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2019 is well and truly here but we can't help but reminisce about the year that went by. 2018 was, for good and for worse, dominated by the shenanigans that happened outside the Octagon. A bus attack, a free-for-all brawl at UFC 229, Jon Jones being Jon Jones and some highly questionable decisions made by the UFC; it felt like Vince McMahon was booking the entire gig.
As the old adage goes, controversy creates cash and Dana White and co. made truckloads of it from all the chaos that eventuated. New PPV buy-rate records, highest gate numbers, and an undeniable mainstream presence rounded up the 25th year of the promotion's existence in lavish style.
The action inside the Octagon wasn't too bad either. We got not one, but two double champions, the fall of mighty overlords in a few divisions, the rise of newfangled superstars, and some darn good fights. We, the fans, were treated to a vehement showcase of technical clinics and all-out slugfests and also a few forgettable stinkers.
The knockouts, however, kept coming in abundance and some of them were faster than the babysitter's boyfriend when the car pulls up. We have counted down the quickest knockouts of 2018 in this slider with, of course, videos of the finishes.
Honorable mentions
Devonte Smith def. Julian Erosa (0:46, Round 1)
Dan Ige def. Mike Santiago (0:50, Round 1)
Amanda Nunes Nunes def. Cris Cyborg (0:5, Round 1)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Evan Dunham (0:53, Round 1)
Anthony Smith def. Rashad Evans (0:53, Round 1)
Islam Makhachev def. Gleison Tibau (0:57, Round 1)
#5 Francis Ngannou def. Curtis Blaydes (KO/TKO, 0:45)
The sequel between the two Heavyweight juggernauts had a similar result as their first outing but this time, all it took was a minute for the Cameroonian-Frenchman to put away the American.
A lot was riding on this fight for both men. Francis Ngannou came into the fight with a fractured aura as he had lost his two previous bouts against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis. Blaydes hadn't lost in his last six fights with his only loss coming against Ngannou in their first fight.
Ngannou wanted to put on a statement while Blaydes wanted retribution as well as a catapulting win to a Heavyweight title shot.
An overhand right to Blaydes' temple and before you knew it, Ngannou was all over him throwing bombs until the referee stepped in. Blaydes may not have agreed with the referee's stoppage but we're glad he didn't have to take a few more shots.
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#4 Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Niko Price (KO/TKO, 0:43)
The Welterweight fight kicked off the main card proceedings at UFC 228 that was headlined by another 170 lbs fight between Kamaru Usman and Demian Maia.
Alhassan went into the fight expecting Price to make it a grappling match but instead, the American engaged in a stand-up battle against Alhassan fighter. Bad idea.
The Ghanian fighter got the better of the riotous brawl and caught Price right on the button with a right-left hook combination. Alhassan extended his record to 10-1 with all of his ten wins coming via first-round KOs. Talk about a knockout artist UFC would like to push to the top.
However, he was recently indicted for sexual assault charges following his win against Price, yet, is still a part of the UFC payroll as he has pleaded not guilty with potential legal action expected to be taken in the coming months.
#3 Alexander Hernandez def. Beniel Dariush (KO/TKO, 0:42)
This was a weird one, as in real-time, it felt as though Dariush was dropped by a mere graze. However, replays suggested that Hernandez connected with a solid straight left that knocked the Iranian out cold.
Some ground and pound followed and Hernandez was given the go-ahead by the referee to empty out his adrenaline tank by celebrating his victory with screaming and running around the cage. The prelim fight of the UFC 222 card earned the American a Performance of the Night bonus and extended his record to 10 wins and one loss.
It was Dariush's second loss in three fights, however, he did end the year on a positive note with a unanimous decision victory over Thiago Moises at Fight Night 139 in November 2018.
Hernandez too notched up another win in 2018 by getting the better of Olivier Aubin-Mercier in a unanimous decision outcome in July 2018.
#2 Alex Oliveira def. Carlo Pedersoli Jr. (TKO, 0:39), Gabriel Benitez def. Humberto Bandenay (KO, 0:39)
Two fights take the joint second spot and both were Fight Night offerings. The first happened at Fight Night 137 as Alex Olviera took on the Carlo Pedersoli in front of his countrymen in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Pedersoli may have walked into this one. The American shot a straight right kick but missed and tripped after Olivera got a hand over his leg. The Brazilian smelled blood and unleashed a combination of strikes to end the co-main event fight.
The second knockout was just batshit insane! It's so good that it would have surely ended up on many year-end listicles of the most savage finishes of the year.
The Featherweight fight between Benitez and Bandenay was the first fight on the Prelim on FS 2 card and had one of the most unique finishes in MMA history. Bandenay was on his back looking for an arm-triangle choke when Benitez just picked him up and slammed him to the mat. The referee wasted no time in stopping the fight as Bandenay's eyes instantly rolled back as a result of his head bouncing off the canvas.
#1 Poliana Botelho def. Syuri Kondo (TKO, 0:33), Jimmie Rivera def. Marlon Moraes (KO/TKO, 0:33)
We end the list with another joint entry and a first from the women's division. The ladies don't mess around. They come in for a finish every single time which explains the phenomenon of most fights featuring the fairer sex ending in the first round itself.
The aforementioned strawweight fight between the Brazilian Botelho and Japenese Kondo was a one-sided beating that thankfully didn't last long. A black belt in Muay Thai, Botelho landed a kick to the gut that forced Kondo to buckle down near the cage. The Brazilian then stormed in with a series as Kondo waited for the referee to put her out of her misery.
How can the list go without an eye-catching head kick knockout? Here's Moraes with a legit highlight reel knockout from the main event of UFC 131 from the Utica Memorial Auditorium in New York.
