Every year the UFC produces some utterly incredible moments in the sporting world and 2024 was no different.
2024 has seen several scintillating knockouts in the Octagon, from bizarre, unique strikes to buzzer-beater overhands.
With 2024 in the books, the Bloody Elbow staff has made their choice for KO of the Year, with the decision being completely unanimous.
Ilia Topuria scored two incredibly impressive KOs this year against Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, but even 'El Matador' just missed.
2024 was the year we saw the first double-spinning back-fist KO scored as Shara 'Bullet' Magomedov continued to impress in the promotion.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Bloody Elbow Staff Awards for 2024 KO of the Year
Jordan Ellis: “Max Holloway wins this award. For me it's not even close. 'Blessed' scored one of the biggest knockouts in MMA history when he put Justin Gaethje to sleep with one second left in their UFC 300 BMF title fight.
Donagh Corby: “Max Holloway UFC 300. How can you top this incredible finish from Max Holloway at the end of his fight with Justin Gaethje at the biggest event of the year? The great thing about this moment is that Holloway didn't have to participate in such a risky venture. The legend of his last-second KO makes fans remember this back-and-forth brawl, which just wasn't the case. He won comfortably and still waved at the finish line to entertain the viewers.
Jamie Theodosi: “Max Holloway's KO of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. Not only was this the best KO of 2024, but it is a moment that will remain on display until the end of time and has become an iconic moment in UFC history. ”
Tom Llewellyn: “It's certainly not the most technical knockout of 2024, Max Holloway's last second stunner unequivocally deserves to win 'KO of the Year' simply because; it was the only finish where it felt like the world stood still.
Granted, those last 10 seconds arrived at 4:30 in the morning here in the UK, when everything was already quiet, but the point still stands: Max Holloway redefining the meaning of a 'Highlight Reel KO'.”
James Sweetnam: “Of all the brutal knockouts we've seen this year, nothing comes close to Max Holloway knocking Justin Gaethje unconscious. It wasn't just the historic stage of UFC 300 that made it special, but also the way the finish happened. After a truly beautiful match, 'Blessed' called his rival to the center of the octagon, and the pair of fighters personified what the sport is all about as they swung for the fences in a truly epic finish to the fight. With just one second left on the clock, the Hawaiian detonated the shot that was heard around the world as he connected with his opponent, sending him spiraling towards the canvas, at a time when fans were still reeling. will remember for a long time.
Curtis Calhoun: “Holloway's knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 will stand the test of time in MMA lore. After more than four rounds of outpointing Gaethje, Holloway decided to throw technique and strategy out the window in favor of a phone booth battle with Gaethje in the final seconds.
Honorable mentions for KO of the year 2024
In addition to the aforementioned KOs from current Featherweight King and Shara 'Bullet', there have been several other incredible knockout blows this year.
One that will likely fly under the radar due to the fact that it was on a fight night at the UFC Apex is Vinicius Oliveira's wild flying knee against Bernardo Sopaj.
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The same goes for Esteban Ribovics' terrifying head kick KO against Terrance McKinney, which unfortunately once again took place within the confines of the Apex.
Another honorable mention is a spinning wheel KO landed by 'The King of Kung Fu', Muslim Salikhov, as he knocked Kenan Song unconscious.
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