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Whenever a fighter in the UFC scores a major highlight-reel knockout, it’s hard for the fans not to get hyped for their next fight. After all, there’s always the possibility they could do it again.
Unfortunately, not every UFC fighter who delivers a highlight-reel knockout can live up to those standards in their subsequent fights, with some of those finishes eventually feeling like flukes.
Sure, it’s never easy to deliver a great finish inside the octagon and it’s fair to say that all fighters would do so if they could, but some knockouts are simply impossible to follow up.
Here are five UFC fighters who scored a highlight reel knockout but failed to follow it up.
#5. Scott Smith – former UFC middleweight contender
When Scott Smith was signed by the UFC in early 2006, he brought with him the reputation as a serious knockout artist thanks to the three violent KO’s he’d unleashed to win the WEC light-heavyweight title.
However, ‘Hands of Steel’ lost his octagon debut to David Terrell, and when he failed to make an impact on the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter, it looked like his career at the top was over.
All of that changed in the season finale. Smith went to war with his castmate Pete Sell, and in one of the wildest finishes in MMA history, he was able to stop ‘Drago’ with a crushing right hand despite being on the verge of being stopped after a nasty body shot.
The knockout instantly went viral, and suddenly, ‘Hands of Steel’ was a star of sorts. Unfortunately for him, his highlight reel finish was simply one that he could never quite recreate.
His next fight – against Patrick Cote – saw him attempt to play possum in order to draw Cote in at one stage, but the Canadian refused to take the bait and ended up winning a unanimous decision. Ed Herman, meanwhile, simply took Smith down, beat him up on the ground and choked him out.
That fight ended Smith’s octagon career, and while ‘Hands of Steel’ did experience a resurgence of sorts in Strikeforce, he never again produced a knockout quite like the one that put him on the map in the first place.
#4. Gabriel Gonzaga – former UFC heavyweight contender
There’s probably an argument to suggest that Gabriel Gonzaga, who departed the UFC in 2016 after putting together a record of 12-10 in the octagon, is one of the most underrated heavyweights of his generation.
However, ‘Napao’ is also largely remembered for one single moment in his decade-long career with the world’s biggest MMA promotion, and while he did score some strong finishes later down the line, it’s safe to say that he never truly lived up to the hype of that big knockout.
The knockout in question, of course, saw him destroy former PRIDE superstar Mirko Cro Cop with a devastating head kick in the headline bout of UFC 70 in April 2007. Not only was it one of the most visually stunning knockouts in octagon history, but it also saw the Brazilian turn the tables on Cro Cop, who was renowned for taking out his foes with head kicks.
Unfortunately, while everyone expected Gonzaga to go onto claim the UFC heavyweight title in his next bout, he fell to a TKO defeat at the hands of champion Randy Couture. When he followed that loss with another – to Fabricio Werdum – the bloom was firmly off the rose for him.
To be fair to ‘Napao’, he did bounce back well and produced a number of other decent knockouts in the rest of his tenure – but it’s telling that he never claimed another ‘Knockout of the Night’ award in his career. Essentially, Gonzaga scored the ultimate highlight reel finish, and could never quite match it again.
#3. James Irvin – former UFC light-heavyweight contender
James Irvin is perhaps the most interesting entry onto this list, and also the most unique. That’s because ‘The Sandman’ actually produced two highlight reel knockouts during his tenure with the UFC – but failed to follow either one up with anything of real substance.
The first finish came in his first fight for the promotion at 205lbs. As a heavyweight, Irvin was badly undersized, but he looked much more physically suited to the light-heavyweight division – and when he sparked out Terry Martin with one of the best flying knees in MMA history, it looked like he was destined for stardom.
However, ‘The Sandman’ lost his next two fights, one in the UFC to Stephan Bonnar and one in the WEC to Lodune Sincaid. The defeats threatened to derail his career entirely, but he did manage a return to the octagon and picked up a pair of wins over Hector Ramirez and Luiz Cane to get back on track.
It was his knockout of Houston Alexander in April 2008 – the first time a fighter had stopped an opponent with a superman punch in the octagon – that firmly put him back on the map, though. The finish was arguably one of the best of the year.
Sadly, ‘The Sandman’ again failed to live up to the standards he’d set. He lost to Anderson Silva in his next fight, which obviously wasn’t anything to be ashamed of – but his next two fights saw him lose to far lesser opponents in Alessio Sakara and Igor Pokrajac.
Essentially, Irvin appeared to always have a special finish in his arsenal, but at the highest level, he simply couldn’t produce them often enough.
#2. Ryan Jimmo – former UFC light-heavyweight contender
Despite being on a winning streak that dated back to 2007 and comprised 16 fights, many fans were stunned when the UFC signed Canadian light-heavyweight Ryan Jimmo to a contract in 2012. The reason for their surprise was a simple one – ‘The Big Deal’ had a reputation for dull fights.
Of those 16 wins, half had come via decision, and any fans who’d witnessed his victories over the likes of Wilson Gouveia and Emanuel Newton were hardly that thrilled.
Therefore, when it was time for his octagon debut against Anthony Perosh at UFC 149, nobody really seemed all that interested. That all changed in a blink. Somehow, Jimmo – the supposed point-fighter extraordinaire – landed a brutal right hand that knocked out ‘The Hippo’ in just seven seconds.
Given that the knockout was practically the only standout moment on the show, Jimmo came away looking like a million dollars, and suddenly, everyone was excited about what he might do next.
Unfortunately, while ‘The Big Deal’ did win two more fights in the octagon, it quickly became clear that his rapid knockout of Perosh was probably a fluke. He struggled for traction against the likes of Jimi Manuwa and James Te Huna, and while he did knock out Sean O’Connell, he lost his next two bouts that followed it.
Jimmo sadly passed away in 2016 after a hit-and-run incident, and while fans will always remember his wild debut knockout, it’s safe to say that he never quite lived up to the hype it created.
#1. Holly Holm – former UFC bantamweight champion
While Holly Holm – who faces Ketlen Vieira in the main event of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event – is probably one of the greatest female fighters to ever set foot inside the octagon, it’s also fair to say that she’s not the best finisher.
‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ has made a total of 12 appearances in the octagon, picking up seven wins in the process, but no fewer than five of them have come via decision.
However, if you rewind back to 2015, it would’ve been hard to imagine Holm being considered anything other than a knockout artist. That’s because in just her third fight in the UFC, she produced one of the promotion’s all-time great highlight reel finishes by knocking out Ronda Rousey with a head kick.
The win not only handed Holm the bantamweight title, but it also made her into a major superstar, as at the time, Rousey – who was unbeaten at 12-0 and had been taking out opponents in seconds – was seen as unbeatable.
Despite this, though, ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ failed to capitalize on the momentum triggered by her big knockout. She lost her title to Miesha Tate in her first defense, and then lost her next two fights, too.
And while she did knock out Bethe Correia in 2017, her career in the octagon since has largely been filled with unmemorable bouts, even if she’s won the majority. Essentially, Holm was never likely to live up to her knockout of Rousey, but at this point, it’s probably fair to put that finish down as a once-in-a-lifetime shot that was never going to be repeated.
