MMA Junkie's 'Knockout of the Month' for June: A haymaker beats the buzzer
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from June 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for June.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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The Nominees
Alex Perez def. Jussier Formiga at UFC 250
Alex Perez (24-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC) might not have gone into his matchup with Jussier Formiga (23-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC) on the short list of contenders for the vacant flyweight title, but he sure came out of it as one.
Perez put his division on notice by taking out one of flyweight’s longstanding contenders in Formiga via TKO, but it was one of the rarest forms of TKO: the calf kick. Perez clobbered Formiga with calf kicks, connecting with his right leg to the lower portion of Formiga’s right. He dropped him twice with the kicks, and the second time around turned out to be one time too many.
Sean O’Malley def. Eddie Wineland at UFC 250
Sean O’Malley (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) had shown plenty of sizzle early in his UFC career, but he didn’t yet have the type of veteran name on his resume that indicates he truly could be on his way to the top. Then he fought Eddie Wineland (24-14-1 MMA, 6-8 UFC).
After some frenetic early exchanges, “Suga” set up the fight-ending sequence. O’Malley feinted a left, Wineland bit, and O’Malley followed through with a flawless straight right hand to the jaw, which put Wineland to the mat and ended the bout.
Cody Garbrandt def. Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250
Former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) finally got back in the win column when he defeated Raphael Assuncao (27-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) with his most spectacular career finish.
Garbrandt snapped a three-fight losing skid and got his hand raised for the first time since December 2016 when he beat Assuncao by second-round knockout. After a more reserved approach than his recent fights, Garbrandt waited until the closing seconds of the round to wind up with a grenade-level right hand that put Assuncao out on impact and spelled the end of the fight.
Tyson Nam def. Zarrukh Adashev at UFC on ESPN 10
Tyson Nam (19-11-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) broke his slump in the most brilliant of ways when absolutely obliterated Zarrukh Adashev (3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
Adashev came out with an early mini-blitz, indicating he was ready for a scrap. Which apparently was all good with Nam, who connected clean with a picture-perfect counter right hand just 32 seconds into the first round of the bantamweight fight.
Tanner Boser def. Philipe Lins at UFC on ESPN 12
Tanner Boser (18-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) made a statement in an important fight against the inaugural PFL heavyweight champion Philipe Lins (14-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC).
The Canadian picked up an impressive first-round finish. Boser connected with a hard right hand that seemed to briefly stun the Brazilian, but he immediately followed up with a quick combination that send Lins straight to the canvas. After Lins went down, Boser aded a couple nasty hammerfists for good measure.
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The Winner: Cody Garbrandt
Garbrandt still has it.
Shortly after the 10-second clacker sounded in Round 2, Garbrand landed a vicious right hook that flattened Assuncao with one second left. Out on impact, Assuncao crumpled to the canvas facedown, forcing referee Keith Peterson to wave off the fight.
The opening round was a tactical chess match. The volume of strikes thrown was low. Both fighters stayed at a distance, with Garbrandt targeting the low calf of Assuncao, who was constantly switching stances.
In Round 2, the pace picked up. Garbrandt returned to targeting Assuncao’s leg, which was wearing damage. Midway through the round, Garbrandt connected on his best strike of the fight – a punch, which knocked Assuncao off balance. The playful trash talk picked up, with Assuncao claiming he slipped on Garbrandt’s punch.
The conversation was all for not, however, as the next big punch was the last. Sneaking in a massive punch just before the horn sounded, Garbrandt picked up his first victory since December 2016.