5 greatest head kick knockouts in UFC history

In the UFC, nothing draws a fan's attention like knockouts. Many of the sport's greatest stars relied on their ability to land finishing blows on their opponents to earn acclaim. Anderson Silva, for example, was known as a human highlight reel during his prime years for precisely that.

Yet, even among knockouts, some occupy a class of their own. These knockouts are head kicks. Some are historical, forever changing the course of MMA by handing a loss to an otherwise invincible foe. In other cases, they are the first of their kind: kicks no one ever thought could be so effective in MMA.

But for most cases, they're simply the most stunning sights an MMA fan can hope to catch. With that in mind, this list covers five of the greatest head-kick knockouts in UFC history.

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#5. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop, UFC 70

In 2007, Gabriel Gonzaga was a relative unknown in MMA. He was a Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom en route to only his 9th professional bout. While he had already taken part in three UFC fights, winning them all, he was scheduled to face a legend in both heavyweight MMA and kickboxing.

Mikro Cro Cop had spent most of his career fighting under the PRIDE banner, where he became the openweight champion in the Grand Prix the year prior and tied Wanderlei Silva for the record of most finishes in PRIDE history. One record he had all to himself was the most first-round finishes in the promotion.

His striking skills were fearsome, and the power of his left head kick inspired him to utter a now legendary proverb about it: 'right leg, hospital, left leg, cemetery'. Yet, when he crossed swords with Gonzaga in a title eliminator, he was on the receiving end of what was considered an improbable outcome.

After being stood up by referee Herb Dean, Mirko Cro Cop began circling away from his foe. The Brazilian responded by whipping out his right leg, smashing his shin into his Cro Cop's head, and knocking him out immediately, as Cro Cop had done to so many others in the past.

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#4. Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim, UFC 142

Spinning attacks aren't as common as some MMA fans think. At least, they aren't as successful as fans might want. After all, it was not until 2012 that the UFC had recorded a single knockout due to a spinning wheel kick. But that's also because the promotion didn't sign Edson Barboza until 2010.

The Brazilian is a striking dynamo with some of the most powerful kicks in MMA history. Whether he's low-kicking, battering Dan Hooker's midsection with body kicks or sending someone into the shadow realm with a thunderous head kick, there's no one like Edson Barboza.

At UFC 142, Terry Etim learned that the hard way. The pair had an exciting bout, but halfway through the third round, Barboza touched him up with a quick combination ending with a low kick. When Etim saw him square his hips again, he lowered his hands, perhaps hoping to catch another low kick.

But Barboza never went low. Instead, he turned on his heel, spinning his entire body to uncork a lightning-quick wheel kick that blasted Etim across the head. He was unconscious before ever hitting the ground, and when he did, he was as stiff as a board: the victim of the first-ever wheel kick in UFC history.

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#3. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, UFC 126

During Anderson Silva's record-breaking run of 16 wins in the promotion, 'The Spider' faced opponents from every walk of life. But at UFC 126, he faced someone more similar to him than he'd have liked to admit. Like him, Vitor Belfort was a Brazilian legend renowned for his speed and striking skills.

Furthermore, 'The Phenom' had held UFC gold before. So when the two men clashed, fans expected fireworks. Unfortunately, their fight never went passed the three-minute mark. Fortunately, they did get one firework, the first of its kind in the promotion. Silva hypnotized Belfort by holding his countryman's gaze with his own.

With Belfort distracted, 'The Spider' whipped his leg up through the middle of his foe's guard, smashing the ball of his feet into his opponent's jaw to score the first-ever front kick knockout in the promotion.

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#2. Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey, UFC 193

There was nothing exceptionally unique about Holly Holm's win over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. What sets it apart from countless other kicks in the promotion's history is that no one ever thought Ronda Rousey would lose, much less to 'The Preacher's Daughter'.

Yet, Holm established her dominance over 'Rowdy' from the very start, making her pay with counterpunches for her linear charges into range. With Rousey chasing her so recklessly, chin up, hands low and with no head movement, she ran into Holm's punches repeatedly until she was dazed.

In the second round, Holm landed another counter and Rousey stumbled. As she stood back up, she was sent crashing right back down after Holm whipped her left shin into her jaw, knocking her out in one of MMA's all-time great upsets.

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#1. Joaquin Buckley vs. Impa Kasanganay, UFC Fight Night 179

It isn't a stretch to say that had Joaquin Buckley not beaten Impa Kasanganay the way that he had, no one would, but the hardcore fandom in MMA would even know of him. While he's always been a powerful, athletic fighter, he was never regarded as a high-potential prospect or future champion.

But he didn't need to be. He had something else in his backpocket. In October 2020, he faced Impa Kasanganay in Abu Dhabi. It was a prelim bout that was spared very little attention. Instead, everyone else was concerned with future interim title challenger Cory Sandhagen's fight with Marlon Moraes.

But in the second round of Buckley's bout, he turned himself into a viral internet sensation with an inimitable kick. He threw a left round kick to the body, which Kasanganay caught. With one leg held hostage, Buckley turned on his heel to unleash a spinning back kick that smashed into his foe's face.

Kasanganay collapsed, out cold, staring up at the ceiling, while 'New Mansa' stared at the bright lights awaiting him after scoring 2020's Knockout of the Year.