MMAjunkie's 'Knockout of the Month' for September: A knee strike that'll knock your socks off

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best knockouts from September. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for September.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

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The Nominees

Ryan Bader def. Ilir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 93

After being crushed by Anthony Johnson in a UFC main event earlier this year, Ryan Bader (21-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) got back on track in thunderous fashion when he put Ilir Latifi (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) to sleep with one of the cleanest knee strikes to ever land inside the octagon.

Latifi had Bader in big trouble in the first round of the light heavyweight bout, dropping “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner and nearly finishing the fight. Bader came back in the second round, though, timing the leaping knee as well as anyone could when Latifi changed levels, scoring the dramatic walk-off knockout.

Stipe Miocic def. Alistair Overeem at UFC 203

The UFC heavyweight title remained in Cleveland after hometown champion Stipe Miocic (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) survived Alistair Overeem’s (41-15 MMA, 6-4 UFC) early onslaught to win by knockout, defending the gold for the first time.

After being dropped and nearly stopped with a straight punch, Miocic recovered and capitalized on a slip by Overeem late in the first round. He then “turned the motherboard off” with several well-placed right hands, notching his first title defense courtesy of the violent finish.

Michael Johnson def. Dustin Poirier at UFC Fight Night 94

Michael Johnson (17-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC) ended Dustin Poirier’s (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) stunning run since dropping to lightweight and snapped his own losing skid with a blistering first-round knockout win in his first UFC main event appearance since 2010.

Coming off back-to-back losses, “The Menace” starched Poirier with a right hook and left straight, dropping “The Diamond” the canvas. He then finished the job with punches on the mat, ending the contest in just 95 seconds.

Vicente Luque def. Hector Urbina at UFC Fight Night 95

Vicente Luque’s (10-5-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) moves weren’t quite as flashy as Hector Urbina’s (17-10-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in their welterweight matchup, but in the end they proved to be much more effective, because “The Silent Assassin” won by first-round knockout.

After rocking Urbina in the fight’s first few exchanges, Luque sealed the deal in brutal fashion with a perfectly placed right hand to the jaw that knocked Urbina out cold with his leg caught awkwardly underneath him a mere 60 seconds after the contest began.

Roy Nelson def. Antonio Silva at UFC Fight Night 95

In a fight between two heavyweights in desperate need of a victory, Roy Nelson (22-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) finally scored what felt like an inevitable knockout against friend and occasional training partner Antonio Silva (19-10-1 MMA, 3-7-1 UFC).

After frequently tagging “Bigfoot” in the first and into the second round, Nelson finally landed the fight-ending shot to send his opponent to the floor. He finished the job with ground strikes, sparking a heated reaction from “Big Country” toward referee John McCarthy for what he believed was a late stoppage.

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The Winner: Ryan Bader

Bader wanted to get back to his winning ways when he stepped into the cage against Latifi. Not only did he get the win, he picked up a stunning knockout to add to his highlight reel.

Bader utilized kicks early in Round 1, popping Latifi to the body hard and keeping him at bay. Latifi tried to push in and throw heavy hooking punches to Bader’s head but was unable to maintain a close distance early.

Latifi tried to counter some of Bader’s explosive offensive moments with takedowns but had difficulty completing them against the elite-level wrestler. However, Latifi stung Bader badly in the late stages of the opening round with a wild series of looping shots, briefly dropping him to the canvas before the frame came to a close.

The pace picked up in Round 2 with Bader driving for a takedown he was unable to finish and Latifi shaking his finger after ducking under a power shot. But as Latifi attempted to duck under for a shot on Bader, he was met with a perfect knee to the face, leaving him flat on his back and unconscious at the 2:06 mark of Round 2.

“This was something new – I haven’t had a kick or a knee knockout,” Bader said. “You kind of know when it hits a sweet spot and you see him go back and he’s done. It was just a great feeling. All the accumulation of hard work comes together at that one moment.”

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