Aug 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES; Carlos Prates (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Geoff Neal (red gloves) during UFC 319 at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
There’s something primal about a knockout. The crowd gasps. Time freezes. A fighter drops face first to the canvas. It’s the moment every fight fan secretly hopes for when they tune in. Some people won’t admit it, but knockouts are the biggest adrenaline rush this sport offers.
The year 2025 gave us some absolutely terrifying finishes. Spinning elbows became the weapon of choice. Left hooks sent fighters to hospitals. Wheel kicks caught opponents with their hands down at exactly the wrong moment. The UFC held 42 events this year, and these 5 brutal knockouts stood above the rest. We’re talking about the kind of finishes that get replayed a thousand times on social media. These are the Top 5 Most Brutal KO’s In The UFC This Year that left fighters unconscious and fans speechless.
5. UFC 317 -Gregory Rodrigues vs Jack Hermansson
Rodrigues has dynamite in his left hand and he proved it at UFC 317 in June when he absolutely demolished veteran Jack Hermansson with a thunderous left hook. The knockout closed out the prelims and sent shockwaves through the middleweight division.
The fight started cautiously with both fighters respecting each other’s power. Rodrigues was getting the better of the exchanges, landing solid shots while Hermansson tried to find his rhythm. Then it happened. Rodrigues loaded up on a left hook that caught Hermansson clean on the chin. The Swedish fighter’s legs gave out immediately. He crashed to the canvas unconscious. The referee didn’t even need to wave it off. Everyone knew Hermansson was done the second that punch landed.
4. UFC 317 – Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira
Topuria talked a big game heading into this lightweight title fight at UFC 317. He predicted a first-round knockout against the legendary Charles Oliveira and he went out and did exactly what he promised. The fight opened with both men trading shots immediately. Topuria cut Oliveira early, and the Brazilian clinched, looking to grapple. They hit the canvas with Topuria quickly taking control. He worked to mounted crucifix without much struggle from Oliveira.
When they stood back up around the three-minute mark, Topuria went to work. He broke through Oliveira’s guard with a perfect combination. Right hook. Left hook. Right hook. The final left hook switched Oliveira’s lights completely off. The Brazilian legend dropped face first to the canvas completely unconscious. This was one of the cleanest knockouts of 2025. Topuria became a two-division champion by fulfilling his exact prediction. The undefeated Georgian moved to 17-0 and cemented himself as one of the sport’s biggest stars.
3. UFC 319 – Carlos Prates vs Geoff Neal
Prates needed a statement win to keep his hype train rolling. Geoff Neal is the ultimate gatekeeper at welterweight with hands of steel. ‘The Nightmare’ passed with flying colors by delivering one of the most brutal spinning elbow knockouts in recent memory. The entire first round was dominated by Prates. He used his long reach to pick Neal apart from distance. The Brazilian landed violent elbows throughout the round that opened cuts on Neal’s face. Neal kept pressing forward trying to land his power shots, but Prates was always one step ahead. With just one second left before the buzzer, Prates threw everything into one final attack. He spun and landed a vicious spinning back elbow that connected perfectly with Neal’s temple. Neal went down hard.
The buzzer sounded immediately after. The timing couldn’t have been more dramatic. Prates got his hand raised while Neal sat on the canvas trying to figure out what happened. The spinning back elbow became the signature move of 2025, and this was one of the best examples. Prates earned Performance of the Night and positioned himself for a ranked opponent next.
2. UFC 319 – Lerone Murphy vs Aaron Pico
Murphy created a moment that will live in highlight reels forever. He completely vaporized Bellator star Aaron Pico with a spinning back elbow that sent the Chicago crowd into absolute chaos. The knockout happened at 3:21 of the first round and instantly became legendary. Pico came out aggressive from the opening bell and walked Murphy down and uncorked heavy power punches to the head and body. He mixed in two takedowns to keep Murphy guessing. Everything seemed to be going Pico’s way. He was applying pressure and landing significant shots. Then Murphy saw his opening.
Pico pressed forward one more time, and Murphy spun with perfect timing. The spinning back elbow caught Pico flush on the jaw. His body went completely stiff. He dropped face-first to the canvas unconscious before he hit the ground. The 20,000 fans inside the United Center absolutely erupted. Murphy celebrated while medics rushed to help Pico, who had to be taken to the hospital for evaluation. The execution was flawless. The power was devastating. This knockout embodied everything great about this sport in one single moment.
1. UFC Vegas 101 – Cesar Almeida vs Abdul Razak Alhassan
This was the very first UFC card of 2025, and Almeida set the tone for the entire year. His comeback knockout against Abdul Razak Alhassan was so violent and dramatic that people immediately called it a Knockout of the Year contender. Alhassan came out like a wrecking ball and dropped Almeida early and started unloading heavy ground-and-pound. It looked like the fight was about to be stopped. Almeida survived and got back to his feet, but Alhassan kept coming forward throwing bombs.
The Brazilian was getting battered badly. But Almeida, a former GLORY kickboxer who trained with Alex Pereira, stayed calm and waited for his opportunity. At 4:16 of the first round, Alhassan charged forward one more time. Almeida countered with a devastating left hook that caught him perfectly on the chin. Alhassan went stiff instantly and face-planted on the canvas. The knockout was so severe that it took several minutes for Alhassan to regain consciousness.
This knockout was special because of the dramatic comeback. Almeida was losing badly and getting destroyed. One perfectly timed punch changed everything. The Brazilian showed incredible composure under fire. His kickboxing pedigree shined through when it mattered most. This finish set the standard for knockouts in 2025 and proved that former kickboxers can translate their power beautifully to MMA. The resilience, the timing, and the sheer brutality made this the most memorable knockout of the year.
(Image Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski – Imagn Images)
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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!
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