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Part of the fun of watching the UFC is knowing that every fight can end at any moment. While watching a grueling bout go into the later rounds can be great to watch, there is not much better than a quick finish and the pop it produces among all in attendance.
These moments are also the type of fights that tend to go viral as the entire fight can be shared so easily. Fighters can benefit massively from pulling off a quick finish as their popularity typically receives a boost.
We have seen this happen repeatedly in the UFC as a number of the defining moments in the sport's history have come in lightning-fast fights. Conor McGregor's 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo to win the featherweight title was a massive moment for the sport's popularity.
More recently, Jorge Masvidal's flying knee knockout of Ben Askren produced one of the most viral moments in UFC history and elevated 'Gamebred' into one of the most popular fighters on the roster.
While no fighters were able to surpass Masvidal's five-second knockout this year, there was no shortage of quick finishes in 2021. Each of the finishes on this list came less than 20 seconds into each fight.
Here are the 5 quickest UFC finishes of 2021:
=#4. Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall II - UFC 261
Chris Weidman suffered a 17-second TKO defeat to Uriah Hall at UFC 261 after suffering a freak leg injury that left him unable to continue.
The injury came after Hall checked a heavy outside leg kick from Weidman. Weidman broke both his right fibula and tibia on impact and fell to the mat immediately, leading to Herb Dean waving off the bout. As a result, Hall became the first fighter in UFC history to win a bout without throwing a strike.
Impressively, Weidman has already returned to light training after coming back from his injury in inspiring fashion. Hall lost to Sean Strickland later in the year and is now being touted as a potential opponent for Darren Till in early 2022.
=#4. Abdul Razak Alhasssan vs. Alessio Di Chirico - UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze
The second 17-second finish in the UFC this year came courtesy of Abdul Razak Alhassan. The Ghanaian welterweight snapped a three fight losing streak in spectacular fashion when he landed a picture perfect head kick on Alessio Di Chirico in the opening stages of their bout.
Alhassan was the underdog heading into the bout, likely due to his ongoing losing streak. However, he had flashed his knockout power in the past, racking up three consecutive first round finishes prior to his losses.
Alhassan will next face Joaquin Buckley, who produced his own viral knockout in 2020. Di Chirico, incidentally, knocked out Buckley with a head kick in his most recent bout prior to this loss.
#3. Jason Witt vs. Matthew Semelsberger - UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad
Shockingly, Matthew Semelsberger's 16-second knockout of Jason Witt was not his quickest finish of 2021. While there'll be more on that later, this fight was a simple straight right hand that landed flush on Witt's chin, ending the bout early.
The powerful shot dropped Witt immediately. Semelsberger swarmed over him, leading the referee to stop the matchup seconds in. The knockout earned Semelsberger 'Performance of the Night' honors to the shock of virtually no-one.
To Witt's credit, he has since bounced back with a majority decision victory over Bryan Barbarena in July. He is next scheduled to face Phil Rowe in a bout in February.
#2. Martin Sano Jr. vs. Matthew Semelsberger - UFC 266
UFC 266 saw another lightning-fast finish from Matthew Semelsberger. He beat his previous entry by one second. In the process, he became the only man in UFC history besides Anthony Johnson to record two finishes in under 20 seconds.
Like his previous entry, Semelsberger's right hand secured him the win as he landed a massive shot on Sano Jr., living up to his status as the heavy favorite in this bout. Sano made his UFC debut in the bout and had mixed fortunes thus far in his MMA career with a record of 4-3-1.
Semelsberger's only fight in 2021 that didn't make this list was his loss to Khaos Williams. Despite that, given his two ridiculous quick knockouts in 2021, don't be surprised if his name features again next year.
#1. Matt Frevola vs. Terrance McKinney - UFC 263
Terrance McKinney's knockout of Matt Frevola at UFC 263 is now tied for the second quickest finish in UFC history. It was an incredibly memorable debut for a man who had once lost on Dana White's Contender Series back in 2019.
McKinney secured the win with a crisp one-two up the middle that sent Frevola flying to the mat. The performance was the first finish on a card that concluded with Israel Adesanya defending his middleweight title over Marvin Vettori.
Both McKinney and Frevola; who was successful in his own appearance on Dana White's Contender Series back in 2017, have not fought since.
Time will tell if McKinney will be able to beat his time by the three seconds needed to become the outright record holder for fastest finish in UFC history.
