With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from August 2023. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for August.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Lucas Brennan def. Weber Almeida at Bellator 298
Lucas Brennan (9-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) was less than 90 seconds away from his first professional loss, until he connected with a spectacular home run shot on Weber Almeida (7-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA).
Brennan was dealing with a tough outing against Almeida, who was up on all three judges’ scorecards going into Round 3. However, with his back against the wall, Brennan landed a knee that immediately put Almeida out cold at 3:32 to seal an incredible comeback.
𝗦𝗸𝘆𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗢! 😱
A highlight reel knockout and epic comeback all rolled into one. Lucas Brennan, that was insane!
📺 Watch the #Bellator298 @MonsterEnergy Prelims LIVE ▶️ https://t.co/NxwCKFPRok pic.twitter.com/W3Q1rLJ37t
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 12, 2023
Nominee: Khalil Rountree def. Chris Daukaus at UFC on ESPN 51
Khalil Rountree (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) is on a four-fight winning streak while Chris Daukaus (12-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) is on a four-fight losing skid after they crossed paths in their light heavyweight bout.
Rountree was tasked with welcoming former heavyweight Daukaus down to 205 pounds for the first time. It was clear Daukaus tasted the power early on, and it wasn’t long before Rountree dropped and stopped him for the TKO less than three minutes in.
ROUNTREE. JUST. DID. THAT. @KhalilRountree is a problem in the LHW division 😤 #UFCVegas78 pic.twitter.com/QPS0pisGav
— UFC (@ufc) August 13, 2023
Nominee: Renan Ferreira def. Maurice Greene at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2
Renan Ferreira (11-3) took on Maurice Greene (11-9) in a PFL heavyweight semifinal bout. For the first time in his career, the 6-foot-7 Greene was the shorter man in the cage against Ferreira, who is listed as one inch taller.
Ferreira quickly brought the fight to Greene, keeping him on his backfoot, and circling on the outside early. “Problema” landed a few clean combinations throughout the round that put Greene in trouble, but it was a fierce right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas as the round was nearing a close. The follow-up hammerfist put Greene out for the knockout.
Renan Ferreira Gets it DONE in 1st Round!!!#PFLPlayoffs LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/Gvj39ITvF7— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 19, 2023
Nominee: Sean O'Malley def. Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292
Sean O'Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) achieved what many believe was a long-awaited coronation on Saturday when he claimed the bantamweight title from Aljamain Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC).
In the second round, Sterling rushed in with a left hand, and O’Malley landed a laser of a right counter to send him to the canvas. O’Malley followed up with big hammerfists as Sterling attempted to stay in it, but the referee saw enough and called a stop to the fight.
SEAN O’MALLEY DID THAT! 🤯 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/vI0dSi1rFC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 20, 2023
Nominee: Max Holloway def. Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night 225
Max Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) lived up to the lopsided odds in his main event with Chan Sung Jung (17-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC).
Former UFC champ Holloway earned a third-round knockout victory over “The Korean Zombie” in their featherweight main event, countering the aggression of Jung with a massive shot and further elevating his legendary resume in the sport with another recognizable name.
WHAT A COUNTER FROM HOLLOWAY 💥 #UFCSingapore pic.twitter.com/T48E35Ugro
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 26, 2023
The winner
The winner: Max Holloway
One of MMA’s featherweight legends decided to call it a career after going out on his shield in an exciting battle in Singapore.
Former 145-pound champion Holloway met Jung in the main event of UFC Fight Night 225 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in what was an emotional night for both fighters, before and after the bout.
Holloway entered the octagon with a heavy heart with thoughts of the Hawaiian wildfire destruction on his mind, while a potential retirement loomed for Jung. Oddsmakers had Holloway listed as a massive favorite in the contest, and he proved them right by landing a knockout punch 23 seconds into Round 3.
After emotional walkouts for both fighters, it was time for the featherweights to get to action. They respectfully touched gloves in the center and began looking to find the range as the Singapore crowd chanted for “The Korean Zombie.”
Holloway stalked forward offering punches as Jung sent leg kicks the other direction. Jung landed nicely with a punch that appeared to knock Holloway off balance, but as he rushed in to capitalize, he got clipped and wobbled by a counter, foreshadowing the final outcome.
As the round continued, both fighters landed nicely until the final second, but the crowd reactions to Jung’s connections were much louder.
Early in the second as they began to exchange, Holloway caught Jung with a hard right hand that sent him to the canvas. Jung scrambled to get a hold of a leg, but Holloway countered by locking in a D’arce choke. Referee Marc Goddard checked on Jung’s arms at one point to ensure he wasn’t out, but Holloway eventually gave up on the attempt.
The fight returned to the feet where they would trade strikes in heated exchanges for the remainder of the round.
Jung came out on fire in Round 3, immediately looking to create a brawl. While he initially landed clean punches on Holloway, the approach would prove to be a mistake.
Holloway kept his guard up as he weathered the storm and waited for his opportunity to land a counter. Jung left an opening, and Holloway took it by landing a crushing right hand that required no follow-up punches. Jung was out cold on the canvas and the celebration for the former champion began.
Holloway then addressed the chaos that unfolded at the start of Round 3.
“I’m just lucky my right hand landed before his,” Holloway said.
Bisping then spoke with Jung, who removed his gloves and announced his retirement.
A legend of the game!
Congratulations on an absolutely incredible career, @KoreanZombieMMA 👏👏👏 #UFCSingapore pic.twitter.com/do5xlv8W0Y
— UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2023
“I’m going to stop fighting,” Jung said through an interpreter after the fight. “I’ve always aimed to become a champion when I first started the sport. I’m not here to be ranked third, fourth or fifth. I tried my absolute best to prepare for Max Holloway. I really, really believed I could beat him, but I ended up failing.”
