MMAjunkie’s ‘Knockout of the Month’ for March 2014

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best knockouts from March 1-31. With an incredible run of finishes across the past month to pick from, we couldn’t trim it to just five nominees, so here are the six best knockouts, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for March 2014 – not to mention a special honoree that wasn’t eligible to win but was just too good to pass up.

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

THE NOMINEES

Dong Hyun Kim def. John Hathaway at TUF China Finale
Boring grappler turned spectacular knockout artist Dong Hyung Kim (19-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) pulled off one of the most unique finishes in UFC history with a spinning elbow knockout of John Hathaway (17-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the TUF China Finale main event. Kim made good of his first UFC headliner by pulling off a technique that has never led to a clean knockout in octagon history. That alone is a huge feat. When you add MMAjunkie’s John Morgan, who was cageside at the event, recalling the sickening thud of Kim’s elbow on Hathaway’s skull as one of the most distinct noises he’s ever heard at an event, you know something devastating has occurred.

Derek Anderson def. Brandon Girtz at Bellator 113
Timing and pinpoint accuracy was the perfect combination for Derek Anderson (11-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) at Bellator 113, as he nearly separated Brandon Girtz’s (10-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) head from his shoulders with a perfectly-placed stepping knee. The technique will typically be used to make an opponent think twice about going for a takedown, but in this instance Anderson blasted Girtz while he came forward for an overhand left. The finish will go down as one of the most brutal in Bellator MMA history.

Nicolas Dalby def. Sergei Churilov at Cage Warriors 66
Some fighters struggle to finish after one or two hard rounds of fighting, but for newly crowned Cage Warriors welterweight champion Nicolas Dalby (12-0 MMA), the desire to put his opponent away stayed strong going into the fourth round. Deep into the fourth of a five-round fight, Dalby whipped a vicious right head kick that landed and immediately stunned Sergei Churilov (15-2 MMA). The Ukrainian had a delayed reaction to the blow, but before he could regain his wits, Dalby had already pounced for the finish.

Godofredo Pepey def. Noad Lahat at UFC Fight Night 38
With his UFC career on the line, Godofredo Pepey (10-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) pulled out his most spectacular win to date as he floored promotional newcomer Noad Lahat (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a flying knee just after the midway point of the opening round. Pepey is best known for his jiu-jitsu prowess, but at UFC Fight Night 38 is was his striking that paid dividends as he launched a double flying knee that caught Lahad clean on the chin and forced him to take an involuntary nap.

Dan Henderson def. Mauricio Rua at UFC Fight Night 38
It only took one right hook from Dan Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-5 UFC) to rearrange Mauricio Rua’s (22-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) nose and put an end to his modeling career at UFC Fight Night 38. The former PRIDE and Strikeforce champion was down big against “Shogun” after two rounds in Brazil, but in the third, he managed to land a spectacular right hand that sent Rua tumbling across the cage from the impact. Even at 43 years old, Henderson possesses the kind of power that can alter the direction of any fight at any time. The victory over Rua, which was the second of his career, was the perfect example of that.

Josh Burkman def. Tyler Stinson at WSOF 9
Josh Burkman (27-10 MMA) proved his loss to Steve Carl this past year was merely a bump in the road as he bounced back from the loss with a crushing first-round finish of Tyler Stinson (27-10 MMA) at WSOF 9. After a brief feeling out process, Burkman closed the distance with a massive right hook that caught Stinson clean on the chin and instantly dropped him the ground. Burkman then charged in with one clean uppercut to his grounded opponent and that was that.

Luis Santos def. Alfredo Morales at XFC International 3 – Honorable Mention
Luis Santos (60-9-1) scored with an absolutely brutal front kick knockout of Alfredo Morales (11-4) at a regional XFC event in Brazil. While it was gorgeous finish that won’t be forgotten, the fact the event was not televised stateside precludes it from consideration for the award.

* * * * *

THE WINNER

Dong Hyun Kim def. John Hathaway at TUF China Finale

Dong Hyun Kim traded back and forth with John Hathaway for 11 minutes. But it was a massive elbow from Kim that floored the Brit in the third. It should have been hard for Kim to improve on his previous outing, a one-punch knockout of Erick Silva in Brazil. But he did it in the TUF China Finale headliner.

“It doesn’t matter who my opponent is going to be, there’s no changing now,” Kim told MMAjunkie after the victory. “I’m not going to be afraid of losses.”

After threatening with spinning strikes throughout the fight, Kim finally landed one – and did so in devastating fashion. Hathaway threw a right front elbow, and Kim threw an elbow in response, landing it flush as Hathaway came forward.

“I really thought that I had him finished early, but he stood tough,” Kim said. “He kind of surprised me with his wrestling skill, but I think he is a good fighter and good opponent, but he’s had a lot of time off so that might have been why he wasn’t as sharp.”

Hathaway was out cold in a certain candidate for “Knockout of the Year” just two months in.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am,” Kim said. “There’s no stopping. I’m going to continue to keep going forward, forward, forward. I don’t care who my next opponent is – I want to get a shot at the title.”