10 Most Brutal Knockouts In UFC History

Because being punched in the face is never a good thing.

by Andrew Pollard
Chris Weidman Knocks Out Anderson Silva
David Becker/AP/Press Association Images

In recent years, UFC has thrust MMA into the public spotlight in a huge way - the brutal 'n' bloody sport now just as popular, if not more so, than boxing and even the "sports entertainment" action of Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment.

Simply put, people love to see other people get punched in the face, kicked upside the head, and have their limbs twisted in directions that they're not supposed to go.

Since being founded back in 1993, UFC has delivered some of the most intense and exciting fights in the history of sports, period. And along the way with those fights, of course, so often comes some intense and exciting knockouts.

Whether shock knockouts in the opening moments of a fight, pure power strikes that would take down any competitor, or simply catching an opponent at the right time during a gruelling, lengthy battle, those UFC guys 'n' gals most certainly know how to maximise the damage that the human body is capable of dishing out.

With all of that in mind, then, here we're spotlighting ten of the most brutal knockout strikes in the history of UFC.

10. UFC 31: Shonie Carter Vs. Matt Serra

When looking back at the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship, one of the most memorable and brutal knockouts came back at 2001's UFC 31.

There, MMA fans were treated to Shonie Carter taking out Matt Serra with a unique back fist strike that left Serra KO'd.

With both fighters out on their feet and with literally nine seconds remaining in the fight, Carter landed the vital blow that would see him pick up the W.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.