Want to know who has the most knockouts in UFC history? Watch the video below to find out.
Also written below are more details about all the fighters on this list.
Cain Velasquez and Derrick Lewis are currently tied for the most knockouts in the Heavyweight division.
At the time of this writing (3/27/2020), Cain Velasquez only had 15 UFC fights, which is the fewest out of everybody on this list.
It’s unfortunate that Cain missed a lot of his athletic prime due to knee and back injuries. He had several layoffs that were over a year. Most notably, he had a 953-day absence from the Octagon, and a 602 day one, too.
Most of Cain’s knockouts were attrition battles. He would overwhelm his opponents with an unrelenting pace. Most Heavyweights couldn’t keep up.
Cain was also a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler. He used this skill to takedown his competitors. After that, he knew how to hold them down and use ground and pound until the ref stopped the fight.
You can watch some of Cain’s knockouts here.
Chuck Liddell currently has the most knockouts in the Light Heavyweight division.
He also has the record for the longest winning streak by KO. He won 7 straight UFC fights by knockout.
He was a true KO artist. His nickname of “Iceman” was well-deserved. He had a right straight that floored Vernon White and Randy Couture. But, it wasn’t just the right hand that would threaten his competition. His left hook slept Randleman and his left high kick rendered Sobral unconscious.
As if his diversity of KO strikes wasn’t impressive enough, he would even KO people while moving backwards.
All-in-all, Liddell is a legend in the sport of MMA, and was one of the most feared strikers during his prime.
You can watch some of Liddell’s knockouts here.
The Swangin’ and Bangin’ style of Derrick Lewis has earned him a spot on this list. Lewis is also the youngest fighter on this list. He was born in February of 1985.
His knockouts usually come from an onslaught of viscous hooks, or repetitive ground strikes. Once Lewis gets on top of his opponents, the fight is shortly over.
What makes Lewis special, besides his punching power, Instagram game, and his funny post fight speeches, is that he’s repeatedly won by knockout when he’s seemingly minutes away from losing a decision.
If there’s 10 seconds left in a fight, Lewis will empty out the gas tank and chase that KO with everything he’s got.
You can watch some knockouts from Lewis here.
Cerrone has quite the resume in MMA. He’s got the most UFC wins, finishes, fights, bonuses, and is tied for 6th for the most knockouts.
6 of his knockouts resulted from a head kick or by a couple of follow-up shots afterwards. It could be 7, if you want to count the Rick Story fight. The finishing combo, in that fight, had a right head kick in it.
Those 7 knockouts came from both legs. This made opponents respect, and caution, that a kick can happen from either side.
You can watch some knockouts from Cerrone here.
Bisping is the only British fighter on this list.
Like Cain, Bisping was more of a “death by thousand paper cuts” type of TKO artist, which means he didn’t KO fighters with one punch. It was his cardio, pace, pressure, and never-ending punching combinations that regularly got him the finish.
Bisping’s most famous KO was against Rockhold. It was a massive upset at the time. Rockhold closed as a -750 favorite in that matchup. Once Bisping got the title, after he flatlined Rockhold, he cemented his legacy as the first ever British UFC champion. This was also the last knockout of Bisping’s storied career.
Bisping officially announced his retirement from MMA competition in May of 2018.
You can watch some knockouts from Bisping here.
Anderson Silva absolutely demolished his challengers from 2006 to 2012. He owns the record of having the longest UFC title reign at 2,457 days.
Silva was known for his devastating Muay Thai strikes, hand speed, BJJ, and matrix style ability to slip/evade punches. He often toyed with his opponents by putting his hands down and solely using head movement to avoid getting hit.
You can watch some knockouts from Silva here.
Take one look at Santos and you wouldn’t be surprised that he’s on this list. I think it’s the sledgehammer tattoo on his chest that gives it away.
Once he knocks down an opponent, they rarely, get back and stay in the fight. Santos currently has 12 recorded knockdowns and 11 knockouts, so only 1 fighter was able to get back up. Once he smells blood (i.e. an opponent looks hurt), he has a predatory ability to finish them.
Santos mostly resorts to hammer fists to definitively end fights.
Out of all the fighters on this list, I think Santos has the best chance to ascend to the number one spot. Although, he is 36 years old, power is the last thing to go, and he still looks to be improving. Not to mention, he’s still as terrifying as ever!
You can watch some knockouts from Santos here.
Without using too much hyperbole, Anthony Johnson might have the power to knock someone’s head off their shoulders.
I hate making excuses for Johnson, but he should really be number one on this list. If he didn’t get cut by the UFC for repeatedly missing weight, he would have gotten several more knockouts. If only he knew his natural weight class (Light Heavyweight or Heavyweight) early on in his career.
Secondly, it’s a shame he retired at 33 years old. He was fighting for a world title at that time, so he still had the ability to compete at the highest level.
Anthony Johnson is set to comeback late in 2020, after he re-enters back into the USADA testing pool for 6 months.
I’m excited to see him return to the Octagon and potentially climb up this list.
If you want to see an incredible highlight reel, you can watch it here.
Matt Brown has the most knockouts in the UFC Welterweight division.
His most lethal weapon is arguably his elbows. The elbow he landed on Diego Sanchez is one of the most brutal knockouts in the UFC.
Brown is the type of fighter that wants to break his opponents will to compete. He did this to Erick Silva.
He’s still competing today at 39 years old, so he might be able to add another KO win to his record.
You can watch some knockouts from Brown here.
Vitor Belfort has the most knockouts in UFC history with 12.
He started his career all the way back at UFC 12 in 1997. He scored two knockouts at that event, and only needed a combined two minutes to do so.
He was truly an athletic specimen and was far and away the most explosive athlete the UFC had during the late 90s.
His explosiveness, hand speed, and punching power helped him become a phenom, and the record holder for UFC knockouts.
Although Belfort rightfully earned 12 KO victories in the UFC, the record is a little tainted considering he benefited from testosterone replacement therapy, and in 2006 tested positive for anabolic steroids.
You can watch some knockouts from Belfort here.