#2 Superman punch – Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve – UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill – 05/28/11
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Okay, so this one is sort of cheating. It’s a widely known fact that before Roman Reigns ever threw a Superman punch in the WWE ring, the move was being used in MMA to great effect by various fighters.
It’s commonly accepted that the first time the move was seen was back in 2001. It was used by Josh Thomson in his fight with ‘Razor’ Rob McCullough, but of course the most famous proprietor of the Superman punch in MMA was the legendary Georges St-Pierre, who threw them with brilliant timing, landing his most memorable ones on Matt Hughes, Matt Serra and BJ Penn.
GSP was never actually able to use one to finish a fight, however.
The most brutal use of a superman punch to finish a fight definitely came in May 2011, at UFC 130. Travis Browne vs. Stefan Struve was the third fight on the main card of that show and it was largely being overlooked, as neither man had really established themselves as a fighter to watch at that point.
That would all change. Despite Struve standing at a towering 6’11” – one of the few fighters taller than the 6’7” Browne – he was unable to truly use his reach advantage to stop Browne from getting inside, and after a brief scramble on the ground, with Browne avoiding a choke attempt, the fighters came back to their feet.
Struve attempted to throw a flying knee, but Browne countered with a huge superman punch that landed flush. Struve was practically folded in half by the shot and was unconscious before he hit the ground.
The punch looked like it could’ve dropped a horse, and Browne’s follow-up hammer fists were totally unnecessary. This remains Browne’s signature knockout, and in my opinion is the greatest Superman punch in MMA history.
