Top 10 Scariest Finishes in UFC History

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MMA fans loved to see fights finished. The quality of a card is often judged based upon how many fights wrap up inside the distance and many will applaud major bouts ending in a matter of seconds.

Still, there is a clearly defined line there. While a clean knockout or submission is a very, very nice thing there have been many stoppages over the years that, for one reason or another, have made aficionados squirm in their seats.

Coming off a few weeks of UFC action that have been chock full of dramatic comebacks and one-punch knockouts, it's worth taking a look back on some of the finishes that sent fans home unnerved. 

Here are the top-10 scariest finishes in UFC history.

With Ken Shamrock in the WWF and Royce Gracie on hiatus, the UFC needed a new face for the promotion. Frank Shamrock, brother of Ken, was the man picked for the job and his coronation came at UFC 16. Pitted against an overmatched Igor Zinoviev, his mission was to deliver a finish worthy of the occasion and boy, did he deliver.

After a couple of exchanges, Shamrock got hold of Zinoviev, lifted him up and planted him into the mat for a flash slam knockout.

The potency of the move was obvious from the moment of impact. Zinoviev was slammed awkwardly onto his collarbone area, with Shamrock adding an extra bit of oomph to what already would’ve been a brutal spill. The challenger went completely stiff as soon as he landed, to the point where Shamrock didn’t even bother following up with punches, and needed to be stretchered out of the Octagon.

What wasn’t fully appreciated until afterward was how deeply devastating it was. Per Dave Meltzer (via BloodyElbow.com), Zinoviev was diagnosed with a “broken clavicle and a fractured C-5 vertebrae.” Zinoviev was never seen in the cage again.

Brown landed over 40 uncontested strikes on Sell after the fight should have been stopped.Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Improving fighter safety in MMA is a hot topic these days but there’s one issue therein that gets frequently overlooked.

While commissions focus in on weight cutting and promotions turn their attention to PED use, the issue of incompetent refereeing is largely being ignored. Far, far too often, officials are slow to step in to end a fight, leaving one of the competitors to absorb unnecessary damage en route to an already-assured stoppage.

There are many, many examples of fighters getting the “if he dies, he dies” treatment from the man or woman that is supposed to guarantee their safety, but the most egregious case in UFC history likely came in 2009 in the bout between Matt Brown and Pete Sell.

According to the official record, Brown won via TKO at 1:32 of the first round. In reality, however, he won at about 0:20 of the first round when he drilled Sell with two knees to the face that put him out on his feet. Unfortunately, “out on his feet” is rarely recognized by referees and what ensued was a solid minute of uncontested beatdown.

Brown pounded Sell from one end of the cage to the other, doing nothing more than surviving. Sell eventually collapsed but even then, the stoppage didn't come until after Brown landed a few more punches.

The final stat line of the fight read 44 total strikes landed by Brown to Sell’s 0, per FightMetric.com. It was an ugly mugging that simply shouldn’t have happened and, tragically, it’s not nearly the worst incident of this kind in the wider world of MMA.

Mirko Cro Cop's twisted leg added some extra horror to an already brutal knockout.Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

In professional wrestling, competitors are defined by their moves, and each has a finisher that they consistently rely upon to put an opponent away. MMA is quite different, obviously, as most high-end talents are capable of ending a bout in a number of different ways but it’s not uncommon for a fighter to have a signature technique that carries them to victory.

In both sports, however, those techniques can be turned against them. In the same way Seth Rollins received a major ovation for nailing John Cena with the Attitude Adjustment during their 2015 feud, Gabriel Gonzaga’s career hit new heights when he leveled Mirko Cro Cop with a savage headkick in their UFC 70 matchup.

While Gonzaga wasn’t a showcase opponent for Cro Cop, given his active five-fight winning streak, he was supposed to be a manageable foe for the 2006 Openweight Grand Prix champion. The dynamic shifted, however, when Gonzaga took Cro Cop down and pounded on him for an extended length of time.

The favorite was no longer comfortable, and that opened the door for Gonzaga to let go and throw a massive headkick. It landed flush, collapsing the Pride contender where he stood.

The surprise of a grappling specialist knocking the most feared striker of his era out cold would have been enough for this fight to live on in memory. What makes this one stick out even further, and what makes this a particularly scary one, was the sight of Cro Cop’s leg twisting underneath him as he fell to the canvas.

MacDonald needed help sitting up straight on the mat after his fight with Lawler.Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

MMA is an entertaining sport, but it’s sometimes easy to forget that the competitors pay an exorbitant toll on their bodies each and every time they step into the cage. Not all the time, though.

In some cases, that wear is impossible to overlook and when the bout ends because one of them simply can’t take anymore? Well, it’s hard not to feel a little guilty for watching.

That was the case with Robbie Lawler’s title defense opposite Rory MacDonald at UFC 189. For four agonizing rounds, the two welterweights punched pieces off one another to the point where they were unrecognizable. The fight wore on until, in the middle of the fifth round, a right cross from Lawler landed hard to MacDonald’s nose.

The Canadian had absorbed harder shots earlier in the fight, and had eaten much worse in previous contests. That was the last punch he could take, though, and MacDonald simply fell back, weary and battered to the point where he couldn’t even sit without assistance.

While most people’s memories of this one are the heated exchanges and downright fiery mid-fight staredown, the one that lingers most with this writer is the sight of MacDonald squirming on the ground.

Mir visibly snapped Nogueira's arm when they faced off at UFC 140.Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

It doesn’t get much scarier than a bone being broken cleanly in two, and the 2011 interim heavyweight title fight between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira saw that happen.

The opening minutes of the bout saw Nogueira lighting up Mir with punches at range, which quickly turned into potentially match-ending strikes in the clinch. then on the ground. Rather than looking to end the fight then and there with strikes, however, Nogueira attempted a guillotine choke, initiating a scramble that ultimately ended with Mir in side control. The former UFC champ immediately grabbed hold of a kimura and kept the arm isolated as Nogueira tried to roll away.

The lock became tighter and tighter until Minotauro’s arm could get no more contorted. Then it did as Mir gave him a second elbow in the middle of his humerus.

The ref immediately identified the break, but it was still far too late (as seen above). The legendary fighter’s limb was broken, and needed 16 screws and a plate to heal.

Liddell was motionless for a length of time after getting clobbered by Evans.Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Legends die hard in MMA and few have died harder than Chuck Liddell.

Towards the end of his competitive career, it was downright uncomfortable to watch the Iceman fight as he consistently wound up splayed across the mat. The most devastating, most terrifying finish during that stretch was his loss to Rashad Evans.

Right from the beginning of the fight, it was clear that Liddell was in for a long night. The younger, quicker Evans found his range early, and immediately began landing punches at will. While he still respected Liddell’s power, he was a snowball rolling down a hill to the point where a stoppage seemed inevitable.

And indeed, it came in the second round as Evans threw a right hook that came from hell itself, and guided it straight to Liddell’s chin. That one punch left the former champ in a twisted heap, unconscious to the point where the referee needed to roll him to his back and ringside doctors were holding his head off the canvas.

It was a sad sight from the former champ and, unfortunately, seemingly ruined his once-steely chin. He lost twice more, both by knockout, before calling it a career.

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Dan Henderson’s right hand is the MMA equivalent of an Aroldis Chapman fastball. It’s a powerful man putting every fiber of his being into one motion that becomes an explosion from the right hand.

In slow motion, one can see the similarities between “the H-Bomb” and a baseball pitch. The left leg steps forward. The hips pivot to generate power. The torso rotates to add just a bit more to the arm’s motion and then it rips.

Of course, the key difference between them is that one is specifically designed to hit another person and one isn’t. That’s something Michael Bisping knows all too well.

At UFC 100, the Brit was unfortunate enough to eat what was likely the hardest punch of Henderson's entire career in the second round of their The Ultimate Fighter season 9 coaches' bout. Bisping was clearly out cold as soon as it landed, but Hendo took it a step further by hammering him with a flying elbow as he laid unconscious on the ground.

While The Count had rubbed many, many fans the wrong way over the years, it was impossible not to worry about him struggling for breath on the canvas. Henderson was unfazed, though, and literally added insult to injury by jeering him over the elbow in the post-fight presser.

Had anyone else bragged about an extracurricular shot of that magnitude, it could have gone down as career suicide. For a popular figure like Henderson, though, it was just another chapter in his legacy.

Barboza's spinning kick on Etim was as terrifying as it was brutal.Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

In theory, picking out the single scariest highlight in Edson Barboza’s career is a tall order. The Brazilian striker has produced so many throughout his career, and earned so many knockout wins that there should be just too many to choose from.

That’s not the reality, though. The reality is that Barboza’s knockout of Terry Etim in 2012 is the single most memorable moment in his career, and arguably the single scariest knockout in MMA history.

Throughout the fight, Barboza kept Etim at a manageable distance and baited his guard lower and lower with a combination of low kicks and body punches. By the third round, he was conditioned to Barboza’s will, which allowed him to a wheel kick clean to his cheekbone.

The way Etim's body reacted to being suddenly turned off was downright eerie, as he stiffened to the point where his arms didn't even touch the mat when he fell backwards. While this one could technically also go down as one of the prettiest finishes in MMA history on Barboza's picturesque technique, that landing cements its place on this list.

Barroom brawler Tank Abbott is one of the most iconic fighters in UFC history (for better or worse). He became an overnight hit at UFC 6 with his win over John Matua, but notched the scariest finish of the promotion’s golden age at UFC 11.5.

After breaking free from a guillotine choke attempt from his opponent, karateka Steve Nelmark, Abbott unleashed one of his signature flurries. Nelmark was visibly wobbled by the exchange and Abbott continued pouring on the punishment. They clinched up, Abbott landed another right hand and Nelmark collapsed in a twisted heap.

The push puppet knockout became one of MMA’s first memes, and “Nelmarking” went on to become a verb for that sort of scary, deconstruction-style knockout. Unfortunately for Nelmark, while his loss would live on, his career ended then and there.

This remains one of the most haunting sights in MMA history.Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

The UFC likes to give fans a very rosy picture of cagefighting. While it’s an inherently ugly sport, the promotion cleans things up to the point where fans don’t have to feel guilty about what they’re watching. That results in videos like this ending up on the UFC’s YouTube channel, while videos like this get aggressively taken down by copyright claims.

Sometimes, though, things slip through the cracks. Sometimes, a terrible injury isn’t immediately obvious to the production crew. And sometimes, fans get to see the reality of MMA.

That was the case at UFC 168, which ended with longtime middleweight champion Anderson Silva screaming on the canvas.

After being out-worked in the first round of his bout with Chris Weidman, the Spider upped his volume in the second using the tool he had found the most success with; leg kicks. After drilling one hard to Weidman’s thigh, Silva began throwing them with confidence...a bit too much confidence.

Weidman made the adjustment, checking Silva’s second kick with his shin and then checking the third with his knee. An agonizing snap rang across the arena on contact and Silva fell back, clutching his leg.

The cameras followed a celebrating Weidman, then turned to Silva, visibly and audibly dealing with some of the worst pain imaginable.

When the replays began running and the severity of Silva’s injury (a broken tibia and fibula) became obvious, the UFC went about its normal approach, keeping the camera fixed squarely on Weidman and ensuring fans were as ignorant as possible of what had happened.

Still, the damage was done and the image of Silva’s foot dangling from the rest of his leg was burned into the memories of fans.