With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from October 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for October.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Bobby Green def. Grant Dawson at UFC Fight Night 229
Bobby Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) pulled off a massive upset when he knocked out Grant Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) in the first round of their lightweight main event.
Green came out confident from the outset of the headliner, holding his hands low. He measured up Dawson and clipped him with a left hand that dropped him. “King” swarmed, and forced the referee to step in just 33 seconds into the contest.
BOBBY GREEN OH MY GOODNESS 😱 #UFCVegas80 pic.twitter.com/RLr2Ui7ch3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 8, 2023
Nominee: Marquel Mederos def. Issa Isakov at DWCS 66
Knockouts by knee were the trending result at the season finale of Dana White’s Contender Series, and Marquel Mederos (8-1) delivered one of the best against Issa Isakov (10-3).
In the opening round of the lightweight bout, Mederos pressed forward and timed a crushing knee to the jaw. Isakov was immediately stiffened and timbered to the canvas, resulting in a UFC contract for Mederos.
A big knee connection from Mederos 😤 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/3vpPfle8r4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 11, 2023
Nominee: Terrance McKinney def. Brendon Marotte at UFC Fight Night 230
Terrance McKinney (15-6 MMA, 5-3 UFC) was the biggest betting favorite in his career, and he showed it was for good reason as he torched through an overmatched Brendon Marotte (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
McKinney needed just 20 seconds to take out promotional newcomer Marotte. Marotte took the fight on short notice for a chance to get his foot in the door in the UFC, and McKinney made him pay. McKinney came forward right away and threw a jumping knee that landed and knocked Marotte to the canvas within a few seconds. McKinney pounced on him and rained down punches until the fight was stopped.
TERRANCE MCKINNEY ONLY NEEDED 20 SECONDS 🤯 #UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/TZztQGNMOg
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 14, 2023
Nominee: Mike Breeden def. Anshul Jubli at UFC 294
Mike Breeden (11-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) had the dog in him en route to securing his first UFC win following three straight losses to begin his tenure with the promotion.
Breeden withstood an early storm then unleashed an onslaught on Anshul Jubli (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) to score the knockout in the third round of their lightweight bout. Breeden absorbed a lot of punishment from Jubli early, but managed to turn the tide in the latter part of the fight.
MIKE BREEDEN WITH THE FIRST KO OF #UFC294 💥
Stream the prelims NOW on @ESPNPlus and @espnmma YouTube. pic.twitter.com/V1sKbzYipH
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 21, 2023
The winner
The winner: Islam Makhachev def. Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294
Islam Makhachev’s second win over Alexander Volkanovski was much more definitive than the first.
In the UFC 294 main event, Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) finished Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) with a head kick and punches at 3:06 of Round 1.
A left high kick was the game-changer. It was a tool Makhachev used frequently in their first meeting, a fight he won by unanimous decision at UFC 284 in February.
This Head shot from Islam Makhachev is crazy 🥶 pic.twitter.com/A1mldLf9Fa
— Mr.Meme Junkie (@MrMemeJunkie) October 21, 2023
Volkanovski flopped to the mat, along the cage. Makhachev quickly jumped on top and landed short hammerfists as blood leaked down Volkanovski’s face. That’s when referee Marc Goddard dove in.
With the win, Makhachev successfully defends his title for the second time and extends his winning streak to 13. He was initially expected to fight Charles Oliveira, who withdrew due to a cut.
