MMAjunkie's 'Knockout of the Year' for 2016: A skull-crushing knee to end all knees

With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2016.

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

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Honorable Mentions

5. Ryan Bader def. Ilir Latifi at UFC Fight Night 99 in September

After being crushed by Anthony Johnson in a UFC main event earlier in the year, Ryan Bader (22-5 MMA, 15-5 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.

4. Dan Henderson def. Hector Lombard at UFC 199 in June

Former PRIDE and Strikeforce champ Dan Henderson (32-15 MMA, 9-9 UFC) did it again when no one expected him to. Just when people thought the legend was down and out, he pulled off another epic knockout when he stopped Hector Lombard (34-6-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in the second round of their middleweight bout.

After a back-and-forth opening frame, Henderson, the oldest active fighter on the UFC roster at the time at 45, finished the fight with an insane series of blows in the second round that included a head kick, back elbow and two brutal elbows on the ground to put Lombard’s lights out.

3. Yair Rodriguez def. Andre Fili at UFC 197 in April

At 24, Yair Rodriguez (8-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) might be the brightest prospect in the featherweight division. He showed why once again with a spectacular second-round knockout of brawler Andre Fili (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

After more than a round of wild competition, the finish arrived at the midway point of the second frame. Rodriguez took flight with a jumping switch kick that connected clean to Fili’s jaw. The Team Alpha Male fighter went down right away, and Rodriguez walked off with one of the prettiest knockouts of the year.

2. Lando Vannata def. John Makdessi at UFC 206 in December

Lando Vannata (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) followed up his memorable UFC debut against Tony Ferguson with a knockout that will live on UFC highlight reels for years when he stopped John Makdessi (14-6 MMA, 7-6) with an incredible spinning wheel kick finish in the first round of their lightweight bout.

Vannata peppered Makdessi with low kicks to start the fight, and it didn’t take long for Vannata to get a read on his reactions. He went low, then quickly spun and attacked high with the kick. The moment it landed, Makdessi collapsed and the fight was called.

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Winner: Michael Page def. Evangelista Santos at Bellator 158 in July

Undefeated welterweight Michael Page (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) once again showed why he’s considered one of the most exciting names in the sport. At Bellator 158 in July, “Venom” landed a crushing flying knee to secure a violent finish, which went viral, in the second round of his bout with Evangelista Santos (21-18 MMA, 1-2 BMMA).

“Cyborg” had some success in the opening round when he was able to get the fight to the mat after dealing with Page’s trademarked unorthodox style. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, he didn’t do much with the position, and Page soon found his rhythm in the second. That proved even more unfortunate for Santos.

As Page turned up the volume, a liver kick visibly stunned Santos. Still, he tried to push forward, but it was only to see him walk into a perfectly timed leaping knee from Page.

While Santos writhed in pain on the canvas and held his smashed forehead, Page went to his corner and retrieved a Pokemon ball and hat. He rolled the ball toward his fallen opponent to “catch a ‘Cyborg’” and capitalize on the attention surrounding the recent Pokemon Go craze.