UFC fights often resemble a game of chess, where opponents wait for their competitor's mistake. But sometimes, everything ends at lightning speed. Today we will tell you about the ten most epic knockouts in UFC history in which fighters spent less than ten seconds.
James Irvin vs Houston Alexander, 8 seconds
On April 2, 2008, James Irvin faced Houston Alexander at the UFC Fight Night 13 prelims.
Irvin had participated in three UFC bouts but with no outstanding achievements — two wins and a loss via TKO. Houston Alexander had also had three fights in Dana White's organization, and all of them had ended in the first round (two wins and one loss). The bout against James didn't last long, either.
Irvin's first swinging blow found Alexander's chin. "Houston, we have a problem," raced through the defeated fighter's mind. But it was too late; Irvin finished his opponent on the ground and celebrated such a quick victory.
Don Frye vs Thomas Ramirez, 8 seconds
On February 16, 1998, Don Frye had his first professional MMA bout at UFC 8. The promotion matchmakers made Thomas Ramirez his opponent.
"Big John McCarthy" gave the go-ahead, and the fighters started to knock the nonsense out of each other. The octagon atmosphere reminded that of a serial, but Frye and Ramirez fought for real. Thomas almost jabbed Don, but it didn't help him. Frye moved forward, threw a right hook, and landed a control shot to Ramirez's head on the canvas. Eight seconds, and everything was over.
Leon Edwards vs Seth Baczynski, 8 seconds
On April 11, 2015, little-known Leon Edwards had his last UFC bout at UFC Fight Night 64. In his debut fight, the British "Rocky" had lost to Cláudio Silva via split decision and now was eager to regain his good name. Seth Baczynski had lost two consecutive games and didn't have any prospects.
Baczynski started his bout aggressively, crushing Leon with interesting combinations, but the Brit was hard to defeat. Edwards delivered a nice left blow that was accurate, if not powerful, and landed right in Baczynski's jaw. Seth fell on the canvas, and Leon rushed to finish his defeated opponent. The referee stopped the fight promptly. Baczynski was released from the UFC, while Leon had a difficult career path and became a champion.
Makwan Amirkhani vs Andy Ogle, 8 seconds
On January 24, 2015, the Finnish fighter Makwan Amirkhani debuted in the promotion in the bout against Andy Ogle at UFC on Fox 14. "Mr. Finland" was a promising fighter with a 12-2 record, and the Brit, who had gotten an unusual nickname "The Little Axe," had a streak of three UFC defeats.
In the first few seconds, Amirkhani staggered Ogle with an opening flying knee, before Jorge Masvidal popularized it, but Ogle didn't fall for the trick. Makwan wasn't discouraged. He pushed his opponent back to the net, delivered a crushing uppercut, and landed a few follow-up punches before the bout was stopped. After such a resounding defeat, Andy ended his MMA career.
Terrance McKinney vs Matt Frevola, 7 seconds
On June 12, 2021, Terrance McKinney debuted at the promotion's short notice at UFC 263. The American didn't like bringing his bouts to a judges' decision and finished his opponents as quickly as possible. But Matt Frevola was a tough nut to crack.
Terrance McKinney coped with the task in seven seconds. The UFC debutant's first two punches landed right on Frevola's jaw. Matt didn't immediately realize what had happened, but McKinney didn't give him time to recover.
Ryan Jimmo vs Anthony Perosh, 7 seconds
The surnames Jimmo and Perosh will hardly tell you anything, but the bout of the two light heavyweights on July 21, 2012, lasted less than ten seconds.
Jimmo's first blow knocked Perosh out. He didn't even need to finish his opponent. Ryan hasn't become the organization's star, although there were high hopes for him. Jimmo lost four out of six organization bouts and said goodbye to martial arts.
Todd Duffee vs Tim Hague, 7 seconds
On August 29, 2008, the record for the fastest heavyweight knockout was set at UFC 102. Todd Duffee didn't like prolonging his fights: he had four first-round finishes in his first five professional bouts. Tim had won his first UFC fight by applying a guillotine choke to Pat Barry and was willing to consolidate his success.
Todd Duffee caught his opponent, dropped him, and landed several blows on the ground, sending Tim Hague to dream in the kingdom of Morpheus.
The "Korean Zombie" vs Mark Hominick, 7 seconds
Chan Sung Jung is a name of a Korean fighter that says nothing to MMA lovers. The "Korean Zombie" is, however, a different story. He is the best Korean MMA fighter. The "Zombie" has fought for a featherweight belt twice but hasn't become a UFC champion.
At UFC 140, the Korean had his second bout in the organization, and his opponent was Mark Hominick. The "Zombie" decided not to put things off. Hominick's first blow was unsuccessful, and he got punched right in the ear. On the ground, the "Korean Zombie" beat poor Mark until the fight was stopped.
Duane Ludwig vs Jonathan Goulet, 6 seconds
Duane Ludwig blew up the MMA world with his famous KO at six seconds. On January 16, 2006, Ludwig encountered Jonathan Goulet in his debut fight at UFC Fight Night 3.
Ludwig wasn't distracted by the Canadian's colorful hair and focused on his main goal — to win. Goulet rushed to attack him but got a right cross. Duane didn't finish his defeated opponent. Even the bloodthirsty referee Mario Yamasaki decided to stop the fight, though Jonathan didn't look too overwhelmed.
Jorge Masvidal vs Ben Askren, 5 seconds
When we discuss the fastest UFC knockout, the surnames Masvidal and Askren come to our minds. On July 6, 2019, "Street Jesus" and undefeated Bellator and One FC champion met in the octagon at UFC 239. Askren talked so much before the bout that Jorge had only one goal — to finish and silence his opponent. Masvidal dealt with it in five seconds.
His rush, flying knee, and brutal knockout went down in history. Jorge made his opponent answer for all the trash talk before the bout and became the organization's superstar.
Today we covered the quickest knockouts in UFC history. It's difficult to imagine that someone will surpass Jorge Masvidal's achievement and end their fight even quicker. But this is UFC, here everything is possible.