoming a two-division champion, since the American also earned the Pride Welterweight title.

The Team Quest product brought his striking acumen to the states, where he knocked out Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in what was dubbed "Knockout of the Year" at the World MMA Awards in 2009.

In Strikeforce, Henderson earned consecutive KO wins over former champion Renato Sobral and then Rafael Cavalcante—the victory earning Henderson gold at the age of 41.

His time with the promotion culminated when Hendo next faced off against former Pride champion Fedor Emelianenko in a heavyweight affair. Though the Russian managed to tag Henderson early, the Temecula fighter managed to reverse the roles and scored yet another knockout in arguably the biggest victory of his career.