The year 2023 is coming to an end and the time has come to choose the main highlights of the MMA season, starting with the best, most plastic, most brutal and most striking knockouts of the last 12 months.
To arrive at the final result, each member of SUPER LUTAS assembled their own top 5, where first place was worth 5 points, second place 4 points, third place 3 points, and so on. At the end of the voting, the scores were added up to form the team's definitive top 5 knockouts. Let's get to the list.
Honorable mentions
Let's start with the knockouts that were mentioned by one or more members of the SUPER LUTAS team , but didn't achieve a high enough score to secure a place in the top 5.
They were: Lorenz Larkin vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov, in Bellator, and Islam Makhachev vs. Aleksander Volkanovski, Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Michael Johnson , Elves Brener vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky , Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price , and Manuel Torres vs. Nikolas Motta , in the UFC.
5- Patchy Mix x Raufeon Stots – Bellator 295
Opening our top 5 knockouts, with five points, is the current Bellator bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg), Patchy Mix . On his way to becoming the undisputed champion, the American knocked out Raufeon Stots with a precise and brutal knee strike to win the interim belt at Bellator 295 in April.
4- Ismael Marreta x Terrance McKinney – UFC 283
Next, we go back to the beginning of the year, more precisely to the first numbered Ultimate event of the season, UFC 283 , in Rio de Janeiro. On that occasion, Ismael Marreta from Brasília showed his credentials by debuting with a brutal flying knee against Terrance McKinney , raising the crowd at Jeunesse Arena and securing the fourth position in our knockout ranking, with nine points.
3- Justin Gaethje x Dustin Poirier – UFC 291
Opening our podium, with 18 points, double the score of the fourth-place finisher, Justin Gaethje secured the SUPER LUTAS bronze medal with a fantastic high kick to knock out Dustin Poirier and win the 'BMF' belt in the main event of UFC 291 in July.
2- Josh Emmett x Bryce Mitchell – UFC 296
Josh Emmett 's knockout of Bryce Mitchell came late, at the last event of the year on December 16th, but that didn't stop him from reaching second place in our ranking with 20 points and securing the silver medal for the veteran, who knocked out his rival with just one punch in one of the most brutal knockouts in recent years.
1- Israel Adesanya x Alex Poatan – UFC 287
The fight was close, but with 22 points, two more than the runner-up, the title of best knockout of 2023 went to Israel Adesanya for the rematch against Alex Poatan . Knocked out and dethroned by the Brazilian in 2022, the Nigerian set a trap and knocked out his rival with a precise counter-punch in the second round, followed by an 'arrow' after the fight.
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