With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from October 2022: 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: Pete Rodriguez def. Mike Jackson at UFC Fight Night 212
Pete Rodriguez (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) handed Mike Jackson (1-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) his first knockout loss in devastating fashion.
Rodriguez opened with a vicious flurry on Jackson in their welterweight bout. He hurt his opponent early, and then put Jackson away with an absolutely nasty knee to the jaw that put the lights out.
THAT KNEE WAS BRUTAL 😳 #UFCVegas62 pic.twitter.com/LzCnyDzPx6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2022
Nominee: Alonzo Menifield def. Misha Cirkunov at UFC Fight Night 212
Alonzo Menifield (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) changed camps and walked out with one man in his corner, but it didn’t matter because he was able to put the finishing touches on Misha Cirkunov (15-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) in quick fashion.
It was a devastating shot from Menifield that left Cirkunov laying on the canvas for a few moments in the light heavyweight bout. Menifield scored the knockdown, then closed the show with some gruesome hammerfists.
"ATOMIC" MENIFIELD LIVED UP TO HIS NAME 💥#UFCVEGAS62 pic.twitter.com/jwrkZu9UWM
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2022
Nominee: Jonathan Martinez def. Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 212
It’s not often a UFC fight ends because of leg kicks. The fact Jonathan Martinez (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) did it against a UFC Hall of Famer in Cub Swanson (28-13 MMA, 13-9 UFC) made it all the more impressive.
Martinez finished Swanson with a second-round TKO that came after he landed three kicks to Swanson’s left leg. The first two put Swanson down temporarily. The third was enough to end things late in the second round of the bantamweight bout.
The 14th leg kick TKO victory in UFC history 🐉
[ @JonathanMyda | #UFCVegas62 ]
pic.twitter.com/GGB3L7N3BB— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2022
Nominee: Belal Muhammad def. Sean Brady at UFC 280
In case anyone forgot Belal Muhammad’s (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) name, perhaps they’ll remember now after he took the undefeated record of Sean Brady (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in their high-stakes welterweight bout.
Muhammad’s pressure was apparent from the opening bell as he tried to close the distance on his opponent. Brady’s response was leg kicks and jabs, both of which worked but were unable to halt Muhammad’s pressure completely. Muhammad blasted Sean Brady with dozens of punches leading to a standing TKO in the second round.
UNDEFEATED NO MORE!!@BullyB170 takes Sean Brady's 0 and celebrates in the crowd! #UFC280 pic.twitter.com/F6kNfzDAUy
— UFC (@ufc) October 22, 2022
The winner
The winner: Roman Dolidze def. Phil Hawes at UFC Fight Night 213
Roman Dolidze first damaged the leg of Phil Hawes before landing shots to the head for a savage knockout.
In a sequence near the start of the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex, Dolidze (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) got Hawes (12-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in a nasty leg lock that appears to pop the knee out. The fight continued, though, and turned into a striking affair.
That played huge to Dolidze’s advantage, because he waited for his moment to pick the shots and land a clean combination that floored Hawes and put the lights out.
THIS KO FROM DOLIDZE 🥶 #UFCVegas63 pic.twitter.com/Ywrw3eGVp6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 29, 2022
With five wins in six UFC appearances so far, Dolidze said he’s ready for the next level of competition. He said Hawes was a respectable foe, but he wants more the next time he steps in the cage.
“That’s how it is,” Dolidze told Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. “If you don’t tap, I knock you out. … These guys don’t understand who I am. They need to give me better fights.”
