UFC on FOX 3: Josh Koscheck and the Best Wrestlers-Turned-KO Specialists

Wrestlers get a bad wrap. Many believe that a fighter who takes a fight to the mat isn't "fighting like a man." According to casual fans, wrestlers are the most boring fighters in MMA and they just dry-hump each other for 15 minutes.

While I will admit that some fights have the visual appeal and excitement factor of a Ben Stein lecture on pocket lint, wrestlers tend to dominate the ground game because of their heavy hips and tendency to smother.

It's not fair to extend the actions of some wrestlers (I'm looking at you, Ben Askren) and apply them to everyone else.

For anyone who doesn't believe wrestlers can be entertaining, this is a look at pugilists who have proven the wrestling stigma to be false. Here is a look at 10 wrestlers who turned into KO specialists.

Josh Koscheck

Josh Koscheck was a pure wrestler with poor striking mechanics when he first joined the UFC roster. Over the course of his career, he has evolved at an alarming rate.

Kos has scored five of his 15 Octagon victories via KO, with the most violent coming against poor Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Additional striking stoppages have come over Frank Trigg, Matt Hughes, Dustin Hazelett and Chris Sanford.

Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans didn't finish any of his three exhibition bouts in the Ultimate Fighter house. Two split decisions and one majority decision later, Rashad certainly didn't appear to be the KO artist that he eventually became.

Rashad's first KO came at UFC 63, and he has scored four more since then. The biggest of his career was his 2008 Knockout of the Year over Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. Evans has also finished Sean Salmon, Forrest Griffin, Jason Lambert and Tito Ortiz with strikes.

Chuck Liddell

Chuck Liddell was an NCAA Division I wrestler before his time in the UFC. Preferring to stand and bang, Liddell famously used his wrestling defensively as a way to keep the fight standing, where he can deliver teeth-rattling knockouts.

Beginning in November of 2002, Chuck's next nine victories would come via KO or TKO. Four of those wins came against fellow wrestlers Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture.

Johny Hendricks

Koscheck isn't the only KO artist stepping into the cage on Saturday night.

Johny Hendricks is a four-time NCAA Division I All American wrestler out of Oklahoma. In two of those years, Hendricks was a national champion.

Preferring to throw leather than grind out a decision, Hendricks is 7-1 in his UFC career with four KO or TKO victories. Hendricks shocked the world with a 12-second KO over perennial contender Jon Fitch back in December. He also has striking-related wins over Amir Sadollah, Charlie Brenneman and T.J. Waldburger.

Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez is a two-time NCAA Division I All American wrestler and a two-time Pac-10 conference champion. That hasn't stopped him from throwing bombs against his UFC opponents.

Velasquez earned his title fight with Brock Lesnar by knocking out Antonio "Big Nog" Nogueira in a little over two minutes. The Mexican-American fighter has seven more striking related stoppages, including wins over Brock Lesnar and Ben Rothwell.

Jake Ellenberger

Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger was not only an accomplished wrestler, but also the assistant wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, going on to win back-to-back Division II championships.

When Ellenberger steps into the Octagon, though, it's a different game. With incredible power in his hands, Jake has faith in his striking against any fighter. He nearly finished Carlos Condit back in 2009, and has gone on to out-strike John Howard, Mike Pyle and Sean Pierson en route to stoppage victories.

Ellenberger's biggest accomplishment to date has to be his 53-second knockout over contender Jake Shields.

Quinton Jackson

Believe it or not, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson won All-State honors in Tennessee for amateur wrestling, and continued briefly into junior college.

Rampage epitomizes striking so much, that it's hard to picture a time when the former UFC champion intentionally took a fight to the canvas. Jackson has recorded 17 career KO or TKO victories.

His most memorable KOs came when he won the UFC light-heavyweight championship from Chuck Liddell, and when he finally avenged his losses to Wanderlei Silva. Additionally, Rampage delivered the biggest slam KO in MMA history to Ricardo Arona back in 2004.

Melvin Guillard

An interview with Melvin Guillard brought the wrestling background of the lightweight division's fiercest striker into light. Guillard was a Division I state wrestler who began hitting the mats when he was 14 years old. He is also cousins with Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier.

Out of 20 professional victories from Guillard, 19 have come via KO or TKO. The "Young Assassin" holds KO wins over Dennis Siver, Evan Dunham and Shane Roller, among many others.

Anthony Johnson

In high school, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson set a school record by scoring 108 consecutive wins as an amateur. Rumble was also an NJCAA national champion in 2004.

With a 7-4 record in the UFC, Rumble is a feared striker who has won six of those fights via KO or TKO.

The most redeeming KO on his record came when he head-kicked Kevin Burns at the Ultimate Fighter 8 finale. Burns had previously defeated Rumble when an errant eye poke stopped the fight and the referee erroneously awarded a TKO victory.

Dan Henderson

I've taken the liberty of listing Dan Henderson's wrestling credentials below. If you don't get tired of scrolling down, I will continue his slide at the bottom.

• International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles
  • 2000 Henri Deglane Challenge Senior Greco-Roman Bronze Medalist
  • 2000 Pan American Championships Senior-Greco Roman Gold Medalist
  • 1999 Nordvest Cup Senior Greco-Roman Bronze Medalist
  • 1998 Henri Deglane Challenge Senior Greco-Roman Bronze Medalist
  • 1998 Pan American Championships Senior Greco-Roman Bronze Medalist
  • 1998 FILA Test Tournament Senior Greco-Roman Gold Medalist
  • 1998 Tropheo Milone Tournament Senior Greco-Roman Gold Medalist
  • 1998 Vehbi Emri Tournament Senior Greco-Roman Silver Medalist
  • 1997 Concord Cup International Senior Greco-Roman Silver Medalist
  • 1997 Gold Medal Challenge Senior Greco-Roman Gold Medalist
  • 1996 World Cup Senior Greco-Roman Silver Medalist
  • 1995 Pan American Games Senior Greco-Roman Bronze Medalist
  • 1995 Sunkist Kids International Open Senior Greco-Roman Gold Medalist
  • 1994 World Cup Senior Greco-Roman Silver Medalist
  • 1994 Pan American Championships Senior Greco-Roman Silver Medalist
  • 1990 FILA Wrestling World Championships Junior Greco-Roman Gold Medalist
  • 1984 Pan American Championships Senior Greco-Roman Silver Medalist

• National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award (2010)

• USA Wrestling
  • USA Senior Greco-Roman Olympic Team Trials Winner (1992, 1996)
  • FILA Senior Greco-Roman World Team Trials Winner (1994, 1997)
  • FILA Senior Greco-Roman World Team Trials Runner-up (1999, 2001)
  • USA Senior Greco-Roman National Championship (1993, 1994, 1997)
  • USA Senior Greco-Roman National Championship Runner-up (2000)
  • USA University Greco-Roman National Championship (1991, 1993, 1994)
  • USA Junior Greco-Roman National Championship (1988)
  • USA Junior Freestyle National Championship (1988)
  • 1999 Mini-Tournament at World Team Trials Senior Greco-Roman Gold Medalist

• Amateur Wrestling News Magazine
  • 1990 Amateur Wrestling News Freshman All-American

• California Interscholastic Federation
  • CIF High School State Championship Runner-up (1987)
  • CIF All-State (1987, 1988)
  • CIF Southern Section Championship (1987, 1988)

Hendo is arguably the greatest fighter who ever lived, and he has evolved into a KO artist through the course of his career. As a matter of fact, his big right hand has a mythical prestige in the fact that it has its own nickname: the H-Bomb.

Henderson has 13 career knockout wins, but his most famous came at UFC 100 in front of the biggest pay-per-view audience in MMA history. Henderson knocked Michael Bisping out so badly, that many fans thought he was dead.