5 most memorable knockouts by female UFC fighters

Back in 2011, in a now-infamous interview with TMZ Sports, UFC president Dana White revealed that he had no intentions of ever letting women compete in his promotion. Oh, how times have changed.

With the emergence of Ronda Rousey in 2012, the UFC finally opened the door for women to compete on the biggest stage. Since then, we've had numerous female champions and stand-out mixed martial artists who've taken the sport by storm.

In 2020, the 'Fight of the Year' award was awarded to the incredible five-round strawweight championship bout between Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Zhang Weili, taking the progress of women's MMA to new heights.

The growth of women's MMA has been incredible to watch. We've witnessed some outstanding bouts between female fighters that will undoubtedly stand the test of time. We've seen some jaw-dropping knockouts as well.

On that note, we thought we'd take a look at the five most memorable knockouts by female fighters in MMA's premier promotion.

Honorable mentions include Amanda Nunes' KO win over Holly Holm, Rose Namajunas' TKO win over Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Irene Aldana's KO win over Ketlen Vieira and Jessica Andrade's KO win over Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

---

#5. Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas 1 - UFC 261

Rose Namajunas emerged as the new queen of the women’s strawweight division in 2021. She previously won the title in 2017, but famously struggled with the pressure of being a world champion.

The strawweight belt, unlike the women’s flyweight, bantamweight and featherweight titles, has been constantly changing hands. After winning the title in 2017 and defending it in 2018, Namajunas lost the belt to Jessica Andrade a year later.

China's Zhang Weili defeated Andrade in 2019 and reigned as champion until UFC 261, where she took on Namajunas. Many believed that 'Magnum' would be too powerful for The Ultimate Fighter alum and that the Chinese ace would continue her reign as the strawweight queen.

However, Namajunas produced one of the most memorable moments of 2021 as she caught Weili with a clean head kick in the very first round. 'Thug' Rose finished the fight with a series of ground-and-pound strikes to become a two-time UFC champion.

#4. Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina - UFC London

Before joining the UFC, Molly McCann had four knockout victories to her name. However, on MMA's biggest stage, she has struggled to put away her opponents and largely relies on her volume striking to win fights.

As such, all of her victories inside the famed octagon prior to March 2022 came via unanimous decision. That was until UFC London, where she took on Luana Carolina.

McCann started the fight in her signature style, overwhelming Carolina with relentless forward pressure throughout the first round. It appeared as though she slowed down in the second, but finished the round with a resounding takedown.

In the final round, Carolina engaged in a clinch with McCann, using her taller frame to hold down the Liverpool native. 'Meatball' gained some separation and unleashed a thunderous spinning elbow that put her opponent to sleep, sending the raucous English crowd in attendance into a frenzy.

---

#3. Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes - UFC 232

Women's MMA legend Cris Cyborg joined the UFC in 2016 after a dominant run in Invicta FC's 145-pound division. She secured back-to-back wins against Leslie Smith and Lina Lansberg before winning the vacant UFC women's featherweight title with a victory over Tonya Evinger in 2017.

Cyborg defended her belt twice before running into then-bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Nunes was riding a seven-fight win streak at the time and was coming off a dominant defense of her title against Raquel Pennington. Pursuing champ-champ status, 'The Lioness' moved up to 145 pounds to take on Cyborg.

Many expected this matchup to be a drawn-out contest, considering both fighters' experience. The bout that ensued left fans in a state of shock. The contest, which lasted less than a minute, saw Nunes run through Cyborg using her trademark power and aggression.

Nunes knocked down Cyborg multiple times before the eventual fight-ending blow. At the 51-second mark, 'The Lioness' landed a monstrous overhand right that sent her compatriot crashing to the canvas, prompting the referee to call a halt to the action.

Watch the full fight below:

#2. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Eye - UFC 238

Valentina Shevchenko won the vacant UFC women's flyweight title in 2018. In her first title defense, she took on Jessica Eye. The 125-pound duo locked horns in the co-main event of UFC 238 in 2019.

Shevchenko repeatedly kicked Eye's body throughout the opening round and the damage to her midsection was clearly mounting. In the second round, 'Bullet' landed a few more body kicks before throwing a perfectly placed head kick.

With 'Evil' anticipating another blow to her body, she dropped her hands, which was the last voluntary action she took in the fight.

Valentina Shevchenko's win over Jessica Eye set the tone for her championship reign. She went on to defend her belt against Liz Carmouche, Katlyn Chookagian, Jennifer Maia, Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy. Shevchenko will return to the octagon in June 2022 in Singapore, where she is slated to take on Taila Santos.

Her stunning head-kick KO victory over Eye remains the most memorable win of her reign so far.

---

#1. Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm - UFC 193

Ronda Rousey is a pioneer in women's MMA. She singlehandedly spearheaded the movement to allow women into the biggest promotion in the world and did so in devastating fashion.

Rousey won and defended the Strikeforce bantamweight title before the UFC's absorption of Strikeforce's roster. She was directly awarded the 135-pound title upon joining the promotion and went on to successfully defend her place on the throne six times, finishing all of her opponents along the way.

By this point, Rousey had become a household name and a global megastar. Going into her seventh title defense, which went down in Melbourne, Australia, 'Rowdy' seemingly had the world eating out of the palm of her hand.

She took on rising contender Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 193, looking to further extend her perfect professional record and championship reign.

Holly Holm was a massive betting underdog going into the fight. Many expected Ronda Rousey to take her down and easily find a finish. In one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, Holm put on an absolute striking masterclass, finishing Rousey in the second round.

Rousey had no answer for Holm's speed, movement and diverse arsenal of weapons. At times, it felt like we were watching a bull and a matador. 'The Preacher's Daughter' showed that her striking was multiple levels above her counterpart's.

A minute into the second round, 'Rowdy' got caught with a powerful head kick that effectively ended the fight.