With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from March 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for March.
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
Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti at UFC 248
[autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) got his first UFC victory in impressive fashion when he became the first to knock out Guido Cannetti (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup.
The fighter from Mongolia landed an absolute bomb of a left hand on Cannetti about three minutes into the opening round of the bout. Cannetti was unable to recover from Batgerel’s power and the fight was called off.
Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez at UFC 248
“The Suga Show” had a triumphant reboot when bantamweight prospect [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) made quick work of Jose Quinonez (8-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in his first fight in two years.
O’Malley, who had been out of action since March 2018 due to injuries and a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency situation that ultimately resulted in his innocence, put on a striking clinic against a helpless Quinonez to finish the fight in just 122 seconds.
Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose at UFC 248
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) produced arguably the greatest highlight of his career when he scored a spectacular knockout of Drakkar Klose (11-1-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the second round of their lightweight bout.
After a solid first round, the fight got crazy in the second when Dariush and Klose slugged it out and stunned each other. Dariush was able to push through it better, though, and finally landed a devastated overhand left that sent Klose bouncing off the fence and crashing into the canvas.
Gilbert Burns def. Demian Maia at UFC on ESPN+ 28
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) continued a successful campaign in the welterweight division when he beat former title challenger Demian Maia (28-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC).
After getting taken down by Maia and surviving his famous back take, Burns managed to get the fight back to the feet where he connected with a sharp left hook, sending Maia straight to the canvas. Burns hesitated, thinking the shot ended the fight, but the referee didn’t jump in. Burns then followed up with rapid ground-and-pound, forcing the referee to wave it off.
Coner Hignett def. Darren O’Gorman at Cage Warriors 113
[autotag]Coner Hignett[/autotag] (8-5) lived up to his nickname of “The Hand Grenade” when he blew up for a brilliant win over Darren O’Gorman (6-5).
Hignett pulled off one of the best comebacks and knockouts of the year thus far when he stopped O’Gorman in the third round of their flyweight matchup. A series of precise and powerful right hands were the culprit behind Hignett’s comeback.
From the brink of defeat! 🤯
Coner Hignett with a huge KO comeback at #CW113 pic.twitter.com/4FI4nMJf3M— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 20, 2020
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The Winner: Beneil Dariush
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Dariush didn’t need jiu-jitsu to win at UFC 248.
The UFC veteran scored one of the best finishes of his career against Klose, but it didn’t come by way of his nifty ground game. Dariush knocked out Klose in the second round of their lightweight contest after a wild exchange that had the crowd on its feet.
The final seconds were completely opposite to what went down in the first round. For the majority of the opening round, Dariush controlled Klose as he had taken his back and worked for a standing rear-naked choke.
In the second round, Klose attempted to make up for lost ground and came out swinging hard at Dariush. Klose connected, wobbled Dariush and began to pressure him looking for the finish. But instead of going into defense mode, the Iranian fighter stayed in the pocket and managed to switch the momentum with a hard hook, hurting Klose.
Once rocked, Dariush followed up with a brutal left hook that sent Klose straight to the canvas. It was Dariush’s first KO win since stopping James Vick in 2016.
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