Sherdog’s Top 10: Head Kick Knockouts

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4. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Filipovic
UFC 70
April 21, 2007 | Manchester, England

It seems safe to assume that when this fight was announced many MMA fans wagered that it would end in a violent knockout thanks to a kick to the cantaloupe. “Cro Cop” had just broken into the UFC with a first-round stoppage of Eddie Sanchez, but it was not the sort of highlight-reel KO for which the Croat was known. Still, bloodthirsty fight fans wanted to see his left leg separate Gonzaga from his senses at the Manchester Evening News Arena.

Gonzaga put Filipovic on his back and was doing significant damage with his ground-and-pound, but referee Herb Dean called for a restart with about 30 seconds left in the opening round. After the two heavyweights circled each other, “Cro Cop” feinted the left kick a few times, and when he did, he dropped his left hand. Gonzaga picked up on the mistake and struck like a cobra with a right kick upstairs. Filipovic looked like he had been sniped and fell so quickly that his right leg folded underneath him. It took quite a while for him to wake up and get back to his feet. The fans got the head kick they so eagerly coveted but not from the expected source.

Number 3 » Machida vs. Couture