With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from March 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for March.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominees
6
Marc-Andre Barriault def. Julian Marquez at UFC 285
Marc-Andre Barriault (15-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) landed dozens of strikes on Julian Marquez (9-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in an in-tight clinch during their middleweight bout. Marquez showed heart in the waning minutes, but he struggled to get off the fence.
Referee Mark Smith allowed the onslaught to occur for quite some time as Marquez intermittently showed brief flashes of offense. After the stoppage, Marquez sported a sliced, bloody, and swollen face.
Talk about a punishing performance 😳 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/NxZccGX76m
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
5
Michael Page def. Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 292
Michael Page (21-2 MMA, 17-2 BMMA) added anther unique highlight to his reel and took sole possession of the Bellator knockout record when he stopped Goiti Yamauchi (28-6 MMA, 14-5 BMMA) in the opening round of their welterweight clash.
“MVP” once again displayed his precision striking against the Bellator record-holder for most submissions. A perfectly placed low kick badly injured Yamauchi, who folded to the ground in agony as Page produced another violent moment inside the cage.
One and done for MVP! @BellatorMMA @Michaelpage247#Bellator292’s Main Card is LIVE on @Showtime! pic.twitter.com/uB9CjciZQX
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) March 11, 2023
4
Linton Vassell def. Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 292
Linton Vassell (23-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA) knocked out former Bellator title challenger Valentin Moldavsky (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) with big elbows to secure a heavyweight title shot.
The finishing sequence began with a right hand from Vassell, who pounced on Moldavsky, a Fedor Emelianenko protege. Moldavsky could not regain himself while Vassell poured down heavy strikes. A sequence of bludgeoning elbows by Vassell from mount put Moldavsky out cold.
ELBOW!
📺 #Bellator292 | LIVE NOW | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/kRmQZJ57Zm
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 11, 2023
3
Jake Hadley def. Malcolm Gordon at UFC 286
It didn’t take long for England’s own Jake Hadley (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) to send The O2 into a frenzy with a vicious finish of Malcolm Gordon (14-7 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in their flyweight bout.
Hadley needed just 61 seconds to dispatch of Gordon at courtesy of some pinpoint striking. Hadley caught Gordon rushing in with a body shot, then rained down punches to get the stoppage win.
BODY SHOT KO 😬 #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/p1n9xBpQFK
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) March 18, 2023
2
Yanal Ashmoz def. Sam Patterson at UFC 286
A brutal knockout by Yanal Ashmoz (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) left Sam Patterson (10-2-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) attempting to grapple with referee Marc Goddard at the conclusion of their lightweight bout.
Ashmoz entered enemy territory an underdog and he exited with a nasty knockout added to his highlight reel. In 75 seconds, Ashmoz finished Patterson with punches in his promotional debut. As commission officials and medical staff attended to Patterson, the woozy fighter grabbed hold of Goddard in what appeared to be a clinch attempt. Eventually, Patterson came to.
WHAT A COMBO BY ASHMOUZ 👊 #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/kdYGr4nkuE
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 18, 2023
The winner
1
The winner: Michael Page
Bellator star Page picked up another impressive finish and became the first to stop Yamauchi in MMA. “MVP” defeated Yamauchi by knockout just 26 seconds into their welterweight contest.
Although the win was registered as a knockout, it wasn’t a typical KO finish.
Page came out pressuring Yamauchi and in one of the few leg kicks landed, Yamauchi visibly popped and dropped to the canvas in pain less than 30 seconds into the fight. The referee, seeing Yamauchi was immobile, stepped in and waved off the fight. It was an impressive and devastating finish.
With the victory, Page successfully made a return to MMA. His previous fight was under the BKFC banner this past August. He lost to Mike Perry in a majority decision.
