Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) gives competitors many ways to win their fights, but knockouts remain one of the most spectacular aspects of the sport. Forcing an opponent to tap is pretty cool and all that, but nothing compares to leaving an opponent stiff on the ground as you strut away with your hands raised.
Spectacle Unleashed: The 25 Best Knockouts in ONE Championship History
ONE Championship has emerged as the premier mixed martial arts organization in the world and fighters fighting under their banner have delivered some of the most memorable knockouts in MMA. This article will go over the 25 best KOs in ONE Championship history (in no particular order) and explore the stories of the fighters involved.
Without further ado, let’s jump right into our list:
1) Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson I
Adriano Moraes shocked the world when he became the first and only man to finish the “Mighty Mouse,” Demetrious Johnson at ONE on TNT 1. DJ had just won the ONE Championship Flyweight title and many fans didn’t give Moraes much of a chance heading into the contest.
However, the fight turned out to be a lot more competitive than some expected and Adriano caught Johnson with a knee to the face after shrugging off a takedown attempt. He followed up with some academic ground-and-pound before the referee pulled him off.
2) Martin Nguyen vs. Eduard Folayang
What goes around, comes around, and Folayang found himself at the receiving end of a knockout during his second title defense. The first round of the fight was very competitive with Nguyen, who was ONE Championship’s featherweight champ at the time, slightly edging it out.
The second round looked pretty similar with both fighters having their moments, but Nguyen eventually put Folayang away with a vicious right overhand during the second round as the latter tried to connect with a spinning heel kick.
The victory made Nguyen the first double champion in ONE Championship history, but he eventually had to vacate the lightweight title due to an injury.
3) Kevin Belingon vs. Andrew Leone
Filipino sensation Kevin Belingon scored one of the most beautiful finishes in his career when he sent Leone to the canvas with a spinning back kick to the body. He capitalized on the moment and followed up with some brutal ground strikes, bringing their contest to an end early in the second round.
4) Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Jonathan Haggerty II
Rodtang edged out a decision the first time these two shared a ring, and their second fight turned out to be just as competitive. However, the intense back-and-forth contest came to an abrupt end during the third round when he dropped Haggerty for a third time with a vicious hook to the liver.
5) Christian Lee vs. Kotetsu Boku
Christian Lee displayed his strong grappling skills when he squared off against Boku at ONE: Warriors of the World. He dominated most of the grappling and striking exchanges, and he put Boku away late in the first round with a beautiful German suplex that left the latter unconscious.
6) Demetrious Johnson vs. Adriano Moraes II
Mighty Mouse got some payback during his rematch against Moraes and reclaimed the ONE Championship’s Flyweight title. The fight was highly competitive, but, in an interesting twist of fate, Johnson landed a flying knee that brought the contest to an abrupt end in the fourth round. Johnson then went on to win the rubber match between the two.
7) Anatoly Malykhin vs. Reinier de Ridder
This battle featured two undefeated champions, but it was clear early on it wasn’t going to be a good night for Ridder. Malykhin stuffed his takedown attempts with ease and was clearly the more technically proficient fighter. He eventually put Ridder away with a right hook to secure the ONE Light Heavyweight Championship.
8) Fabrício Andrade vs. Kwon Won Il
In a battle of two knockout specialists, Andrade earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his impressive finish of Kwon at ONE 158. It didn’t take long into the opening round for Andrade to land a perfect liver shot that left Kwon unable to continue.
9) Christian Lee vs. Ok Rae-yoon II
Lee lost the ONE Lightweight Championship the first time he faced Ok, but their rematch turned out differently. Motivated by the loss, Lee pushed the pace during their rematch and caught Ok with a right hand that sent him to the canvas against the cage.
Lee followed up with some vicious knees to the head, forcing the referee to stop the contest during the second round, reclaiming the title.
10) Jonathan Haggerty vs. Nong-O Hama
Haggerty won the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Championship when he knocked out Nong-O a little less than three minutes into their title showdown. The win came as he fired a series of jab, hook combinations while Nong-O was pinned against the ropes before putting him away with a cross that sent him face-first to the canvas.
11) Tawanchai PK Saenchai vs. Sean Clancy
Tawanchai scored a beautiful roundhouse finish during the third round of his Muay Thai showdown with Sean Clancy. It was clear Clancy was in over his head from the opening rounds as Tawanchai landed shots at will while he struggled to connect with anything clean.
Clancy tried to evade the roundhouse that ended the night by leaning back, but he just couldn’t quite get his face out of the way.
12) Superbon Singha Mawynn vs. Giorgio Petrosyan
In what is now commonly cited as a highlight-reel knockout, Superbon became the inaugural ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion with a roundhouse kick to Petrosyan’s head. The finish came in the second round after Superbon set it up with multiple kicks to the body before switching up his target, becoming the first person to knockout Petrosyan in almost 8 years.
13) Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Luis Regis
Yodsanklai came out swinging when these two collided at ONE: Destiny of Champions and Regis wasn’t able to make it out of the first round. Yodsanklai stunned Regis with a series of jab-cross combinations before unloading a barrage of uppercuts that sent him face-first to the canvas.
14) Nong-O Hama vs. Felipe Lobo
Nong-O scored one of the best uppercut finishes in ONE Championship history during his fight against Lobo, putting him away with a rear uppercut that beautifully weaved through his guard and made solid contact. Lobo tried to will himself back up, but his body didn’t respond and he ended up not making the ten-second count.
15) Liam Harrison vs. Muangthai PK.Saenchai
Muangthai scored two knockdowns during the opening round of their showdown, but Harrison pulled off a memorable come-from-behind victory. He scored his first knockdown early in the round and sent Muangthai to the canvas two times in quick succession as the round drew to an end, forcing the TKO stoppage due to the three-knockdown rule.
16) Thanh Le vs. Martin Nguyen
Le secured the ONE Featherweight Championship with his third-round victory against Nguyen in 2022. The finish came in the third round when Le trapped Nguyen against the cage and unloaded a barrage of punches.
17) Panpayak Jitmuangnon vs. Savvas Michael
Panpayak displayed his world-class striking skills during his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix Championship Final matchup with Michael. It was a beautiful lead hook, roundhouse to the head combination that left Michael unable to continue. The lead hook was thrown so well that Michael was already on his way to the canvas before the roundhouse connected.
18) Saemapetch Fairtex vs. Rittewada Petchyindee II
Saemapetch lost his first fight against Rittewada, but he got some payback when the two collided for the second time at ONE 160. Saemapetch scored a second-round finish when he countered a wild hook thrown by Rittewada perfectly, sending a hard cross down the middle that brought the contest to an end.
19) John Lineker vs. Bibiano Fernades
Linekar displayed, once again, why he’s nicknamed “Hands of Stone” when he squared off against Fernades. Lineker was knocked down during the opening moments of the fight, but he quickly got back up and unloaded punches.
Fernades tried to spend more time on the ground as the fight progressed, but that didn’t prevent him from getting caught with one of Lineker’s trademark left hooks.
20) Beybulat Isaev vs. Mihajlo Kecojevic
Kecojevic tried to pressure Beybulat during the opening moments of the fight but that put him in range for the heavy cross that left him folded and stiffened 82 seconds into the contest. It was the fastest finish in the history of the ONE Super Series Light Heavyweight division.
21) Yodkaikaew “Y2K” Fairtex vs. Alex Schild
Leg kicks were the story of the day when Yodkaikaew squared off against Schild. He started chopping away at his opponent’s legs early until Schild was on the ground writhing in pain, forcing the referee to step in and stop the contest.
22) Nieky Holzken vs. Cosmo Alexandre
Dutch kickboxing legend Holzken scored a beautiful finish during the second round of his showdown against Alexandre, stunning him with a long right hand before putting him with an uppercut as he slumped against the cage.
23) Stamp Fairtex vs. Alyse Anderson
Stamp landed a tricky liver kick early in her match against Anderson, bringing the contest to an early end. What made the finish so top-notch was the fact she threw the kick with her right left, since fighters typically target the liver with their left sides since the liver is located on the right side of the body.
However, Stamp skillfully brought the kick across Anderson’s body and dug her extended toes right into her liver. Ouch!
24) Janet Todd vs. Ekaterina Vandaryeva
Both women had their moments when they shared a ring ONE Championship: Century, but it was Todd who landed a roundhouse to the head that brought the fight to an end in the second round. It was a delayed knockout as it took a second before Vandaryeva’s body shut down due to the kick.
25) Nico Carrillo vs. Nong-O Hama
Carrillo scored his third consecutive knockout fighting under ONE Championship’s banner when he faced Nong-O at ONE Friday Fights 46. The finish came in the second round as Carillo threw a step-in elbow after setting it up with jabs.
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