Mixed martial arts fans love a good fight-ending sequence, as often it summarizes the story of the fight in just a few seconds. Getting the finish is a definitive end to a fight that makes a statement: “I was this much better than my opponent at that particular moment in time.”
Every fighter has their go-to moves, especially specialists within certain martial arts disciplines. Their own signature styles that can lead to spectacular finishes. Whether it’s a scary-good rear-naked choke that fighters just can’t seem to avoid once going to the ground or crazy power in a straight left hand that has dropped even granite-chinned fighters with ease, each fighter has a particular finishing move or sequence. Moves that have stuck in fan’s minds and come to define and describe their careers within the cage.
For UFC Fight Island 6 we will take a look at some fighters with only a few (5 or less) fights in the UFC, rather than those fighters that are long-time UFC veterans with a bunch of finishes with the promotion.
Phil “Megatron” Hawes (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Total Number of Pro MMA Finishes: 8
Via KO/TKO: 6
Via Submission: 2
Total Number of UFC Finishes: 0
Via KO/TKO:0
Via Submission: 0
Phil Hawes was on the Contender Series twice, once in 2017, and he was invited back again almost two months ago. Though Hawes was unsuccessful in his first bout on DWCS, he was able to produce an amazing first-round finish in just over a minute in his second appearance on the show. Hawes hit his opponent Khadzhimurat Bestaev with an overhand right dropping him before getting the finish with some ground n’ pound.
Hawes has the majority of his finishes from KO/TKOs and has 4 of them in the very first round, so he’s very dangerous especially at the very beginning of the fight when he is fresh. Hawes has some dangerous punching power and can mix in his wrestling to make it all the more unpredictable for his opponents.
Phil Hawes dropped and finished Khadzhimurat Bestaev early in Round 1 at DWCS 2020: Week 6 #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/6OZjW9SGNo
— John Jack (@NHB_GIFS) October 20, 2020
