Well folks, the technical grappling may speak to us fight nerds, but big KOs are what combat sports fans hardcore and casual alike love most (arguably at least). There are always plenty to choose from, and we had an awful hard time selecting our Knockout of the Year for 2025.
Knockout of the Year 2025
Eddie Law: Murphy KO’s Pico. Everybody’s going to pick Ruffy’s KO over Green or Prates’ spinning-back-elbow finish of Neal, but neither carried the weight Murphy’s spinning-back-elbow knockout of Aaron Pico at UFC 319. For years, Murphy had been overlooked by both the UFC and the fans, but not anymore. On a wild night in Chicago, the man who usually lets his fists do the talking, or elbows in this case, thrust himself firmly into the title conversation.
Gabriel Gonzalez: Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira. The most impactful finish of the year. While there were other big finishes this year, Topuria silencing the Vegas crowd by stopping Oliveira in round one catapulted him into the upper echelon of the whole roster as he now stands alongside Islam Makhachev as one of the best fighters in the world today. It was so good that it has many liking his chances should he go into professional boxing.
Jay Anderson: I like a little razzle-dazzle when it comes to this category, so I tend to go with spinning stuff or head kicks. For 2025, I’ll side with Lerone Murphy finishing Aaron Pico. I’ve followed Pico’s career from day one, have been lucky enough to talk with him several times at pressers and in scrums as he worked his way up through Bellator. The kid (and he’s no longer a kid) is the real deal, and his arrival in the UFC was long awaited. And then Murphy absolutely derailed probably the biggest debut of the year with his spinning back elbow.
Brett Cagle: In a high stakes featherweight fight, streaking English veteran Lerone Murphy welcomed Aaron Pico to the UFC with one of the most violent knockouts in promotion history. The spinning back elbow landed by Murphy catapulted him into the title conversation overnight. UFC 319 in Chicago had many memorable moments but Murphy stole the show with his creativity and athleticism.
Mathis Desjardins: Mauricio Ruffy def. King Green [UFC 313]. There are two criteria that I always take into consideration for this kind of award: impressive of the technique and stakes. While this one might be lacking in stakes compared to Lerone Murphy’s spinning elbow over a debuting Aaron Pico or Ilia Topuria blasting Charles Oliveira into oblivion, there wasn’t anything that came close to it in terms of the impressiveness of the technique on display. Despite having been in business for over 30 years, this company has seen fewer than 20 spinning wheel kick knockouts. It wasn’t as brutal as Edson Barboza’s KO of Terry Etim, but the way King Green just melted to the floor was like something out of a video game.
Daniel Vreeland: Mauricio Ruffy vs King Green. From the very start of the fight, it seemed just like a matter of time before Ruffy found the button. Fans didn’t need to wait long to see it as half a round in Ruffy ripped off a nasty spinning wheel kick to the dome. The timing was perfect and the devastation was obvious.
Bryson Hester: Mauricio Ruffy’s Spinning Wheel Kick KO vs. King Green
Runner Up: Ilia Topuria. Maurico Ruffy’s KO edges out Ilia Topuria’s KO over Charles Oliveira by the narrowest of margins, just because it was so pretty. Not nearly as large of a moment as Topuria’s finish but easily the most visually stunning KO of the year that will anchor Ruffy’s highlight tape for years to come.
End Result: It’s a tie between Lerone Murphy and Mauricio Ruffy! Our would-be tie-breaker didn’t side with either man, instead voting for Ilia Topuria. Topuria, it’s worth noting, was runner up for other writers responding.
