MMAjunkie's 'Knockout of the Month' for May: Uppercut, uppercut, uppercut ... BOOM!

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie looks at the best knockouts from May.

Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for May.

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

Sean O’Malley def. David Nuzzo at LFA 11

Sean O'Malley (7-0) said he wanted a finish that would go viral to his bantamweight fight with David Nuzzo (5-2). Well, mission accomplished.

O’Malley came out in the first round with a kick-heavy attack against Nuzzo. One head kick didn’t finish Nuzzo, and neither did an overhand right that dropped him for the second time. But an impressive spinning-wheel kick put a stop to the bout just over 2 minutes into the opening frame.

??@SugaSeanMMA delivered this glorious KO last night at #LFA11 Video courtesy of @axstvfights

A post shared by MMAjunkie (@mmajunkiedotcom) on May 6, 2017 at 9:03am PDT

Fabian Edwards def. Rafael Cejrowski at Bellator 179

On a card filled with notable names, Fabian Edwards (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) may have delivered the highlight when he put Rafael Cejrowski (2-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) to sleep with an absolutely spectacular switch flying knee.

Making his pro debut, Edwards, the younger brother of UFC veteran Leon Edwards, showed zero hesitation with his attacks in the middleweight bout. He saw the chance to end the fight in the first round and did just that, leaping through the air and crushing Cejrowski’s chin with the perfect fight-ending shot.

????This KO by @fabian_edwardsmma at #Bellator179 over the weekend … Video courtesy of Bellator

A post shared by MMAjunkie (@mmajunkiedotcom) on May 22, 2017 at 9:07am PDT

Zebaztian Kadestam def. Luis Santos at ONE Championship 55

Zebaztian Kadestam (9-5) took full advantage of ONE Championship’s open rule set when he violently knocked out Luis Santos (63-10-1) with grounded knee strikes in their welterweight clash.

In the third round of a fight he was losing, the Swiss athlete got top position on Santos and established the crucifix position. After throwing a few short punches and elbows, Kadestam changed pace and rattled off a series of knees, which landed clean to Santos’ head and knocked him unconscious.

Damir Hadzovic def. Marcin Held at UFC Fight Night 109

For two rounds, Marcin Held (22-7 MMA 0-3 UFC) dominated Damir Hadzovic (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with a simple formula: takedown-to-ground control. But as he went to apply that formula at the start of the final round, his demise arrived.

Held ran straight into the knee of Hadzovic during a sloppy Imanari roll attempt in the opening seconds of the third round. The Polish fighter was asleep on impact, marking the first knockout loss of his career in a stunning comeback for Hadzovic in the lightweight contest.

Alexander Gustafsson def. Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 109

Alexander Gustafsson’s (18-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) latest main-event showcase in his hometown of Stockholm was easily his most impressive one. The two-time UFC title challenge picked apart Glover Teixeira (26-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) before finishing him off with a vicious knockout in the fifth round.

Gustafsson’s uppercut landed consistently throughout the light heavyweight fight and put Teixeira in trouble on more than one occasion. “The Mauler” tripled up with the attack early in the fifth round, then landed a right hook that downed his Brazilian foe and ended the fight.

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The Winner: Alexander Gustafsson

In his third UFC appearance on home soil, Gustafsson delivered a masterful performance to continue his comeback trail, stopping Teixeira in the fifth round.

Using his height and reach advantage to devastating effect, Gustafsson picked apart Teixeira with an uppercut and finished the job with an overhand right at the 1:07 mark of the final frame.

Gustafsson picked up his second straight win since a heartbreaking loss to current champ Daniel Cormier in a second attempt to capture UFC gold at UFC 192. But he didn’t use his post-fight speech to campaign for another shot.

Instead, he proposed to his girlfriend, Moa Antonia Johansson, who gave birth to their daughter earlier this month. As the crowd cheered Gustafsson, she said yes.

It was a perfect ending to a near-perfect performance. Teixeira never really got in the fight as he struggled to deal with Gustafsson’s reach. Whenever he got too close, Gustafsson circled away and ran to the center of the octagon, where he continued sniping at a distance.

“He hits hard,” Gustafson said afterward. “He put in some good combinations, but my uppercut worked, and my elbows and knees. He’s a great fighter, and it was my day today.”