Mixed Martial Arts has grown thanks to the world-class fighters who have committed their lives to the sport. Some of these fighters are still in the game, while others have retired and ventured into new careers. We will tell you all you need to know about the top knockout fighters in MMA history.
Travis Fulton – 143 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 320 | 255 | 54 | 10 | 1 |
Travis is known for his mixed martial arts and professional boxing skills. He participated in both sports in the heavyweight category, though he had more success in mixed martial arts. His first debut was at 19 years in the Gladiators event, where Travis lost.
In 1998, he won ten tournaments, including the WORLD Vale Tudo Heavyweight Championship in Brazil. The three-time International Fighting Championship(IFC) winner also secured three matches in an MMA organization. The only time he lost in the IFC was against Matt Lindland.
Fulton was supposed to face Scott Adams in the UFC 23 event, but he broke his hand only six days before the fight. His last fight was in 2019, where he beat Shannon Ritch to win the M-1 Global Fight World title. Fulton played 320 fights and secured 255 wins, 54 losses, and ten draws. He won through 143 knockouts, 104 submissions, and 8 by decision.
Igor Vovchanchyn – 41 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 68 | 56 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
Igor is a former Ukrainian kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He earned the nickname ice cold because of his hard punches and vicious wins. In 1995, Vovchanchyn switched from kickboxing to MMA after he was invited to take part in Honour of the Warrior in Ukraine.
His win against Francisco Bueno is epic and brutal, as he won with a vicious combo that left Bueno falling to the ground with his face first. Igor participated in the International Absolute Fighting Council in Moscow, where he beat people like Lima in a rematch.
In 1996, he managed to KO three contestants in the Mr. Strong SEKAI tournament. Igor won the Ukrainian Octagon, the No Rules championship, and the first IFC competition. Igor beat the world’s top heavyweight, Mark Kerr, and won the Unofficial #1 title.
He later retired due to multiple injuries, leaving a great legacy behind him. He participated in 68 MMA competitions and secured 56 wins,10 losses, one draw, and no contest. Most of his wins were by knockout, while seven were from submission and eight by decision.
Travis Wiuff – 39 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 101 | 78 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
Travis Wiuff, also known as Diesel, is an American MMA fighter who fights in the heavyweight division. He was introduced to the fight by Brad Kohler, who met him as he was searching for a job as a bouncer. He made his debut in UFC, where he lost the UFC 40 match to Vladimir through submission.
Wiuff was released from the UFC and continued to play in the Independent MMA, where he had 24 fights in 3 years. He returned to UFC in 2005, where he lost his UFC 52 match that had his promotion released. He joined Bellator in 2011, and during his debut at Bellator 55, he beat reigning champion Christian M’Pumbu in a non-title fight.
Travis has won the IFO Light Heavyweight Championship twice, the YAMMA 8 Heavyweight Tournament, IFC Americas Cruiserweight Championship, and the IFC United States Light Heavyweight Championship. He has played 101 matches and gathered 78 wins, 22 losses, and no consents.39 of his wins were by knockout,12 by submission, and 27 by decision.
Luis Santos – 38 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 79 | 65 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
Luis is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He started to fight professionally in Gladiators 5, where he won all his fights. In 2011, Santos joined Bellator and won his debut match in the opening round.
He also fought in the Extreme Fighting Championships from 2013 to 2014, where he won all his matches. In the ONE championship battle of the Lions, he managed to win the first round through a knee strike.
Santos also fought in the ONE championship main event, which was regarded as a no-contest after Santos had an eye poke that made him unable to continue fighting. Santos has fought 79 MMA matches and earned 65 wins, 12 losses, one draw, and one no-contest.
Joe Riggs – 37 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 70 | 49 | 18 | 1 | 2 |
Joe is a former American mixed martial artist who participated in the heavyweight, lightweight, middleweight, and welterweight divisions. He began his MMA career in 2001 and got a good record before signing with WEC.
The loss marked his first fight at WEC 9 light heavyweight. Joe later moved to the WEC middleweight division, where he won against Rob Kimmons and the WEC world title he held for 2 years. He had his first UFC title in 2004, where he became the first person ever to beat the unstoppable Chris Lytle.
After several losses in the UFC, he defeated Nick Diaz in the UFC 57 by decision. In 2013 Riggs won the Bellator 106 tournament through a decision that made him the first Fight Masters winner. His MMA record is marked by a total of 70 fights where he had 49 wins, 18 losses, one draw, and 2 no contests.
Paul Daley – 35 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 64 | 44 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
Paul began karate training at only eight years which was a good foundation for his MMA career. He began fighting professionally in 2003 and later joined Cage Rage. Daley won the Cage Rage British Welterweight Championship against Ross Mason through a majority decision.
He won his UFC debut fight through punches and a knockout. In the 2009 UFC, Daley has crowned newcomer of the year. He also managed to get the knockout of the night title once at the UFC. At the Strikeforce tournament in 2010, Paul got the year’s knockout after winning against Scott Smith.
Paul has also won the FX3 Welterweight championship twice and the All third Violence team matches in 2010. Daley also secured the April Fight of the Month against defending champion Sabah Homasi in a technical knockout. Darley has fought 64 matches and secured 44 wins, 18 losses, and two draws.
Gilbert Yvel – 34 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 58 | 40 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
Gilbert is a professional dutch MMA fighter who only trained for two years after he was introduced to MMA and kickboxing by his brother. At 17, he participated in his first fight, representing Vos Gym. He won the first nine matches he played in, which landed him a spot at Fighting Network Rings.
After a few submission tries by his opponent Kiyoshi, Yvel still won the RINGS Openweight Championship through strikes. He also played in the UFC 108,115, and 121 but did not manage to get wins which led to his UFC contract being released. In 1997, Yvel won the M-1 MFC Light Heavyweight World Championship Tournament.
He also won the World Vale Tudo Superfight Championship against Fabio Piamonte through a technical knockout. Gilbert’s aggressiveness in the ring earned him the name Hurricane. Yvel has had 58 matches with forty wins, 16 losses, one draw, and one no-contest.
Alexander Shlemenko – 32 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 78 | 61 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
Alexandar’s training in the army to hand combat at 15 years was the foundation of his MMA career. He participated in many ARB tournaments and even got the master of sports title in the sport. His interest in MMA was sparked by fights he watched.
Alexander made his debut in MMA in 2004 when he won the fight via technical knockout. In 2010 he participated in the Bellator 16 tournament, where he won the Bellator Middleweight World Championship title, which he successfully defended 3 times. He had a tie with Carvalho in a Bellator tournament, making him the best Middleweight title defender in Bellator history.
Alexander has also won the Season 2 and season 5 Bellator Middleweight Tournament Championship. He won the Fight Nights battle of Moscow tournament in 2014 by a unanimous decision and the M-1 Global tournament in 2016 by a split decision. Shlemenko has fought 78 matches with 61 wins,15 losses, one draw, and no contest.
Mirko Filipovic – 30 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 52 | 38 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
Mirko, popularly known as Cro Cop, started his MMA career in 2001. He won the PRIDE 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Championship, which gave him his first MMA belt on his 32 birthday. In Pride Fighting Championships, he has had the most 1st round finishes, wins using kicks, head kicks Kos, and 2nd most KOs in Pride. He also managed to beat 3 former UFC champions in Pride History.
Filipovic has gathered the most finishes, wins, head KOs, knockouts, and knockdowns in Strikeforce, LLC, Zuffa, WEC, Pride, and UFC. He won Fight of the Night once against Gabriel Gonzaga and submission of the night against Pat Barry in the UFC Fighting Championship. Cro Cop won “fight of the year” in 2003 and 2005, “knock out of the year” in 2006, and “heavyweight fighter of the year” in 2006.
He also has a spot in the Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame. This fighter has even achieved the 2000s striker of the decade title. Filipovic has participated in 52 MMA fights, where he won 38, lost 11, and had two draws and one no contest.
Melvin Manhoef – 29 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 52 | 32 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
Manhoef entered mixed martial arts after a long career in kickboxing. He brought some pretty swift Dutch kickboxing skills that worked well for him. Melvin had his first fight at 18, which he won before joining Cage Rage.
In 2004 he joined British Promotion Cage Rage and, in 2005, won their Light Heavyweight championship title, which he defended for about 2 years. Melvin was also a semifinalist for the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix. He won fights at the All Violence First Team against Yoshiyuki Nakanishi, Jae Young Kim, and Ryo Kawamura, Denis Kang.
Melvin was also a finalist for the K-1 Hero’s Light Heavyweight in 2006. He became the Gringo Super Fight welterweight champion in 2014. Manhoef has had 52 total MMA fights, where he won 32, lost 72, and had one draw and two no contests.
Wanderlei Silva – 25 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 51 | 35 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
Wanderlei started kickboxing and Muay Thai training at 13 years in Chuke Box Academy. He won his first match against Dilson Filho at the Brazilian Vale Tudo(BVF) 6 and the BVF 10 fight against Marcelo Barbosa in 1997. Silvia has secured Fight of the Night in the UFC five times and was knocked out twice.
He once won the Pride Middleweight Championship and the Pride Middleweight World Grand Prix Championship in 2003. Silva became a semifinalist in the same tournament in 2005 and 2006. Wanderlei got the Saku Championship belt, and he has secured a total of 22 wins making him the fighter with the most wins in PRIDE history.
The fighter has also achieved the International Vale Tudo Championship light heavyweight title once. In 2004 he was crowned light-heavyweight fighter of the year and got the fight of the year title in 2008. Silva fought in 51 matches and garnered 35 wins, 14 losses, one draw, and no contest.
Alistair Overeem – 25 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 67 | 47 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
Alistair’s first fight was at 19 years where he participated in the It’s Showtime in 1999 and won through submission. He has held the world championship title in kickboxing and MMA simultaneously. Overeem got the performance of the night title when he won against Andrei Arlovski and Fight of the night against Stipe Miocic in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
At the Strileforc Heavyweight Championship, he won the title once and had 1 successful defense. In 2005, he was a semifinalist for the PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix. Alistar has won the DREAM heavyweight championship once, and the 2 Hot 2 Handle Light heavyweight Championship once and also secured a win in the same tournament.
At the World MMA Awards, he got the International Fighter of the Year title in 2010 and 2011. He participated in the All Violence second team in 2010 and the All third violence team in 2015 in the heavyweight division, where he won his fights. Overeem was named fighter of the year in dutch in 2018. Overeem has fought in 67 MMA matches, won 47, lost 19, and gotten one no-contest.
Anderson Silva – 23 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 46 | 34 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
Anderson was a Brazilian welterweight fighter who started his MMA career in 1997. He won all his bouts till 2000 when he had his first loss by decision. Silva was the first to beat Sakurai, the Shooto Champion, to take the Shooto Middleweight Champion title.
He has a Cage Rage Middleweight Championship, which he has defended 3 times. Anderson once won the UFC Middleweight Championship title and has managed to defend it ten times. He has also held the reigning champion title for the longest time and secured the most Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight fights.
In 2011 he gave the knockout of the year and the Knockout kick of the year titles. His win against Chael Sonnen in 2010 got him recognition for the fight of the year. He was named the most outstanding fighter of the year in 2012 and the most valuable fighter in MMA the same year. Anderson has an MMA record of 46 fights, where he won 34, lost 11, and got one no-contest.
Matt Hughes – 21 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 54 | 45 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Matt Hughes belonged to the Miletich Fighting Systems, one of the first MMA training facilities founded by Pat Miletich, the 1st welterweight champion in UFC. Hughes has had 54 fights with 45 wins and nine losses. At the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he secured a spot in the UFC hall of fame at UFC 52.
He won the UFC Welterweight Championship twice and has defended his UFC title seven times. Matt was the runners up for the Extreme Challenge 21 and later won the Extreme Challenge 29. In 2006 he won fighter of the year in NHB.
Hughes has managed to be in the Black Belt Magazine and MMA hall of fame. Matt Hughes utterly destroyed the famous Gracie jiu-jitsu in the UFC despite having a history in amateur wrestling. This fighter has gone to greater odds and was crowned the 200s welterweight of the decade. He secured the George Tragos Award in 2013 and got the fighter of the year title in 2002.
Mauricio Rua – 21 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 41 | 27 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
“Shogun” Rua was initially a model who worked for fashion show brands, books, and pictures before he ventured into fighting. Mauricio began his MMA career in Brazil through Vale Tudo (BVF) competitions. He won all three Pride Bushido 1 fights through strikes in the 1st round.
In the first round, Shogun also won the PRIDE 29 fight against Hiromitsu Kanehera, a renowned Japanese fighter. In 2005 he won the Middleweight Grand Prix championship. After Mauricio got the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt which he had worked on for only 4 years, he gained recognition as the “fighter of the year.”
Rua got achievements like “knockout of the night” thrice, “fight of the night” 4 times, and one “performance of the year” in the UFC. Rua has had 41 fights with 27 wins, 13 losses, and one draw.
Robbie Lawler – 21 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 46 | 29 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
Robbie began taekwondo training at only 8 years, and after two years, he started karate classes. Robbie has fought 46 matches, with 16 losses, 29 wins, and one no-contest. He joined Miletich Fighting Sytems at 16 and finished his training in 2000.
His MMA career kickstarted in 2001 when Robbie won the first 4 fights through technical knockout. He got the UFC welterweight championship title in 2014 through a split decision. In the history of the UFC, Lawler is one of the most dominant strikers. Robbie managed to defend his title successfully two times.
In 2014 and 2015, he got the fight Of the Year honor in the UFC. Lawler has won the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship twice and the Superbrawl Middleweight Championship once. Robbie participated in the welterweight division’s 2014 and 2015 All Violence First Team. He secured many wins through knockouts which earned him the name ruthless.
Melvin Guillard – 21 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 59 | 32 | 22 | 2 | 3 |
Melvin made his first UFC appearance in 2005 during the Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale, where he defeated Marcus Davis. He won the UFC 60 in 2006 against Rick Davis through a knockout. Guillard was released from UFC but returned to UFC 86, where Melvin won and got the “knockout of the night” bonus.
He also won the UFC 119 by split decision, and in 2011 he got the knockout of the night title in the UFC Fight Night 23. Melvin had six losses through knockout in his career. After knocking Mac Danzig, he got another knockout of the night award at the UFC Fox 8 in 2013.
At the World Series of Fighting, Guillard won his first fight through knockout. He won the third fight at Bellator 159 in 2016 through punches and elbows. Guillard has participated in 59 matches with 32 victories, 22 losses, 2 draws, and three no-contests.
Rich Franklin – 20 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 37 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
Rich began his karate training in the early 1990s and learned submission from videotapes. He won the middleweight fight UFC 42, UFC 44, and UFC 50 against Eva Tanner, Edwin Dewees, and Jorge Rivera, respectively.
Franklin won the Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale through a technical knockout, making him the first fighter to beat Shamrock by striking. He successfully defended his title at UFC 56 in 2005 against Nate Quarry and won UFC 58 the following year.
Franklin lost his UFC champion title in 2006 but won his next UFC match in 2007. In 2008 he switched to the light heavyweight category in which he won The UFC 88 by technical knockout and the UFC 147 by unanimous decision.
Also, Rich is one of the few professional fighters with a college degree. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and then a master’s degree in education from the University of Cincinnati. Franklin announced his retirement in 2015, leaving behind a great MMA legacy. 37 fights mark his MMA record; he won 9, lost 7, and had one no-contest.
Quinton Jackson – 20 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 52 | 38 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
Jackson, also known as rampage, is famous for his technique, where he lifts his opponents and slams them on the ground. He won a Pride 15 fight against Kazushi Sakuraba, a Japanese favorite which earned him respect from the Japanese fans.
Quinton also won his Pride 17 match against Alexandar Otsuka and his next pride competition. He had his eye on the Pride Middle Weight championship held by Wanderlei Silva, and he managed to take him down in the first round.
He won the UFC 71 light heavyweight tournament in 2007 against the former title holder Chuck Liddell. Jackson also secured a win at UFC 75 in London unanimously. At the Bellator 206, he made up for his losses against Wanderlei Silva by knocking him out.
Rampage also won the Bellator MMA season ten light heavyweight competition. Jackson was named fighter of the year in 2004 and 2008 and was considered 2007’s most outstanding fighter. Rampage has fought in a total of 52 matches, where he managed to win 38 and lose fourteen bouts.
Vitor Belfort – 18 KO’s
| Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Draws | No Contests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMA Record | 41 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
Vitor had his first fight at 19 in the Hawaii Superbrawl, where he secured a win against Jon Hess. He moved to the UFC, where he won the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament and a non-tournament match against Tank Abbott through technical knockout.
He made his debut in the light heavyweight division with a win against middleweight champion Anderson Silvia. Vitor won most of his Pride lightweight competitions and lost his match against Alistar Overeem in the Middle Grand Prix in 2005.
Vitor managed to get the UFC Light heavyweight title after beating Couture in the first 2 rounds but lost the title when he lost the match in the third round. Belfort won Cage Rade 21 in 2007 through a technical knockout and won Cage Rage 23, claiming the heavyweight title.
The World MMA knock of the year award was given to him in 2013, and he also won the All Violence first-team fights the same year. Vitor has participated in 41 matches, where Belfort has won 26, lost 14, and had one no-contest. He has 18 knockout wins, three submission wins, and five decision wins.
Conclusion
Mixed Martial arts is a fun sport to watch, and it steers your excitement. Knockout victories are highly regarded in the MMA world and have given most of the fighters on this list their nicknames. These fighters have achieved a lot in their career, with most of their wins from knockouts.
Despite this, knockout blows can be dangerous in that they leave some of the fighters injured and hospitalized, leading to some fighters’ retirement due to permanent injuries. It is essential to avoid copying what this MMA fighter does in the ring, as it takes a lot of practice.
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