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2021 has seen a number of memorable UFC first-round finishes. Some of the best include Rose Namajunas' head kick to reclaim her strawweight title, as well as Khamzat Chimaev and Islam Makhachev's wins at UFC 267.
Earlier this year we also saw Dustin Poirier defeat Conor McGregor in round one at UFC 264. Another big moment was Michael Chandler knocking out Dan Hooker to mark his UFC 257 octagon debut.
The opening-round finish is rare due to high competition levels between UFC athletes. When it does happen, however, it provides a moment fans rarely forget.
Here are the five fighters with the most first-round UFC finishes.
#5: Donald Cerrone - 8 First-Round Finishes
Donald Cerrone is tied with several past and present UFC fighters who earned eight first-round finishes. Vicente Luque, Francis Ngannou, Gabriel Gonzaga and Matt Hughes have also managed the feat.
That said, none of those fighters have as many total UFC finishes as 'Cowboy'. While the veteran fan-favorite has lost his last six, he once challenged for the UFC lightweight championship.
Cerrone achieved his tally thanks to his excellent striking and dangerous submissions on the ground. His record reflects this as four of his first-round finishes came via knock-out and four via submission.
Cerrone has also flattened some big names in the first round. The win that has aged best is likely his first, a 2011 TKO over current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
#4: Amanda Nunes - 9 First-Round Finishes
Amanda Nunes is up next. Her nine first-round finishes tie her with the next entry and given she has continued to rack up these finishes recently, it would not be surprising should she one day be ranked first.
Nunes possesses other-worldly power and therefore her striking has regularly overwhelmed opponents in the first round of fights. Impressively, five of her nine first-round finishes have come in UFC women's bantamweight title fights.
Nunes also boasts first-round finishes over some of the very best female fighters ever. She won the belt with a first-round finish of Meisha Tate and has since managed the same feat against the likes of Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm.
#3: Andrei Arlovski - 9 First-Round Finishes
With Andrei Arlovski still competing in the UFC at the age of 42 some will forget he was once a heavyweight champion for the promotion. Arlovski's maiden first-round finish came in 2000 and he most recently stopped a foe inside five minutes in 2015.
Arlovski's durability is incredible and while he may not have scored a first-round finish for a number of years, he has still won four of his last five UFC fights. His second run with the company is proving just as memorable as his first.
Arlovski won the interim heavyweight title via a first-round finish of Tim Sylvia and added two more early stoppages in consecutive title defenses. During his latest UFC run 'The Maine-iac' has achieved the same feat over the likes of Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva and Travis Browne.
#2: Jim Miller - 10 First-Round Finishes
Jim Miller is another active UFC fighter who has been able to rack up first-round finishes over a lengthy career. In 2010, Miller even took out current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in the first round of their bout.
Miller is a submission specialist and nine of his ten first-round finishes have come via making his opponents tap out. The one exception to this rule was Miller's TKO win over Takanori Gomi at UFC 200.
Given he is still adding wrinkles to his game, perhaps the 38-year-old Miller can continue adding to his current tally of 10.
#1: Frank Mir - 11 First-Round Finishes
Surprisingly, Frank Mir is the only member of this list not currently competing in the UFC. Mir racked up most of his first-round finishes in the early days of the organization, as he debuted with the company in just his third pro fight.
Mir quickly finished four of his first five opponents in the first round. The next time he achieved this feat he defeated Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight championship. He also famously submitted Brock Lesnar in the first round at UFC 81.
Known for his grappling, eight of Mir's first nine first-round stoppages saw him submit his opponents, with the anomaly being a DQ win in 2003. However, Mir's last two first-round finishes were knockouts and he has now begun a boxing career.
