With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from December 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for December.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Nominees
Nominee: Bryce Mitchell def. Kron Gracie at UFC 310
Bryce Mitchell (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) was on the receiving end of a devastating knockout to close 2023, but on the final UFC pay-per-view of 2024, he was the one delivering the highlight moment.
In a featherweight contest against Kron Gracie that was expected to be grappling-heavy, Mitchell countered a guard pull attempt by his opponent with a hard slam. He then postured up and landed a pair of brutal elbows to separate Gracie from consciousness and force the TKO stoppage.
Nominee: Joel Alvarez def. Drakkar Klose at UFC on ESPN 63
Joel Alvarez (22-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) kept his 100 percent finish rate in tact against Drakkar Klose with a bizarre sequence to end their fight.
After rocking Klose with a punch in the opening round of the lightweight bout, Alvarez charged in with a flying knee that landed clean. With his opponent essentially unconscious, Alvarez grabbed the neck and went for a guillotine as Klose started to fall back. However, he was already out and the referee stepped in.
Nominee: Dustin Jacoby def. Vitor Petrino at UFC on ESPN 63
Just as the commentary team was pleading for Dustin Jacoby (20-9-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) and Vitor Petrino to close their light heavyweight fight strong, a spectacular highlight arrived.
The crowd was chanting “boring” as the final 90 seconds in the third round ticked down. That’s when Jacoby lined up an absolutely massive straight right hand that instantly knocked Petrino out cold and sent him folding to the canvas.
Nominee: Cub Swanson def. Billy Quarantillo at UFC on ESPN 63
Cub Swanson (30-14 MMA, 15-10 UFC) added what might be the final sensational highlight to his reel against Billy Quarantillo.
After a back-and-forth featherweight battle, Swanson found the fight-ending knockout punch on Quarantillo early in the third round of the Fight of the Night, and afterward the 41-year-old said it could be his final appearance in MMA competition.
The winner: Michael Johnson def. Ottman Azaitar at UFC on ESPN 63
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Michael Johnson def. Ottman Azaitar at UFC Tampa: Best photos
Michael Johnson added a late candidate to the discussion of 2024’s nastiest knockout.
Longtime lightweight veteran Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) knocked Ottman Azaitar unconscious and into another dimension with a blistering overhand right.
Though Azaitar was out from the initial blow, two more Johnson right hands cracked his unconscious head before referee Jason Herzog dove in and stopped the fight at 2:03 of Round 2.
The win was Johnson’s second in a row. He beat Darrius Flowers by unanimous decision in February before having surgery in March. The win was Johnson’s 15th in the promotion and brings him up to .500 in his 15th year with the promotion.
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month for December: Michael Johnson ends Ottman Azaitar
