With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from May 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for May.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Nominees
Nominee: Stamp Fairtex def. Alyse Anderson at ONE Fight Night 10
Samp Fairtex (10-2) pulverized Alyse Anderson (6-3) with a one-shot finish to the body in their women’s strawweight showdown.
Fairtex continued her rise as one of ONE Championship’s biggest stars, known for her exciting abilities and pre and post-fight dance routines. She showed serious ability in the cage, however, loading up on a perfect liver kick that folded Anderson in devastating fashion.
Stamp 🇹🇭 folds Alyse Anderson with a CRUSHING body kick to cap a spectacular U.S. debut! 💥
Tune in to Prime Video NOW to catch the rest of ONE Fight Night 10!
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🧑💻 Join the conversation 👉… pic.twitter.com/8nVGQDHKgC— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) May 6, 2023
Nominee: Ikram Aliskerov def. Phil Hawes at UFC 288
Ikram Aliskerov (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made an impact in the cage in his debut in the UFC middleweight division with a brutal finish of Phil Hawes (12-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC).
For as long as it lasted, Aliskerov and Hawes traded heavy strikes. Each exchange had bad intentions. The finishing sequence was a textbook one-two punch. The two put the lights out. Hawes flopped to the canvas with his right foot awkwardly tucked under him. No follow-up shots were thrown or needed.
OUT COLD 😱 IKRAM ALISKEROV JUST DID THAT #UFC288 pic.twitter.com/FNUzVSiygL
— UFC (@ufc) May 6, 2023
Nominee: Matt Brown def. Court McGee at UFC on ABC 4
Age may be a meaningless number for savvy welterweight veteran Matt Brown (24-19 MMA, 17-13 UFC), but his UFC knockout total after putting away Court McGee (21-12 MMA, 10-11 UFC) in their welterweight bout carries historical significance.
McGee pawed out a left hand and was in the process of sending a right behind it for a two-punch combination. Unfortunately for “The Crusher,” Brown had a right of his own already on the way with a lot of steam behind it, and it hit the target first. As a result, McGee crashed to the canvas, and the walk-off celebration was on for Brown.
MATT BROWN DID THAT 😮 #UFCCHARLOTTE pic.twitter.com/TbMMKIycdT
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2023
Nominee: Ian Machado Garry def. Daniel Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 4
UFC welterweight Ian Machado Garry (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) made a huge statement against Daniel Rodriguez (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) while keeping his record unblemished.
Entering the toughest test of his professional career thus far, Garry appeared confident as ever in the early moments of the fight. Respecting the power of Rodriguez, Garry wasn’t interested in trading with his hard-hitting opponent. Instead, “The Future” picked his shots well and evaded before he could be touched with anything too damaging. When Garry found the right head kick he wanted, the the fight was over.
IAN MACHADO GARRY WITH A STATEMENT 💥 #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/4QlIDVAZHZ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2023
Nominee: Diego Ferreira def. Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night 224
Diego Ferreira (18-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) proved he offers more threats than grappling and jiu-jitsu when he delivered his greatest highlight to date at the expense of Michael Johnson (21-19 MMA, 13-15 UFC) in their lightweight bout.
After getting his range and distance through the opening round, Ferreira waited for his chance to close the show in the second. He did just that when he uncorked a vicious overhand right that instantly sent Johnson flinging back and total unconscious on the mat.
DIEGO FERREIRA PUT MICHAEL JOHNSON TO SLEEP 😱 #UFCVegas73 pic.twitter.com/JyrHgkGo8N
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 20, 2023
The winner
The winner: Diego Ferreira
Ferreira showed off serious power against Johnson.
Ferreira knocked out Johnson with a massive overhand right in their lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 224 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Johnson looked fast and sharp on the feet in Round 1, where Ferreira wasn’t able to get him down. Following the instructions of his head coach Sayif Saud, Ferreira let his hands go in Round 2 until he landed a home run which shut the lights off Johnson at the 1:50 mark.
“I never fought with so much pressure in my life, especially with the last three losses I had,” Ferreira said post-fight. “To come back and TKO perfect with someone that level. We fought so many guys better than – like champions. So, for me it was great, and I’m proud of myself. For me right now, I really want to get to the rankings. I want to fight some guys before I go to the rankings, but my goal is getting closer to the belt again.”
Ferreira returned from a 17-month layoff to snap a three-fight losing skid. The Fortis MMA fighter notched his first win since January 2020.
