Ranking the Best Combat Sports Knockouts from June

June has delivered some of the most exciting MMA action of 2018. The UFC has led the way with a spectacular UFC 225 card capped off by a Fight of the Year contender between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero and the return of Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series.

But it hasn't just been the UFC supplying some of the most vicious finishes of the month.

Legacy Fighting Alliance, Muay Thai combatants and others also brought the fight to kick off the summer.

As the temperatures rose so did the knockouts. They came aplenty and with great variety. Which ones were the cream of the crop?

Let's rank the best knockouts throughout combat sports in the month of June. 

10. Song Yadong def. Felipe Arantes (UFC Fight Night 132, June 23)

The round was nearing an end, but Song Yadong beat the bell to earn a TKO victory in Singapore. The official end came at 4:59 of the second round.

Felipe Arantes had his back against the cage with Yadong working him over. One elbow over-the-top sent Arantes to the canvas.

The win was the fifth straight for Yadong and kept his UFC record a clean 2-0. The knockout caught a lot of attention and should put him on a path to bigger bouts in 2018.

The perfect placement and buzzer-beating finish help Yadong land at No. 10 to kickoff the list.

9. Robert Jor Chaivat def. Tungthong Nayokae (Max Muay Thai, June 10)

Another elbow follows at No. 9, but it comes from the world of Muay Thai.

Tungthong Nayokae was coming forward, but Robert Jor Chaivat planted his feet and stuck him with an elbow right on the button. The left elbow slipped through and shut off the lights. It was a great showing of how quickly things can change with just one strike.

Perhaps the real star of the knockout was the referee. He immediately recognized the knockout and dove in to try to prevent Nayokae from having a more harsh fall onto the canvas. The referee was able to jump in and cradle his neck on the way down which prevented his head from snapping back on the solid structure.

Muay Thai gets known for the clinch game and knees, but this is a great showcase for the elbows that can come from nowhere with ferocity.

8. Marlon Moraes def. Jimmie Rivera (UFC Fight Night 131, June 1

If the fight was set to be a title eliminator, Marlon Moraes made sure to make an impression for whoever the champion may be following the UFC 227 bout between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt.

This knockout doesn't just enter the fray because of its quickness—just 33 seconds—but because of the degree of difficulty. Jimmie Rivera is leather tough and was on a 20-fight win streak that included some of the division's brightest names.

And Moraes landed a head kick that made a sickening crack which reverberated throughout the arena in Utica, New York.

The follow-up punches forced the referee to step in, but it was the head kick that did the damage. The sound will not be forgotten soon, and Moraes likely staked a claim as the next title challenger with his second-straight highlight-reel KO.

7. Jose Torres def. Jarred Brooks (UFC Fight Night 131, June 1)

We already touched on the event's main event that ended with a big knockout, but it wasn't even the best on the card. The best KO happened in the curtain-jerking spot. Utica was bookended with two of the month's best.

Although this one is not on the list for anyone's spectacular technique, it is for being incredibly odd.

Jarred Brooks changed levels and secured a strong hold for a double leg, but Jose Torres was not going to go down that easily.

As he hung over Brooks' back, he wrapped his arms around his midsection. Brooks went backwards to slam him on the mat and instead ended up knocking himself out.

Brooks' head hit the mat and he went to sleep. The uniqueness of the KO puts it on the list and will make it one of 2018's most memorable.

6. Brendan Allen def. Larry Crowe (LFA 43, June 22)

LFA, one of the primary feeder organizations to the UFC, featured a big middleweight main event for their 43rd outing. If fans were hoping for a back-and-forth brawl, they were disappointed 2:06 into the first round as Brendan Allen put an end to the fight.

Larry Crowe barreled forward with a combination as Allen covered up. When he responded, he landed; one sharp left hook was all it took.

The true essence of what put the knockout on the list was how Crowe bellied to the mat: arms outstretched, face down.

Allen's one-shot KO got fans on their feet. It was an unexpected finish and showed the volatility of combat sports. In a split-second, everything can change.

Allen is 7-2 in his last nine bouts with both losses coming to combatants who are now in the UFC (Eryk Anders and Anthony Hernandez). The knockout will put him back on the radar on the powers to be.

5. Marisa Chavez def. Amber Jones (Shamrock FC 306, June 16)

Knockouts aren't just for professionals. Amateurs from Shamrock FC 306 help bring us into the upper-half of the list.

Marisa Chavez began her fighting career in 2017 but got off to a rough start with a 28-second TKO loss. She has rebounded with two first-round knockouts of her own totaling just two minutes of in-cage time, and she decided to make her third consecutive victory even quicker.

Chavez lambasted Amber Jones with a right hand in just nine seconds.

With three straight first-round knockouts, and displaying real one-punch KO power, it may be time for Chavez to start thinking about turning pro. The budding flyweight is showing out, but turning the momentum into professional results could lead to brighter days.

4. Dwight Grant def. Tyler Hill (Dana White's Contender Series, June 19)

Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series returned for its second season and got off to a tremendous start. The show has seen former NFL stars battle and several quick KOs, but it is a brilliant combination that charts in at No. 4.

Tyler Hill got rocked with a strong right hand from Dwight Grant. It shook his body and forced his head to the right where a brutal left came to send him flying backward.

The combination was more that just one strike that managed to get through defenses. It was a real demonstration of technical ability. It is the kind of knockout fighters hope they can achieve. A big 1-2 that ends the bout through clean technique.

The violent finish earned Grant a UFC contract and finishes as the show's best KO in June.

3. Yukinori Ogasawara def. Rui Botelho (ONE Pinnacle of Power, June 23)

Rui Botelho thought everything was going his way. He was en route to beating Yukiniori Ogasawara at the ONE Championship event. Everything was going well until it wasn't.

Ogasawara was covering up during a Botelho flurry as the second round began to wind down. And in a spat of desperation, he spun with an elbow that gave him the victory.

The key to the elbow landing was Botelho throwing, and missing, his straight left. It created the space that left his face open. Had he merely chosen to not throw the strike, he likely avoids Ogasawara's back elbow attack.

The game of inches was on full display with this KO.

2. Alex Nicholson def. Jake Heun (PFL 1, June 7)

Professional Fighters League began its first season, and Alex Nicholson got it started on the right note with a picture-perfect flying knee KO.

Jake Heun seemed to be changing levels and instead ducked right into a flying knee. The knee was picturesque.

Nicholson leaped forward and brought his left knee up with amazing timing. It could be put on a poster for the PFL for future promotional material.

The new structure gives points to fighters based on the result, and the fighters who earn enough points reach the playoff. Nicholson, with his first-round KO over Heun, put himself in a great position to move on to the playoff.

The winner of the season picks up a cool $1 million, and this knee could end up being a seven-figure finish.

1. Chalawan Por Onnut def. Rambong Leesorkanka (Rajadamnern, June 14)

The best KO of the month could well end up being a contender for combat sport's best KO of the year. Chalawan Por Onnut gave fight fans one of the most vicious front kick KOs they will ever see.

Unfortunately, Rambong Leesorkanka had to be on the receiving end of the violence.

What is lost with the scintillating knockout is the combination that led up to the finish. Por Onnut landed a crisp knee to the body followed by an elbow over the top and then a body kick. The three strikes all happened while he was being forced backward by Leesorkanka.

Por Onnut then lightly hit the ropes and got the recoil for a devastating front kick to the dome. The referee initially started to count but realized that was not needed and called off the fight.

Por Onnut claimed victory in a most violent manner that could earn him this year's top KO.