The 2018 Heavies Awards - Knockout of the Year - WINNER: Yair Rodriguez

[Hotora86]

It was beautiful,as all of machidas finishes are.

QFT!
Machida is #1 P4P in amazing finishes.
He doesn't always finish but when he does - it is mesmerizing.

 

[dawnignited]

Came in here expecting to vote for Yair Rodriguez... then I saw that backfist.

 

[HaulParris]

Yair for me. But Nico, Gaethje, and Ortega also impressed.

 

[ArtemV]

I picked Rodriguez. Romero's was nice, but not koty worthy imo.

 

[Deported]

Machida’s ko looked like it was out of a movie.

 

[Benoitthegr8]

Had to go with the Nunes KO here, not the most spectacular on the list, but add in all the circumstances and it IMO was overwhelmingly the best KO of 2018. Amanda was going into a fight that many here (including me) expected her to get steam rolled (Cyborg-250 favorite), she not only won the fight but face planted CYBORG in the first round...!

The finality of the KO forever changed who will be thought of as the WMMA GOAT of this era, it’s strange to think prior to this fight Nunes wasn’t even in that discussion. She also went up a weight class (against her team and managements advice) becoming the first WMMA in the UFC to become a two division title holder. Amanda’s belief in herself trumped everyone’s expectations, the risk versus reward for this fight was something I’m sure she couldn’t pass on.

When you look at the other “champ champs” (hate the moniker because it sounds like a disingenuous McGregorism) her path to the second title is much more legit and impressive than Cormier or McGregors second title IMO as she has never fought at 145 and doesn’t have the illegitimacy question of how she arrived there.OK I’ll get off my soapbox...

 

[The Bard]

TKO's don't count, I assume? Rountree over Saki was a big one.

 

[The Bard]

Sucks for Niko Price that the obvious answer here is Yair's. Pretty underrated and awesome KO.

 

[Kinger85]

I've seen every other knockout on that list before in some form or fashion.

I have never seen Yair's knockout before. Clear winner.

 

[BeardotheWeirdo]

Torn between Lyoto, Yair, and the last one.

Lyoto's landed the same kick before, and Vitor's been KO'd by the same kick before... that's why it was so crazy to see it a third time.

And the last one is so nasty and violent.

But Yair has to get it, along with comeback of the year. Zomibie has a chin of steel, but he never saw that elbow coming, from that angle. Amazing.

Here's the problem:
Nunes vs Cyborg is KO of the Year
Rodriguez vs Zombie is KO of the Decade.

Price vs Brown is a Hall of Fame KO Pioneer section

Once I understood Yair's KO wasn't a fluke, but he was attacking with these creative elbows repeatedly all five rounds, (he hit him with one flush on the face in round 2) and you can see him looking up at the target.

It is so incredible it is difficult to appreciate. Like the magic trick in the movie the Prestige, with the red rubber ball and two doors.

Luke Thomas showed it in this analysis (starts 10:35)

I'm pretty sure Louis Gaudinot threw and landed the same elbow on TUF many years ago, I had the gif on my old computer. I agree, It definitely wasn't a fluke.

 

[Medulla Omoplata]

There was a couple good ones there but I give the edge to Yair. KO of the year has to go to a strike no one has ever seen before, that faceplanted a dude across the canvas.

 

[DC23]

That Amanda one isn't as impressive as some are making out. Voted for Brian.

 

[jeremyemilio]

Always fun watching Rockhold get KOd, and we all know Yair's back elbow was pretty insane... but aesthetically?

Gotta give the Dragon his due.

 

[Ignicious]

Voted for the last one because the guy on the recieving end got some attention on Norwegian News sites. Not a lot of MMA coverage over here, but getting noticed for being KTFO must suck. He is like our version of Olaf Alfonso right now...

 

[capnlarge]

We might never see anything like that Yair elbow again.

I'd have Derrick Lewis vs Alexander Volkov on the list.

 

[Chas]

If Nunes KO'ed Cyborg in March, it wouldn't have nearly as many votes.

 

[Sosua]

So many incredible ones here.

Voted for Yair for sheer ridiculousness and the state of fight / 4:59 thing.

But holy shit snacks that Hlongwa KO!

And Machidas was aesthetic as fuck.

 

[Timetravel_0]

Voted for Rodriguez/Korean Zombie because it was awesome and also because I was there in person at the Pepsi center.

 

[JayPettryMMA]

We have our winner!

Tied for tenth place are Abdul Razak Al-Hassan's knockout of Sabah Homasi and Mandel Nello's knockout of Carrington Banks with two votes.
In ninth place with five votes is Jessica Andrade's knockout of Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
In eighth place with 14 votes is Justin Gaethje's knockout of James Vick.
In seventh place with 16 votes is Niko Price's hammerfist knockout of Randy Brown.
In sixth place with 23 votes is Brian Ortega's uppercut knockout of Frankie Edgar.
In fifth place with 31 votes is Yoel Romero's thunderous knockout of Luke Rockhold.
In fourth place with 32 votes is Mzwandile's insane spinning back fist combo knockout of Torbjorn Madsen.
In third place with 69 votes is Lyoto Machida's Karate Kid-esque front kick knockout of Vitor Belfort!
In second place with 99 votes is Amanda Nunes's beatdown knockout of Cristiane Justino!

And finally, in first place, with 323 votes and 52.4% of the total vote, is Yair Rodriguez's once in a lifetime reverse elbow knockout at 4:59 of the fifth round in a fight he was losing against Chan Sung Jung!

We're never going to see a knockout like this again in our lifetimes, that's for sure. This is rightfully the 2018 Heavies Award winner for Knockout of the Year!

Thanks for voting!

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

Some great KOs this year, but Yair's had that what the hell just happened factor turned up to 11, plus it was at the last possible moment of a fight he was losing.

Machida's KO was just another amazing addition to an already amazing highlight reel, but then again Machida front kicking someone to Bolivian is so 2011, and Vitor being front kicked has been done. See it before, so bored.

Nunes' KO was something else as well. So brutal and so unquestionable. Cyborg losing was always in the cards, but face down ass up unconscious?

Gathje's KO of Vick had a really satisfying feel. Not only as it good to see Gaethje get a win, Vick's overweening confidence gave it kind of a hubris served kind of feel.