![\"\"](\"https:\/\/platform.mmafighting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2025\/12\/2025-KO-OF-THE-YEAR.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\n2. Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico (UFC 319)<\/p>\n
The vision for Lerone Murphy finally earning a title show was clear: Just finish somebody, man!<\/p>\n
Murphy had undoubtedly impressed in his UFC run, taking Zubaira Tukhugov to a split draw in his debut and then rattling off eight straight victories to keep his unblemished pro record intact. Still, he remained on the outside looking in of the 145-pound title picture.<\/p>\n
When he was matched up with popular Bellator signing Aaron Pico, there was the understanding that if the all-action Pico managed to steal Murphy\u2019s thunder, he\u2019d be the one marching to the front of the featherweight contender line. One of MMA\u2019s great glass cannons, Pico got the job done in his UFC debut\u2014though not the kind of job he was hoping for.<\/p>\n
Murphy, approaching a four-year knockout drought, perfectly timed a spinning elbow and drove it right into Pico\u2019s face. Pico was instantly flattened and Murphy finally had the exclamation point to put at the end of his No. 1 contender statement.<\/p>\n
The UFC somehow went in another direction for featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski\u2019s next title defense, which makes it all the more imperative that we appreciate what Murphy did in this spot, because his bosses certainly don\u2019t seem to.<\/p>\n
3. Ilia Topuria def. Charles Oliveira (UFC 317)<\/p>\n
Ilia Topuria beating down Charles Oliveira\u2014one of the greatest lightweights of all time, a former UFC champion, and a surefire Hall of Fame inductee\u2014finishes THIRD in our voting? Feels wrong.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t land a more perfect punch than the one Topuria put on Oliveira to complete his quest of becoming a two-division UFC champion\u2026 or at least that\u2019s what I\u2019d be saying if he hadn\u2019t also done this to Alexander Volkanovski (who had never lost a fight at 145 pounds before he faced Topuria)\u2026 and Max Holloway (who had never been finished via strikes before he faced Topuria). Even if you take Oliveira\u2019s questionable defense into account, this was a crowning achievement and only further boosted Topuria\u2019s case that he could be the star to lead the UFC in the second half of the 2020s.<\/p>\n
When we talk about KOs that capture the imagination, this is what we mean. Seeing Topuria bulldoze opponent after opponent regardless of weight class should convince even the most hardened fan that he can floor anyone\u2014maybe even pound-for-pound rival Islam Makhachev.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t bet on it, but I also wouldn\u2019t put anything past Topuria, who has earned the benefit of the doubt thanks to absurdly explosive knockouts like this one.<\/p>\n
4. Sergio Pettis def. Magomed Magomedov (PFL Champions Series 2)<\/p>\n
Big brother Anthony still gets love to this day for his legendary Showtime Kick, but every now and then its Sergio Pettis does something that leaves us breathless.<\/p>\n
In 2021, it was an unreal spinning backfist of Kyoji Horiguchi that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat; four years later, Pettis took us for a ride again, fully turning his back to Magomed Magomedov and somehow sneaking in a back elbow that fully connected with Magomedov\u2019s chin, leaving him limp on the mat.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unfortunate that Pettis then landed an unprotected follow-up ground strike that would make Dan Henderson blush, but for some of you sickos out there that might make this finish even better. Magomedov had never been knocked out before, so maybe Pettis felt like he had to do it twice for good measure.<\/p>\n
5. Quillan Salkilld def. Nasrat Haqparast (UFC 321)<\/p>\n
Comparing an MMA knockout to watching a snuff film is rarely a good thing, but what else can we make of what Quillan Salkilld did to Nasrat Haqparast?<\/p>\n
Salkilld was a promising lightweight prospect coming off of a 2024 Contender Series signing, and he looked good winning his first two UFC fights, but few could have predicted he\u2019d flatten a hardened veteran like Haqparast. Keep in mind, Haqparast was in good form heading into UFC 321, having scraped together five straight wins to keep himself on the cusp of a ranking.<\/p>\n
But one high kick, a gap in the defense, and suddenly Haqparast was down. And out. And it was a long time before he (fortunately) made it back to his feet.<\/p>\n
Just like that, Salkilld announced himself as one of the most feared knockout artists in the deepest division in MMA. We can\u2019t wait to see what he does next, even if the result might leave us looking away.<\/p>\n
Here is how voting for MMA Fighting\u2019s 2025 Knockout of the Year played out<\/p>\n