With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from December 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for December.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Drakkar Klose def. Joe Solecki at UFC on ESPN 52
Drakkar Klose (14-2-1 MMA, 8-2 UFC) elevated and slammed Joe Solecki (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) for a rare knockout less than two minutes into their lightweight bout.
Solecki’s undoing turned out to be an armbar attempt off his back. As Solecki sought a fight-ending torque, the side of his head was driven hard into the canvas with the slam for a direct impact. Solecki’s head bounced like a basketball off the mat and his lights went out.
WHAT A KNOCKOUT 😳 #UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/Sv2EdyC9kE
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 2, 2023
Nominee: Cody Brundage def. Zach Reese at UFC on ESPN 52
After Klose scored a violent slam out of an armbar one fight prior at UFC on ESPN 52, Cody Brundage (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) followed up with a moment of his own when he escaped a triangle choke attempt from Zach Reese (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their middleweight bout.
It was shades of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona from PRIDE when Brundage gripped the arm of his opponent, hoisted him in the air then powered him into the mat. Reese was badly hurt, and Brundage postered up to land a few more shots to force the stoppage less than two minutes into the first round.
Another one! Crazy. pic.twitter.com/z9iTA88O3k
— MS (@UFC_Obsessed) December 2, 2023
Nominee: Arman Tsarukyan def. Beneil Dariush at UFC on ESPN 52
Arman Tsarukyan (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) secured the biggest win of his career when he put longtime lightweight contender Beneil Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) out cold.
The finishing combination was a right hand-knee-right hand trifecta. Dariush flew backward onto the canvas. Tsarukyan missed on a big overhand right on the way down, a la Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping at UFC 100, but landed three more right hands to seal the deal.
ONE MINUTE IS ALL HE NEEDED 👊@ArmanUFC makes quick work of Beneil Dariush at #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/m65yigcNhp
— UFC (@ufc) December 3, 2023
Nominee: Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher at UFC 296
Cody Garbrandt (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) proved he still can finish opponents with powerful strikes in his bantamweight bout with Brian Kelleher (24-15 MMA, 8-8 UFC).
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the former bantamweight champion, though. Kelleher attacked Garbrandt’s legs early with hard calf kicks. Garbrandt rocked Kelleher with a right hand, and the swarm was on. The former UFC champ found an opening for a crushing right hand counter that sent him crashing backward to the ground. No follow-up shots were needed as Garbrandt walked off with his hand raised in the air, and then bowed.
CODY GARBRANDT GETS THE KNOCKOUT 💥
Stream #UFC296 on ESPN2 and ESPN+ 🍿 https://t.co/R7p1InbYK6 pic.twitter.com/G3jcFUWAJ4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 17, 2023
The winner
The winner: Josh Emmett def. Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296
Josh Emmett created one of the most brutal one-punch knockouts in recent memory against Bryce Mitchell (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC)
Emmett stepped into the octagon for the third time in 2023, looking to snap a two-fight skid. Standing in his way was short-notice opponent Mitchell. However, Mitchell didn’t stay upright for long, as Emmett landed a devastating knockout punch at 1:57 of Round 1.
JOSH EMMETT ONE HIT WONDER 💥 #UFC296
Stream #UFC296 LIVE on ESPN+ PPV 🍿 https://t.co/R7p1InbYK6 pic.twitter.com/nMvnlhvH2Q
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 17, 2023
Bryce Mitchell was unsurprisingly out of it as his team helped him to the back following a vicious KO from Josh Emmett at #UFC296. pic.twitter.com/qkArsDXadf
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 17, 2023
The threat of Emmett’s power kept Mitchell on high alert in the early sequences. Emmett darted forward looking to land a right hand to the body, but Mitchell did well to evade the connection. Unfortunately for Mitchell, his defensive success did not last much longer.
Emmett would close the distance and sit on a right hand that found Mitchell’s chin. The strike knocked Mitchell out cold, and the celebration for Emmett was on. As cameras showed Mitchell on the canvas, his body began shaking in a seizure-like movement.
A few moments after the scary knockout, Mitchell was assisted to his feet and eventually escorted out of the cage.
Mitchell stepped up on short notice when Emmett’s original opponent Giga Chikadze withdrew due to injury. He entered the cage for the second time this year, following a unanimous decision win against Dan Ige in September.
During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Emmett praised Mitchell for stepping up to take the fight. He also stated his claim as the “most powerful featherweight in the world.”
