A brilliant flying knee, a UFC record — no way was Jorge Masvidal going to lose out on Knockout of the Year.
There’s little that MMA fans love more than a knockout, and 2019 had its fair share of stunners. One stood out head and shoulders above the rest, however. The winner of this year’s Knockout of the Year should come as no surprise to MMA fans.
Knockout of the Year
Heath Harshman: There’s only one correct answer to this, and it’s Jorge Masvidal putting an end to the Ben Askren hype-train. For the sake of the round table, I’m going to highlight Niko Price’s upkick KO of James Vick. Price should be everyone’s favorite fighter, and his collection of POTN bonuses is a major reason why. Whether he’s knocking out guys from his back, or getting knocked out, Price puts on a show each and every fight. His knockout of Vick is one that will be replayed for years.
Jay Anderson: You almost want to dismiss Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee knockout of Ben Askren as a fluke, until you realize that he worked on it in training. Hard to argue against it.
Michael Lynch: The Jorge Masvidal flying knee KO of Ben Askren. It earns Knockout of the Year because it was the fastest KO in the history of the UFC.
Ryan Fortune: In a heated battle on the UFC 239 main card, MMA veteran Jorge Masvidal faced previously undefeated and former Bellator champion Ben Askren in a match-up between two top welterweight contenders. The fight went down in history, as Masvidal earned his second knockout of the year, this time knocking out Ben Askren in just five seconds with a brutal flying knee that ended Askren’s unbeaten streak in what was the fastest UFC knockout of all time. This would propel “Gamebred” into one of the biggest stars within the sport, while “Funky” would retire later in the year after losing to Demian Maia.
Joe McDonagh: Jorge Masvidal’s knockout of Ben Askren. This was magical. A resurrection of Masvidal’s title hopes. All the sh*t Askren talked was answered.
Josh Evanoff: Knockout of the year is going to Niko Price’s upkick KO of James Vick. It’s the type of highlight that you’ll rarely see, it’s also Price’s second knockout off of his back. The man is truly an enigma.
Gabriel Gonzalez: Masvidal vs Askren. There was never really any competition. This KO was the one that was most circulated, most referenced across the sport, and took Masvidal from contender to a breakout PPV star in his sixth year in the UFC. There were plenty of big highlights by several stars to choose from, but the impact on the entire conversation in the sport just put this one head and shoulders above the rest.
Dan Doherty: Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren. It would be rude to choose anything else. I do want to give some love to Aleksander Rakic’s head kick against Jimi Manuwa, Valentina Shevchenko’s head kick against Jessica Eye, and Corey Anderson absolutely running through Johnny Walker for the emotion behind it. But Masvidal did the unthinkable.
Mike McClory: It’s a close call between Douglas Lima‘s KO of an undefeated Michael “Venom” Page at Bellator 221 and Jorge Masvidal’s five second KO flying Knee on the then undefeated Ben Askren. I’m a flying knee man so I’m giving the edge to Masvidal.
Keith Shillan: Jorge Masvidal’s knockout of Ben Askren at UFC 239. Is there really an argument for any other? A 5-second flying knee to end all the trash talk, which turned Jorge Masvidal into a huge star and set a UFC record.
End result: It’s a landslide. Honorable mention to Niko Price, but Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee was by far the most spectacular knockout of 2019.
