10 Most Brutal Knockouts In UFC History

8. UFC 224: Lyoto Machida Vs. Vitor Belfort

Both fighters may have been well past their prime in 2018, but Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort are two of the most legendary names in the history of MMA.

With the 41-year-old Belfort having already indicated that he'd retire from MMA regardless of the result here, the two Brazilian icons got to go at it in front of a passionate Jeunesse Arena crowd in Rio de Janiero as part of UFC 224.

The fight itself was a relatively slow and plodding affair, but the Rio crowd was just happy to see Rio native Belfort in his final fight.

It was no fairytale ending for The Phenom, of course, and he would be knocked out by Machida's patented front kick - the same move that retired Randy Couture back at UFC 129.

As Belfort lay still on the mat, Machida bowed to his opponent in a mark of respect from The Dragon. And like that, the career of an all-time great was brought to a thunderous close by a clinical, brutal kick to the face.

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Senior Writer

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 and Presenter, 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 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 and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.