Dream on, Dreamer
Unlikely Coincidence: Remarkably, the exact same number of knockouts – from KO, TKO or tapping to strikes – occurred in 2022 as did in 2021. This total of 171 ties the record for the most in organizational history.
The Fans Demand More: 2022 concluded with 62 clean knockouts, one shy of last year’s tally. This number stands alone as the fourth-most in organizational history. The quantity of technical knockouts, however, claims the top spot of the most in organizational history with 108, surpassing last year’s record.
Nine Is in Sight: UFC on ESPN 37 and UFC on ESPN 42 in June and December, respectively, both featured eight knockouts at night’s end. These two shows tied the promotion’s record, while no year before 2022 had ever seen multiple events with eight knockouts.
Spin the Wheel, Raggedy Man: With a multitude of different types of strikes, seven combatants performed knockouts with spinning strikes in 2022. All eight spinning knockouts earned those fighters “Performance of the Night” checks.
Becoming Her Signature Move: In March in London, Britain’s Molly McCann leveled Luana Carolina with a spinning back elbow to perform the first knockout with a spinning blow by any woman to fight in the Octagon. Just over four months later, McCann incredibly replicated that feat against Hannah Goldy.
The Wheel in the Cage Keeps on Turning: Both Shavkat Rakhmonov and Muslim Salikhov authored rare knockouts when they blitzed Carlston Harris and Andre Fialho, respectively, with spinning wheel kicks. The latter accounted for the 15th knockout of its kind in organizational history.
If You Can’t Walk, Crawl: In the midpoint of his match against Bill Algeo, Herbert Burns decided he had had enough. The fight ended by TKO due retirement, with Burns unable to stand after taking punishment – Burns was later carried out of the cage by his brother, Gilbert Burns.
More of That Please: One lone corner intervened mid-fight to protect the health of their fighter in 2022: Holland, whose team called it after four rounds of damage accumulated by Stephen Thompson. Exactly one corner stoppage occurred in the UFC in 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Leeching Out a Tap: In just 69 seconds, Damon Jackson became the lone UFC competitor to force a foe to tap to strikes in 2022. “The Leech” pounded out Sabatini until he surrendered at UFC Fight Night 210 in September.
Fifteen Seconds of Fight, 15 Months of Recovery: The quickest stoppage this calendar year came courtesy of Curtis Blaydes, when Tom Aspinall’s knee gave out in 15 seconds in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 208. The fastest non-injury finish took place in February, when UFC debutant Chidi Njokuani lamped Marc-Andre Barriault in 16 seconds with a barrage of punches.
Liver-Seeking Upkick: With an unorthodox upkick to the body while on her back, Irene Aldana downed Macy Chiasson at UFC 279 in Round 3. This marked the first upkick-related stoppage since Niko Price cracked James Vick in 2019, and the third in company history.
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