The Top 5 Heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts Knockouts

A spectacular knockout is never more than a split-second away when ONE Championship’s heavyweight mixed martial artists collide in the Circle.

These colossal athletes bring huge power to their contests on the global stage, and also startling athleticism for men of their size.

This leads to an extremely high finishing rate, and these big men have delivered some of the most spectacular finishes ever seen in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Here are five of the best knockouts from ONE Championship’s leading heavyweight competitors.

#1 Vera’s Title-Winning Knockout

Brandon “The Truth” Vera has had four heavyweight bouts in The Home Of Martial Arts, and he has finished every one of them by knockout in the opening frame.

The reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion won the belt with this sensational stoppage of Paul “Typhoon” Cheng at ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS in Manila, Philippines back in December 2015.

Vera needed just 26 seconds to claim the vacant gold in front of his countrymen.

The Filipino-American made the most of an early rush from “Typhoon,” and then he sent him to the canvas with a left hook off the back foot.

Cheng tried to bounce back, but as soon as he returned to his feet, Vera was waiting with an inch-perfect kick, which smashed into his jaw and dropped him to the mat again. “The Truth” followed up with a pair of ground punches to take the victory and the title.

#2 Ngalani’s Athletic Spinning Kick KO

You could not have scripted a more perfect mixed martial arts debut for four-time Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani.

The Hong Kong-based hulk met Egypt’s Mahmoud Hassan at ONE: CHAMPIONS & WARRIORS in Jakarta, Indonesia in September 2013, and he ended the match in just 31 seconds.

Ngalani laid his foundation with a pair of hard low kicks, and then he waited for Hassan to close the distance. When his rival stepped forward, “The Panther” uncorked a lightning-fast spinning hook kick, which sent the Egyptian stumbling to the mat.

The Impakt Gym owner sealed the deal with a barrage of punches to claim his first victory in the sport.

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#3 Machado Blasts Sekine With Ground Strikes

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts Alexandre “Bebezao” Machado and Hideki “Shrek” Sekine met at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS in Manila in November 2018, but it was Machado’s versatility that earned him a second-round TKO finish.

Sekine looked strong with his grappling offensive in round one, but he appeared to tire himself out in the process. “Bebezao” used this to his advantage and upped the pace in the second frame.

The Brazilian southpaw hurt the Japanese hulk with a short right hook, which forced him to shoot for a loose single-leg takedown.

Machado easily brushed off the attempt, and then he let rip with a relentless barrage of ground strikes until the referee had seen enough and waved off the contest.

#4 “The Truth” Drops “The Hammer”

Vera added another KO to his résumé on that same night in the Philippine capital – this time, over surging Italian newcomer Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli.

The heavyweight king may have been out of action for two years, but there was clearly no rust as he finished the challenger in just 64 seconds.

Cerilli aggressively pushed the action in search of an upset, but the Filipino-American kept his cool and waited for his chance to counter.

“The Hammer” swung a clubbing right hand in the World Champion’s direction, and then he followed it up with a left hook, but Vera was a step ahead. His own left hook connected inside of the Italian’s strike and crumpled him to the canvas to score the stoppage.

#5 Cerilli Tames “The Panther” With Knees

In March 2019, Cerilli returned to get his first victory on the global stage when he squared off against Ngalani at ONE: REIGN OF VALOR in Yangon, Myanmar.

The 37-year-old closed the distance on his rival to take away his striking expertise, and then he showed his strength with a big slam to the mat.

Ngalani scrambled and tried to free himself, but “The Hammer” brought him back to the canvas.

As “The Panther” turned to escape again, Cerilli scored with a hurtful left knee, and then he dropped more heavy knees to the top of the head of his turtled opponent to get the first-round win.

Read more: The Best 5 Knee-To-The-Body Knockouts In ONE Championship