25 Greatest 'Single Strikes' in MMA History

One of the best things about watching an MMA fight is that it can end in an instant. Fans who decide to run to the bathroom or order another drink may find themselves missing out on a great highlight reel finish.

Although a submission finish can be just as amazing, there's no denying that fight fans love a knockout. Watch any contest that ends in a knockout and you will see people jumping out of their seats to take pictures.

The sport has witnessed some great KO artists who have a career's worth of finishes that ended in a single strike. Whether by punch, elbow, knee or kick, all of these moments make up the greatest single strikes in MMA history.

Mauricio Rua vs. Akihiro Gono

In what would become his trademark move, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua ended his bout with Akihiro Gono in devastating fashion.

It was Rua's second fight with the Pride organization and he was facing a very well-known fighter. Rua unleashed a powerful combination that dropped Gono to his hands and knees. "Shogun" then nearly took Gono's head off with his patented soccer kick.

Rua would go on to finish numerous fighters with his soccer kicks, but the one against Gono was particularly nasty.

Fedor Emelianenko vs Brett Rodgers

As Fedor Emelianenko was set to make his Strikeforce debut, Brett Rodgers was looking to play the part of spoiler. Rodgers had some flashes of offense that eventually caused Emelianenko's nose to start bleeding, but the Russian would have the last laugh.

In typical Emelianenko fashion, he unleashed a furious right hand that sent Rodgers flailing to the mat.

Emelianenko put nearly all of his 230-pound frame into the punch, which not only nearly decapitated Rodgers, but also spurred numerous GIF makers into a frenzy.

Takanori Gomi vs. Tyson Griffin

The bout may not mean much in the history of MMA, but Takanori Gomi causing Tyson Griffin to faceplant into the mat was one of the most shocking moments in recent memory.

Gomi looked to be at the end of the road but made us all think the old "Fireball kid" was making his way back.

The most shocking part of the KO was that Griffin attempted to argue that he was perfectly fine. I guess Gomi really did knock his opponent senseless.

Andrei Alrovski vs. Fedor Emelianenko

Andrei Arlovski had some initial success against Fedor Emelianenko. Fans were anticipating a knockout from the heavy-handed Arlovski as he backed Emelianenko into a corner.

For some inexplicable reason, Arlvoski decided to forget what brought him to the dance and went for a flying knee. Instead of landing his strike, Emelianeko landed a powerful punch to send Arlovski to the canvas.

Other than the knockout punch itself, what makes this knockout particularly impressive was the way Arlvoski face-planted into the mat after taking the blow.

Brock Lesnar vs Heath Herring

The matchup between Brock Lesnar and Heath Herring was supposed to be about a young prospect attempting to make a name at the old guard's expense. Lesnar wasted no time in announcing his intentions for the bout.

In the opening seconds of the fight, Lesnar unleashed a massive straight right hand that sent Herring falling back to the canvas.

Although it didn't officially end the bout, it pretty much set the tone for the rest of the fight and actually broke Herring's orbital bone.

Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson

Although it was technically a "double flying knee," only one of Jose Aldo's knees landed flush on Cub Swanson's face.

The move came out of nowhere and Swanson was left in the middle of the cage like rubble from a demolished building.

Not too many people knew what to make of Aldo before this bout, but afterwards we couldn't stop talking about his impressive showing of what was to come.

Gary Goodridge vs. Don Fry III

After losing the first two contests, Gary Goodridge was looking for some vindication against Don Frye at Pride Shockwave 2003.

Goodridge would find his vindication in the form of a thunderous headkick at 39 seconds into the opening frame.

Other than nailing the headkick, what made this KO more brutal was Frye falling face-first into the mat with his eyes open.

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping

Dan Henderson left the UFC following his bout at UFC 100, but he certainly did it in style. After watching Michael Bisping get under his skin for weeks on The Ultimate Fighter, Henderson finally got his hands on the British fighter.

In an effort to "shut him up," Henderson landed a huge overhand right and followed it up with a flying elbow.

If only Bisping had listened to his corner and avoided circling directly into the "H-Bomb."

Hayato Sakurai vs. Olaf Alfonso

Hayato Sakurai made it all the way to the finals of the first Lightweight Grand Prix only to be knocked out by Takanori Gomi. Sakurai must've been upset about the loss because he took out his anger on Olaf Alfonso.

Alfonso was rushing in and ran straight into an overhand right from Sakurai.

All of Alfonso's momentum ceased almost instantly as he crumpled to the canvas. Sakurai added a few more punches, but the damage was clearly done.

Alistair Overeem vs. Kazuyuki Fujita

Alistair Overeem may go down as one of the most decorated strikers to ever compete in MMA. In his bout with Kazuyuki Fujita, Overeem decided to unleash the "Uberknee."

The knee landed right on Fujita's face and sent him tumbling through the ropes. Overeem stepped into the knee which caused it to land with such force.

Not the most important win of Overeem's career, but certainly one of his best highlight finishes.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum

When Junior dos Santos stepped in to face Fabricio Werdum, most MMA fans expected dos Santos to be just another stepping stone for Werdum's path to the title.

Instead, dos Santos landed one of his patented uppercuts and dropped Werdum. The punch landed so hard that you could see Werdum's ears wiggle as he fell to the mat on the slo-mo replays.

With an impressive UFC debut, dos Santos went on to run through everyone he's faced in his path to becoming the UFC Heavyweight champion.

Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell

When Rashad Evans met Chuck Liddell, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan treated us to numerous "If you want to be a legend, you have to beat one" lines throughout the previews. Evans not only beat a legend, he nearly took his head off.

Evans and Liddell threw punches at roughly the same time, but Evans landed first. The punch landed with such ferocity that fans were seriously concerned about Liddell's health.

Unfortunately for Evans. the fight led him to fall too much in love with his striking, which eventually caused him to lose his title to Lyoto Machida.

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

After being tested in a manner we hadn't seen before, Anderson Silva responded in shocking fashion in his next bout. A matchup against Vitor Belfort was expected to produce some interesting striking exchanges.

The most interesting one occurred when Silva unleashed a front kick to Belfort's face. Belfort survived to take a few more punches, but there's no doubting he was knocked out by Silva's foot.

The move was a basic one for traditional martial arts, but most MMA fans had never seen anything like it. Only two months later, Lyoto Machida provided an encore at UFC 129.

Bas Rutten vs. Jason Delucia

Bas Rutten knocked Jason Delucia down numerous times with body shots throughout their final meeting. This one in particular actually took Delucia off his feet.

Rutten, always known for his body shots, didn't disappoint as he hit Delucia numerous times with body punches and kicks. Delucia finally could take no more and was literally swept off his feet by a liver punch.

Delucia has submitted in their previous encounters, so I guess we should give him some praise for at least losing in different fashion, right?

Rashad Evans vs. Sean Salmon

Being known primarily as a wrestler at this point in his career, Rashad Evans became a Youtube sensation after KO'ing Sean Salmon.

Evans' head kick has been a mainstay in any highlight reel about him and is without question one of the most devastating KO's in UFC history.

The impressive showing vaulted Evans into light heavyweight contenders, evident by Evans going from facing Salmon to Tito Ortiz.

Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva III

The first two meetings between Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva looked like mirror images of each other. Silva was able to utilize his muay Thai to destroy Jackson (including leaving Jackson a bloody mess through the ropes).

Jackson finally found some measure of vindication as he floored Silva with a looping hook. The bout came under scrutiny due to Jackson's punches after Silva was clearly out, but in the heat of the moment against a rival, it's hard to fault Jackson too much.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding it, the fight produced one of the most thunderous knockouts in UFC history.

Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Francis Bueno

Igor Vovchanchyn made a career out of knocking his opponents out. Unfortunately for Francis Bueno, he happens to be another statistic on Vovchanchyn's list.

You can see Vovchanchyn attempting to find an opening while cutting off the ring. Finally he got an opening and took advantage of it.

Vovchanchyn backed Bueno against the ropes and unloaded a furious right cross into Bueno's face. The result? No bueno.

Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler

When Nick Diaz met Robbie Lawler in 2004, Lawler was the quint essential golden child for the UFC. Diaz was the jiu-jitsu artist who we all expected to attempt to drag the better striker to the mat. See what I did there?

Although Lawler was considered to be the better striker coming into the fight, you'd never guess it by how the fight played out. After toying with Lawler for much of the fight, Diaz finally landed a punch on Lawler's chin and the Miletich fighter fell face first into the canvas.

The win signified the arrival of Diaz as a contender and let everyone know they had more to worry about besides his submission game.

Dan Henderson vs. Wanderlei Silva

In a rematch, Dan Henderson fought Wanderlei Silva at Pride 33 for the Pride Middleweight Championship.

In a shocking move, Henderson floored Silva with his "H-Bomb Lite" (left hand). Silva collapsed back to the floor as Henderson jumped onto his opponent.

After winning the bout, Henderson would become the first fighter to hold two titles in two different weight classes at the same time. And I'm sure he felt great about avenging a loss to Silva at Pride 12.

Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell

When Quinton Jackson and Chuck Liddell faced off again inside the UFC's Octagon, it became the first bout that received mainstream media attention. Although an underdog, Jackson was confident heading into the fight.

As Liddell circled to his left, Jackson landed a looping hook to end the reign of "The Iceman."

Liddell was on a path to avenge his previous losses at that point in his career but Jackson simply had his number.

Cro Cop vs. Wanderlei Silva

Two of the best competitors to ever step inside the Pride ring were Mirko "Cro Cop" and Wanderlei Silva. When these two men met in 2006, fireworks were expected.

The fans weren't disappointed as "Cro Cop" used his superior technique to pick Silva apart.

After turning Silva's face into a bloody mess, "Cro Cop" finally unleashed a devastating high kick that would go on to live in KO highlight reels for years to come.

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

In one of the most embarrassing performances inside the Octagon, Forrest Griffin was simply outclassed against Anderson Silva.

Silva utilized his reflexes to avoid Griffin's strikes and eventually dropped the former champion with a punch as he moved backward. Griffin provided MMA's "No Mas" moment.

Griffin quickly ran out of the Octagon like an NBA player avoids being posterized by an opposing dunker. If I performed like that I'd want to be off national television too.

Pete Williams vs. Mark Coleman

Many fans expected Mark Coleman to take Pete Williams down and maul him in typical Coleman fashion.

Instead, Williams fended Coleman off for over 10 minutes of fighting and punctuated his win with a gruesome head kick (with a shoe) to Coleman's face.

Near the height of his popularity, the loss for Coleman was shocking. Just another example of how anything can happen in this sport.

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop'

It has been called the end of an era. It may also be the most disturbing case of irony in MMA history.

After making a career of knocking people senseless with head kicks, Mirko "Cro Cop" finally tasted a bit of his own medicine. "Cro Cop" never really looked like the same fighter as in Pride during his UFC run but this loss truly signaled the end of his reign of dominance.

Besides it being one of the greatest KO's in MMA history, the manner in which "Cro Cop's" leg gets twisted under him is disturbing.

Anderson Silva Vs.Tony Fryklund

Anderson Silva will go down as one of the greatest fighters to step inside UFC's Octagon. But perhaps his most impressive KO occurred outside the UFC.

Silva threw a move he had probably only practiced in the mirror, and he somehow landed it.

Nobody should fault Tony Fryklund at all, as a reverse elbow was probably the last thing he thought he'd have to defend against.