3. Conor McGregor
Sensational striker McGregor finishes an impressive third here, including one first-place vote. With McGregor, as with all-time boxing knockout artists like Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Robinson, it's hard to separate his raw power from his lightning speed and pinpoint accuracy, all of which contribute to his knockouts. But certainly, there is plenty of the former. McGregor possesses what is likely the most devastating left cross in MMA history, an overwhelming laser that collapses foe after foe, made more impressive by the fact that this largely occurred at 145 and 155 pounds rather than heavyweight. McGregor has good power in his right hand too, though it doesn't have genuine knockout power, let alone to the degree of his dominant hand. Still, with his ability to string together beautiful combinations, it has set up many finishing sequences as well. McGregor also has overlooked power in his other limbs. He knocked out Donald Cerrone off a head kick and finished Steve O'Keefe with concussive elbows to the side of the head as O'Keefe was grinding for a takedown. Furthermore, his leg kicks are tremendously powerful.
McGregor has 19 knockouts among his 22 victories, for a knockout rate of 86.3%. That's a hair above Prochazka's rate of 86.2% and second only to Manhoef's 91%. However, Prochazka is a light heavyweight and former heavyweight, while Manhoef has competed at middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. That McGregor is second despite competing at a much, much lower weight range is utterly remarkable. Moreover, McGregor’s achievements occurred against a much higher caliber of opposition than Manhoef faced. In addition to the previous knockouts mentioned, McGregor needed just 67 seconds to wallop Marcus Brimage in his UFC debut, blasted a very tough Diego Brandao late in the first round, needed just under two minutes to finish a young Dustin Poirier at featherweight—though Poirier obviously got his revenge and then some—destroyed Chad Mendes with a classic, beautiful one-two to become interim featherweight champion, thoroughly thrashed Eddie Alvarez to become a two-division champ, and of course, took 13 seconds to deliver possibly the greatest punch in MMA history, the perfect blend of timing, speed, and power, knocking out the seemingly unbeatable Jose Aldo, whom I've praised plenty as the greatest fighter ever. Don't let McGregor's behavior outside the cage distract you from his greatness inside of it. He is one of the deadliest hitters in MMA history.
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