With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from June 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for June.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominee: Alex Oliveira def. Stefan Sekulic at Titan FC 82
UFC veteran Alex Oliveira (25-14-1) hit a powerful throw on Stefan Sekulic (14-8) with about 70 seconds remaining in the first round of their welterweight bout.
Sekulic was pressing Oliveira against the cage with double underhooks when Oliveira stepped across with his right leg and hit the judo throw. Sekulic appeared to go out from the impact with the canvas, and Oliveira landed one quick follow-up punch before getting up and walking away from the scene as the referee rushed in to call the fight.
Judo throw KO for Cowboy Oliveira!! That's a new one…#TitanFC82 pic.twitter.com/ORct1qykp3
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) June 2, 2023
Nominee: Krzysztof Glowacki def. Patryk Tolkaczewski at KSW 83
Fans were treated to a rare and spectacular first-round knockout when Krzysztof Glowacki (1-0) shut the lights out on Patryk Tolkaczewski (0-1) at one of the biggest events in KSW history.
Glowacki connect with a perfect left hook from his back while he was mounted by Tolkaczewski, and his opponent crashed down upon him unconscious in a stunning scene.
KNOCKED OUT from FULL MOUNT! 🤯
Former WBO cruiserweight champ 🇵🇱 Krzysztof Głowacki is dangerous from anywhere!!
XTB #KSWColosseum2 pic.twitter.com/7pZI71yaPX
— KSW (@KSW_MMA) June 3, 2023
Nominee: Manuel Torres def. Nikolas Motta at UFC on ESPN 46
Manuel Torres (14-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) landed an elbow knockout that will live on the highlight reels for years to come against Nikolas Motta (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC).
In the first round of their lightweight fight, Torres winded up with the perfect left elbow that landed clean on the face of Motta, who went flying to the mat and was out cold less than two minutes into the opening round.
🇲🇽💪 EL LOCO HELLBOW!
Manuel Torres, have a night! #UFCVegas75pic.twitter.com/3fpHXbZPYA
— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2023
Nominee: Sadibou Sy def. Shane Mitchell at 2023 PFL 6
Sadibou Sy (15-6-2) scored one of the greatest knockouts in PFL history to punch his tickets to the welterweight playoffs of the 2023 season at the expense of Shane Mitchell (13-6).
The 2022 season winner Sy continued his quest to become a repeat champion when he put Mitchell to sleep with a spectacular wheel kick. The technique landed clean, and it send Mitchell rocketing back into the canvas for the highlight-reel stoppage.
Sadibou Sy is on ANOTHER LEVEL! #PFLRegularSeason LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN & ESPN+
🌎https://t.co/jPNvomD5xg pic.twitter.com/6U9tx2KvDQ— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 24, 2023
Nominee: Oliver Aubin-Mercier def. Anthony Romero at 2023 PFL 6
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (19-5) needed a win in any fashion to reach the 2023 PFL playoffs, and a highlight-reel finish did the trick against Anthony Romero (12-2).
2022 lightweight champion Aubin-Mercier broke down Romero over the course of the fight. It would be “The Canadian Gangster” who punched his ticket by putting Romero out from a brutal knee in the early stages of the third round.
OLIVIER!!! MAIN EVENT FINISH FOR THE CANADIAN GANGSTER!#PFLRegularSeason pic.twitter.com/K65tciByAv
— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 24, 2023
Nominee: David Onama def. Gabriel Santos at UFC on ABC 5
David Onama (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) added a devastating highlight to his reel when he dispatched of Gabriel Santos (10-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in their featherweight clash.
After fending off some near-submissions from Santos in the first round, Onama got into a striking groove in the second frame. He found a clean combination late in the second round, planting Santos on the mat before recreating Israel Adesanya’s famous bow-and-arrow celebration from when he beat Alex Pereira in April.
BRUTAL UPPERCUT FROM ONAMA 👊 pic.twitter.com/DdQfB1RWnZ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 24, 2023
The winner: Sadibou Sy
Sy said he wanted a viral knockout in the final regular season bout of the year, and he may have accomplished his goal.
At 2023 PFL 6 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Sy, the 2022 welterweight season winner, took on Mitchell in the co-main event. A majority of the bout was spent in striking exchanges on the feet, until Sy landed a beautiful wheel kick at 1:35 of the third round.
The fight started out competitive, with both fighters landing well on the feet. However, Sy was more accurate and offered a higher volume, including a lightning-quick wheel kick that would have ended Mitchell’s night had it connected.
In the third round, Sy was well ahead in the fight and a had a playoff spot already clinched, but he still hunted for that highlight moment. He went for the wheel kick again and this time he connected, sending Mitchell crashing to the canvas for the walk-off finish.
Sy finished both of his 2023 regular season bouts. At 2023 PFL 3, he stopped Jarrah Al-Silawi with knees and punches in the second round. On Friday, his playoff spot was secure with any win, draw, or even a loss after the second round. However, he opted to go for the highlight moment and it paid off immensely.
