Debutants and veterans alike dished out devastating violence inside the Octagon in July, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld as he selects the top five UFC knockouts of the month.
From one-punch power to storms of fury, July had it all. The gold-blooded future of the heavyweight division arrived, a legendary scrapper pulled off a comeback for the ages, and a new contender to the flyweight throne emerged.
There were a host of other highlights in the running, but ultimately, these were the month’s five best finishes:
5: Straight Fire
It took just one right hand straight down the pipe for Damian Pinas to crush Cesar Almeida at UFC 239 and stretch his winning streak to six.
MUST. WATCH. KNOCKOUT!!!
Damian Pinas has POP in those fists! Crushing right hand and then the delayed follow up because he knew how well he caught César Almeida.#UFC329 pic.twitter.com/mltpyoUYrq
Not since Brock Lesnar back in 2008 has there been a heavyweight debut as highly anticipated as Gable Steveson stepping inside the Octagon for the first time at UFC 329.
The former Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler was the biggest favourite in UFC history for his fight against Elisha Ellison and he delivered by mauling him.
Surprisingly, he didn’t shoot for a single takedown; instead, he showed his willingness to stand and bang, and his nasty side, as he stopped Ellison in the first round.
🇺🇸Gable Steveson (4-0) debuta en la UFC con un brutal KO en el primer asalto ante Elisha Ellison (5-3), salió muy agresivo buscando el intercambio, quería noquear en un escenario tan importante pero asumió algunos riesgos innecesarios#UFC329#UFCHBOMaxpic.twitter.com/9pCVPWkk4Q
Muhammad Saidov was a human avalanche in his Octagon debut in Abu Dhabi, force-feeding Dustin Jacoby a brutal combination before the referee mercifully stepped in.
King Green produced arguably the comeback of the year at UFC 329, the veteran scrapper rallying and shutting down Terence McKinney with a second to go in the opening round with a brutal body shot.
Ramazan Temirov recorded the biggest win of his career in style in the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, lighting up former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg and sending him crashing down face-first in the first round.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
