With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from November 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for November.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominee: Matt Frevola def. Ottman Azaitar at UFC 281
Matt Frevola (10-3-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) and Ottman Azaitar (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) finally got to fight and after years of anticipation, it ended quickly.
After some heavy exchanges to start the lightweight bout, Frevola knocked out Azaitar with a brutal three-punch combination that ended the fight at the midway point of the opening round.
THE STEAMROLLA LIVED UP TO HIS NAME 👊 #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/sqp1zvq4HU
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 13, 2022
Nominee: Ryan Spann def. Dominick Reyes at UFC 281
Former title challenger Dominick Reyes’ (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) “massively upgraded defense” did not show itself against Ryan Spann (21-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in their light heavyweight showdown.
Spann needed just 80 seconds to score the biggest win of his career and floored Reyes with a vicious finish courtesy of a gigantic overhand right punch.
SUPERMAN SPANN PUT HIM TO SLEEP 😴 #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/Zi7gCOE2us
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 13, 2022
Nominee: Chris Gutierrez def. Frankie Edgar at UFC 281
Former UFC champion Frankie Edgar’s (25-10-1 MMA, 19-10-1 UFC) final career fight went as badly as it could when he was knocked out cold by Chris Gutierrez (19-4-2 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC).
Ex-lightweight titleholder Edgar was put out a little more than two minutes into the first round by Gutierrez in their bantamweight bout. It was a perfect knee that closed the show and brought an end to Edgar’s illustrious career.
Chris Gutierrez stops Frankie Edgar 😳
A perfect knee up the middle ends this one early #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/M5A0A1VKYq
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
Nominee: Daniel James def. Tyrell Fortune at Bellator 288
Daniel James (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) pulled off an impressive comeback, topped with a vicious finish over wrestling standout Tyrell Fortune (12-3 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) in their heavyweight bout.
James had some rough moments in the first round, as he was taken down and hit by ground-and-pound from Fortune. However, early in Round 2, James tagged Fortune with a huge uppercut and then finished him with strikes on the ground.
The American Predator 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗦 🔥
What a stoppage for the hometown hero @djames1981.#Bellator288 LIVE on @SHOsports 📺 pic.twitter.com/M6Rfj5WcFG
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) November 19, 2022
Nominee: Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Stevie Ray at 2022 PFL Championships
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (17-5) was having some trouble in the second round of his $1 million lightweight title fight. Rather than go to the third, he just took Stevie Ray (25-11) out, instead.
Aubin-Mercier knocked out Ray late in the second round. The Canadian’s stoppage win came with 20 seconds left in the frame and came not long after he got back to his feet after Ray controlled him on the canvas for several minutes.
CANADA HAS A NEW WORLD CHAMPION! OLIVIER AUBIN-MERCIER IS A WORLD CHAMP! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
[#PFLWorldChampionship | BUY NOW https://t.co/9tors6rrKk | LIVE ON ESPN+ PPV] pic.twitter.com/SEwY3MJiUU
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 26, 2022
The winner: Chris Gutierrez
In the eyes of many, Edgar’s career will land him in the Hall of Fame. But what is expected to be the final result on his record, will be a knockout loss to Gutierrez
Gutierrez kneed Edgar brutally in the head. The unconscious Edgar toppled over backward. His head hit the canvas and the bout was waved off at the 2:03 mark of Round 1. It took Edgar a few minutes to regain his bearings, and an emotional Gutierrez tried to embrace the retiree.
It was one-way traffic from the beginning. Gutierrez threw spinning techniques and crisp shots as Edgar showed off his trademark foot movement. It only took a couple minutes for Gutierrez to gauge the veteran’s timing, though, and he sent the knee up the middle to close the show.
After the fight, Edgar was emotional as he bid farewell to the crowd on the microphone.
