5 of the craziest knockouts from the MMA fighters competing at ONE: Only the Brave

ONE Championship's second event of the year goes out live on Friday, January 28, and it promises to treat fans to a plethora of knockout encounters.

Headlining the show will be a pair of ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix semifinal matchups. These kickboxing stars' only mission in the circle is to destroy opponents with their striking tools. Their last performances are a perfect example of what fans can expect when these striking machines collide inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The ONE Super Series bouts being contested at the Singapore-based organization’s spectacle are guaranteed to feature some highlight-reel knockouts. But the six MMA bouts on the card are equally likely to produce fireworks, as every man involved possesses tremendous knockout ability.

Ahead of ONE: Only the Brave, we take a look at five of the craziest knockouts from the MMA fighters competing on the card.

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#5. Kim Jae Woong vs. Martin Nguyen - ONE: Revolution

Current No.1-ranked featherweight contender ‘The Fighting God’ Kim Jae Woong went toe-to-toe with former two-division world champion, Martin ‘The Situ-Asian’ Nguyen in an epic featherweight contest last year. In the end, it was Nguyen who fell to his foe’s venomous fists.

Both athletes entered this bout with a reputation as the featherweight division’s heaviest hitters. Kim had finished seven of his 11 career wins with his unorthodox striking, while Nguyen’s right hand had put nine opponents to sleep on the canvas.

Nguyen was the aggressor from the opening bell, sending his South Korean rival on the back foot for a long minute.

Kim was not in a hurry to attack, however. The 28-year-old allowed the Australian-Vietnamese star to come forward with his strikes, and he countered every time ‘The Situ-Asian' connected.

As Nguyen grew in confidence with his strikes, he started to swing fully-loaded leather at his younger rival. However, as his appetite for destruction grew, his defense began to falter.

‘The Fighting God’ spotted a perfect window to counter. As ‘The Situ-Asian’ stepped in behind his jab to set up a punch, Kim let loose a right cross that left the Sanford MMA star flat on the canvas.

Kim followed up with a swarming ground-and-pound, which forced the referee to halt the contest at 3:15 of the opening stanza.

Kim will be looking to repeat this success at ONE: Only the Brave against another knockout specialist, No.4-ranked featherweight Tang Kai.

#4. Tang Kai vs. Sung Jong Lee - ONE: Hero’s Ascent

Tang Kai has sent 11 opponents to the canvas. However, one knockout that stands out clear from the rest is his head kick knockout on his ONE debut against grappling specialist Sung Jong Lee at ONE: Hero's Ascent.

Tang, who is known for his heavy kicks, chose to test his rival’s defense by mixing it up in the striking department in the first round. The debutant caught his South Korean rival with a variety of strikes aimed at his midsection and legs.

The 23-year-old Chinese star’s onslaught almost cost him dearly, though, as his rival caught him with a triangle choke. The striker fended it off easily, however, and as the contest returned to the feet, he continued to hit with precision and power.

Sung struggled to execute his grappling strengths in the opening five minutes. He then decided to stand and bang with Tang as the second canto got underway, which proved to be a bad decision.

Just 74 seconds into the second round, it was all over for the South Korean as Tang got the knockout.

After punishing his opponent's legs and body all night long, Tang went upstairs and uncorked a left kick aimed straight on his rival’s head. Sung immediately felt the impact of the kick, and he wobbled for a bit before falling face-first onto the mat.

It was a crazy knockout, and Tang hopes to keep his hot run of form going against Kim on Friday, January 28.

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#3. Zebaztian Kadestam vs. Luis Santos - ONE: Dynasty of Heroes

Former ONE welterweight world champion Zebaztian Kadestam announced his arrival on the global stage with probably the biggest scalp on his resume to date at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes. The Swede came into the bout as an underdog, but left with one of the most insane knockouts of 2017.

Going up against Luis Santos, an athlete with 37 knockout victories and the most feared striker in the division at the time, was a huge task. However, ‘The Bandit’ dominated his rival for the first two rounds before threading in the highlight-reel moment at 2:18 of the final round.

Kadestam took the bout on short notice. But the Muay Thai and wrestling specialist looked the more prepared of the two. He frustrated his Brazilian rival with his powerful combinations, clinch game, and grappling exchanges throughout the welterweight tie.

As Santos’ stamina was drained from handling his rival’s nonstop attack, he opted to close out the tie by trying to take ‘The Bandit’ to the canvas.

Kadestam sprawled, loaded a right knee, and stung his foe. He gained side control and followed up with two more knees, which left the Brazilian MMA fighter knocked out cold.

The Swede hopes to get another knockout when he comes up against Hiroyuki Tetsuka at ONE: Only the Brave.

#2. Wang Shuo vs. Kim Kyu Sung - ONE on TNT II

Knockouts are part of Wang Shuo's arsenal. The last time he stepped foot inside the circle at ONE on TNT II, it was perhaps one of the most significant moments in his six-year professional MMA career.

The Chinese star reminded everyone why he deserves his moniker, ‘Little Whirlwind'. He extended his win streak to five fights via a knockout in the third stanza against Kim Kyu Sung.

The two striking wizards went for each other’s heads in the opening frame. However, it was Kim who held the upper hand as the second canto approached. The young South Korean star continued to pile on more misery on the Chinese debutant.

Knowing he needed something special to convince the judges, Wang came out of his corner set to outstrike his foe in the final five minutes. That plan paid dividends.

Wang avoided his enemy’s left hook and countered with a right elbow that crashed smack on his rival’s jaw. Kim went down, and after Wang briefly touched him up with a flurry of punches from the canvas, the referee handed the win to the Chinese star.

Wang hopes to score another emphatic victory when he takes on Japanese powerhouse Tatsumitsu Wada on January 28.

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#1. Anderson Silva vs. Andre Meunier - ONE: Roots of Honor

Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva makes his second MMA outing in ONE Championship versus Englishman Paul Elliott on Friday, January 28.

The Brazilian is one of the few athletes in the promotion who switches between MMA and kickboxing. He owns several crazy knockouts in his professional resume, but none could topple his 74 second knockout against Andre 'The Giant' Meunier in his promotional debut at ONE: Roots of Honor in April 2019.

Both men traded heavy leather as soon as the circle door shut. They traded crosses, hooks, and jabs, and at that point, the next man to connect with precision and power was near-guaranteed a highlight-reel stoppage. Fortunately for ‘Braddock’, it was him.

His Australian opponent lunged forward with a looping left hook. However, Silva stepped back and narrowly avoided Meunier’s shot. Silva then landed a chopping right hand to the temple, which instantly earned him a knockout.

This performance perfectly explains why Silva sits atop of our list of craziest knockouts from the MMA stars at ONE: Only the Brave. He'll surely be seeking another finish when he opens the show on January 28.