The UFC has seen its fair share of brutal knockouts since its inception in 1993.
From Jorge Masvidal’s fastest KO in UFC history, a flying knee over Ben Askren in 5 seconds, to Max Holloway’s buzzer-beater knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, the scenes of the Octagon never cease to amaze.
Of course, some knockouts are scarier than others and over the years, there’s been hundreds that have left fans questioning if the fallen fighter is going to be okay after it.
It’s 2025 and Bloody Elbow takes a look back at the the top 5 scariest knockouts in UFC history.
5. Uriah Hall’s spinning hook kick on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’
#5 on our list didn’t actually take place in the UFC but instead on season 17 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.
After winning his fight to get into the house, Uriah Hall finished all 3 of his fights to qualify for the grand finale against Kelvin Gastelum. The first of which was a devastating spinning hook kick KO of Adam Cella.
The kick landed flush with Cella hitting the mat.
“Hadouken!” Hall screamed as Cella’s body laid still on the canvas for a few minutes.
Uriah Hall’s KO is arguably the greatest highlight in the reality TV show’s history.
4. Edson Barboza’s opponent goes limp with perfect kick
Spinning wheel kicks were all the rage in 2012 with Edson Barboza showing his at UFC 142.
Barboza cashed in on $100,000 for knocking out opponent Terry Etim with a perfectly-placed spinning hook kick. Etim caught the kick right on the chin and went frozen as he fell down to the canvas, one of his arms still raised up in the air.
“Maybe the most spectacular knockout in UFC history,” UFC commentator Mike Goldberg said on the broadcast.
3. Bryce Mitchell had compulsions after Josh Emmett KO’ed him
One of the more scarier knockouts in recent memory came at UFC 296 in Dec. 2023.
Bryce Mitchell had been matched up with one of the hardest hitters in the UFC in Josh Emmett, proving just that by landing a cracking right hand on ‘Thug Nasty’ in round 1.
The sound of Emmett’s KO blow sounded like the thudding of a baseball bat, Emmett out cold on his side.
Emmett let out a yell and in the seconds afterwards, Mitchell started having compulsions with his body twitching.
2. Francis Ngannou’s ferocious knockout of Alistair Overeem
All but one of Francis Ngannou’s 17 career wins are by stoppage. His best work? Probably his KO of Alistair Overeem in Dec. 2018.
In less than two minutes time, Overeem was laying down on the ground with his chin raised up high. Ngannou had brutally knocked him out with a massive left uppercut and a right hand for good measure.
Francis Ngannou had arrived and he secured his shot at UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic with the KO win.
1. Dan Henderson double-taps Michael Bisping with H-Bomb
#1 on our list go to the owner of the coveted ‘H-Bomb’ Dan Henderson.
Considered one of the greatest knockout artists of all time, the former Pride and Strikeforce champion turned in an all-time highlight at the milestone UFC 100 event.
The year was 2009, a week removed from Independence Day and Henderson had wanted to put a beating on British fighter Michael Bisping for quite some time after coaching ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ season 9 against each other.
In round 2 of their fight at UFC 100, Henderson found a home for his overhand right, landing an inside leg kick before knocking down Bisping with a powerful punch. The fight was over.
As commentator Joe Rogan yelled ‘That’s it!’ Henderson dived in for one final blow – a brutal hammerfist on the chin of an already knocked out Bisping.
Bisping laid stiff on the canvas for a few minutes, marking the former champion’s first KO loss.