MMAjunkie's 'Knockout of the Month' for January 2014

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best knockouts from Jan. 1-31. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMAjunkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for January 2014.

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

Luke Rockhold over Costas Philippou at UFC Fight Night 35
Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold displayed his true capabilities inside the octagon at UFC Fight Night 35 when he stopped Costas Philippou with a devastating kick to the body. It was just the eighth finish of it’s kind in UFC history, which was an impressive way for Rockhold to get his first UFC win. With the positive result, Rockhold now sits at No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings and has already been booked to return again hard-hitting Tim Boetsch at April’s UFC 172 event.

Anthony Johnson over Mike Kyle at World Series of Fighting 8
Anthony Johnson added another stellar highlight to his lengthy list of knockouts when he dropped Mike Kyle face-first on the mat at World Series of Fighting 8. “Rumble” countered an overly-aggressive Kyle with a colossal overhand right, which immediately brought an end to the bout. With the win, Johnson now boasts a six-fight winning streak, and he recently signed a four-fight deal to return to the UFC for the first time in more than two years. He returns to the octagon to face top contender Phil Davis at April’s UFC 172 event.

Nikita Krylov over Walt Harris at UFC on FOX 10
Nikita Krylov was the biggest underdog of the night at UFC on FOX 10, but that didn’t stop him from opening the card with a bang. In the first fight of the night, the Ukrainian starched Walt Harris with a head-kick in just 25 seconds, marking the quickest finish of it’s kind in UFC history. Every one of Krylov’s 16 career wins have come by way of knockout or submission, and “Al Capone” appears to be set on a move to the light-heavyweight division.

Daron Cruickshank over Mike Rio at UFC on FOX 10
Not only did Daron Cruickshank stop Mike Rio with strikes at UFC on FOX 10, but he did it with style. “The Detroit Superstar” dazed Rio with a gorgeous spinning wheel kick to the head and then proceeded to finish the fight with a flurry of strikes. Cruickshank now boasts a pair of UFC wins that he can credit to a kick to the head.

Donald Cerrone over Adriano Martins at UFC on FOX 10
Donald Cerrone added yet another spectacular highlight to his resume when he nearly decapitated Adriano Martins with a kick to the jaw at UFC on FOX 10. “Cowboy” may have a limited number of knockouts on his record, but the win over Martins proved he has the power to stop a fight with strikes.

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THE WINNER

Donald Cerrone over Adriano Martins at UFC on FOX 10

On a card that featured a UFC record three head-kick knockouts, Donald Cerrone’s (22-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC) was the best as he beat the brakes off an unheralded Adriano Martins (25-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) for his second consecutive win at UFC on FOX 10.

It was a near-flawless performance from “Cowboy,” who shut Martin’s lights off with a perfectly placed kick to the jaw at the 4:40 mark of round 1 inside Chicago’s United Center.

Cerrone utilized an attack of leg and body kicks in the early going, and just when Martins lowered his defense, the Jackson’s MMA-trained fighter went up high, and that was all she wrote.

While the 30-year-old admitted prior to the fight he knew little about his opponent, Cerrone says he never anticipated finishing the fight with a kick. In fact, he went into the lightweight contest with the intention of taking his opponent to the ground.

“I really wanted to take him down and play on the ground a bunch,” Cerrone told MMAjunkie. “As far as the head kick, that was just there.”

The kick Cerrone landed was about as clean of a strike as you’ll see inside the octagon. And while it was apparent to spectators that the Brazilian was out cold from the moment the blow connected, Cerrone says he actually thought Martins was going for a takedown when he crumbled to the mat.

“I actually thought he was shooting for a takedown to come and get me,” Cerrone said. “He fell forward and I thought he was coming to take me down. I didn’t know he was out at that point.”

Fortunately for Martins’ physical wellbeing, referee “Big” John McCarthy was on top of the action and restrained Cerrone before he could connect with any unnecessary strikes.

The combination of technique and violence utilized by Cerrone earned “Knockout of the Night” honors at the event and was impressive enough to be deemed MMAjunkie’s “Knockout of the Month” for January 2014.

Even though Cerrone already has his next fight lined up against Edson Barboza at UFC on FOX 11 in April, he hasn’t totally put his recent win in the rear-view mirror and is extremely satisfied with how he earned his ninth UFC victory.

“I’m super excited about the fight and everything that went on with it,” Cerrone said. “Everything went in play, everything happened great. I’m excited about it.”