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Conor McGregor’s 13-second demolition of Jose Aldo at UFC 194 on December 13, 2015, is the highlight of the Irishman’s spectacular UFC career. It is also considered as one of the fastest finishes that we have ever seen inside the UFC’s octagon.
However, if we take a trip down memory lane, the Notorious’ career-defining win over Aldo doesn’t even make it to the Top 10 fastest knockouts in the promotion’s history. Electrifying as that stoppage was, it only ranks 12th in the all-time UFC fastest knockout list.
Check out which stoppages were faster:
11. BJ Penn UFC 34 (12 seconds)
The Prodigy BJ Penn is one of the most iconic fighters in UFC history. Penn was a two-division champion and is credited as the fighter who brought the lighter weight classes to the spotlight. In only his third MMA bout, Penn fought in a title eliminator against former Shooto champion Caol Uno in what was supposed to be a routine outing for the latter.
Uno opened with a flying knee. But Penn refused to let the veteran take charge as he dropped the Uno with a nasty uppercut. Penn then swarmed on his hurt opponent before the referee stepped in to stop the bout in 12 seconds.
10. Mark Weir UFC 28 (10 seconds)
Mark Weir didn’t have the best of UFC careers, but it was one that certainly had its moments. Weir’s UFC debut was his best fight ever, even if he went on to win the Cage Rage British Middleweight title later. The Wizard’s first octagon appearance was against Eugene Jackson at UFC 28 and it didn’t last long.
Weir threw a hook-kick to open the fight. Then he tagged Jackson with a perfectly timed counter that sent the latter down. He followed up with a flurry and the fight was over. A year later, Weir was cut from the UFC after suffering back to back losses.
9. Gray Maynard UFC Fight Night 11 (9 seconds)
Gray Maynard was one of the UFC’s tough guys and was known for his rivalry with Frankie Edgar. But long before he fought The Answer in back to back title fights, Maynard was involved in a fight that ended in a no-contest after both fighters were knocked out after a slam.
After that ludicrous UFC debut, Maynard bounced back big with his most impressive win and his fastest as well. The Bully needed just one left hook to stop Joe Veres and get his first UFC to win. He would go on to win his next seven bouts to earn a shot at Frankie Edgar’s lightweight belt twice.
8. Makwan Amirkhani UFC on Fox 14 (8 seconds)
Makwan Amirkhani was a submission specialist whose 10-2 record in Finland caught the UFC’s eye and caused them to sign him in December 2014. Amirkhani was immediately booked a flight the following month against The Ultimate Fighter 15 contestant Andy Ogle at UFC on Fox 14.
Amirkhani had never recorded a knockout before joining the UFC. But in his UFC debut, he introduced himself to the big stage with a flying knee that hurt and knocked out Ogle in just eight seconds. He earned Performance of the Night honors and put himself in the UFC record books in the second-fastest knockout in UFC featherweight history. Interestingly, he’s never won another fight via knockout.
7. Don Frye UFC 8 (8 seconds)
This is the oldest fight in our list and it takes us back to the early years of the UFC where a fighter fought multiple times in a day. Don Frye was both a wrestler and boxer before he entered MMA. Meanwhile, I’m not sure what Thomas Ramirez’s fighting background was. Some say he was a cab driver but he was introduced as “undefeated in 200 bare-knuckle challenge fights”.
Regardless, this was short and Frye put Ramirez to sleep in this one. This was Frye’s first MMA win and it was quick. The Predator went on to defeat Sam Adkins and Gary Goodridge later that day to win the tournament.
6. James Irvin UFC Fight Night 13 (8 seconds)
James Irvin's 8 second KO of the night against Houston Alexander! (UFC Fight Night 13) pic.twitter.com/qqxF9U2NE9
— MMA GOSSiP (@MMAxGossip) September 21, 2014
Former WEC heavyweight champion James Irvin didn’t have as much success in the UFC as he did before the WEC merged with the UFC. However, he owns one of the fastest knockouts in the history of the UFC with his eight-second demolition of Houston Alexander at UFC Fight Night 13.
Irvin landed a superman punch shortly after the opening bell that immediately dropped Alexander. Irvin rushed and went on top of his foe before landing a couple of shots that didn’t matter. The superman punch landed flush on the chin and Alexander went limp right away. Irvin then pulled out his imaginary gun and shot his downed opponent with it to celebrate.
5. The Korean Zombie UFC 140 (7 seconds)
The Korean Zombie is one of the most exciting fighters the UFC has ever seen and in this particular bout, Chan Sung Jung was indeed electrifying. He is known as the Zombie because of his remarkable recovery skills but against Mark Hominick at UFC 140, he didn’t have to show it.
Hominick was coming off a fight where he went the distance while challenging Jose Aldo for the featherweight gold. The former TKO featherweight champion was expected to give the Korean Zombie a good fight but Chang had other plans in mind. The Zombie landed a straight right counter that put the former title challenger down and out in front of his countrymen.
4. Ryan Jimmo UFC 149 (7 seconds)
Ryan Jimmo couldn’t have plotted his UFC debut much better. After losing in The Ultimate Fighter 8, he returned to Canada where he won the MFC light heavyweight title. He defended the belt twice and finally got a call from the UFC. He was expected to make his debut at UFC of FX 1 but an injury forced him to pull out.
Six months later, he made his first octagon appearance against Anthony Perosh. It was quick. After the bell, Jimmo threw an overhand right that immediately dropped Perosh. The Australian was already out before he even fell on the canvass. This stands as the fastest KO in the history of the light heavyweight division.
3. Todd Duffee UFC 102 (7 seconds)
Todd Duffee was set to make his octagon debut at UFC 99. He was pulled from the fight in favor of Mirko Filipovic and was marched up against former King of Cage Canada champion Tim Hague at UFC 102.
One punch knockouts are common in heavyweight bouts. This one was no exception. All it took was one stiff jab from Duffee that landed flush on Tim Hague’s grill to make the latter’s knees crumble. Duffee rushed on top of his downed opponent and finished him off with a flurry. It’s the fastest finish in the history of the UFC’s heavyweight division.
2. Duane Ludwig UFC 3 (6 seconds)
Duane Ludwig KO's Jonathan Goulet in 6 seconds for the fastest KO in UFC history! @DUANEBANGCOM pic.twitter.com/rZf8wmY64k
— MMA GOSSiP (@MMAxGossip) September 21, 2014
We know Duane Ludwig now as Bang, the ex-coach at Team Alpha Male who helped the latter win Gym of the Year in 2013. But Ludwig was an ex-UFC fighter who had a record of 21-14 with 10 knockouts and six submission wins.
At UFC Fight Night 3 in 2006, he set the unofficial fastest knockout record of six seconds against Jonathan Goulet. The timekeeping said it was 11 seconds but Ludwig was pulled by the referee at 6. The NSAC refused to overturn the time of stoppage but the UFC officially considers the time of stoppage at 6.06, giving Ludwig the second-fastest knockout in the history of the UFC.
1. Jorge Masvidal UFC 239 (5 seconds)
When Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren fought at UFC 239, it was considered a stylistic battle between a striker (Masvidal) and a wrestler (Askren). Masvidal was coming off a second-round knockout win over Darren Till in England. Askren came from the ONE Championship in the Mighty Mouse trade and had just beaten Robbie Lawler in a controversial finish at UFC 235. This could have very well been a three-second fight if you ask Joe Rogan. When the bell rang, both charged at each other. Askren tried to grab Masvidal to take him down. Masvidal raced forward and attempted a flying knee. The knee landed first and Askren was already out before Masvidal got on top of him.
