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With another action-packed MMA month in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best Knockouts of December 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and the winner of the MMA Junkie Knockout of the Month award for December.
At the end of the post, let us know if we were right by voting for your choice.
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nominees
Nominated: Bryce Mitchell def. Kron Gracie at UFC 310
Bryce Mitchell (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) suffered a devastating knockout to close out 2023, but he provided the climax at the final UFC pay-per-view of 2024.
In a featherweight bout against Kron Gracie that was expected to be grappling-heavy, Mitchell countered his opponent’s guard pull attempt with a hard slam. He then stood up and landed two brutal elbow strikes to knock Gracie out of consciousness and force the TKO stoppage.
Nominated: Joel Alvarez def. Drakkar Klose at UFC on ESPN 63
Joel Alvarez (22-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) maintained his 100 percent finish rate against Drakkar Klose and ended the fight with a bizarre sequence.
After shocking Klose with a punch in the opening round of the lightweight bout, Alvarez charged in with a flying knee that landed cleanly. With his opponent virtually unconscious, Alvarez grabbed him by the neck and attempted to throw him to the guillotine as Klose began to fall back. However, he was already out and the referee intervened.
Nominated: Dustin Jacoby def. Vitor Petrino at UFC on ESPN 63
Just when the commentary team was begging for Dustin Jacoby (20-9-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) and Vitor Petrino to finish their light heavyweight bout strong, things came to a spectacular climax.
The crowd chanted “boring” as the final 90 seconds of the third round ticked away. Jacoby then delivered an absolutely massive straight right hand strike that instantly knocked out Petrino and sent him to the canvas.
Nominated: Cub Swanson def. Billy Quarantillo at UFC on ESPN 63
Cub Swanson (30-14 MMA, 15-10 UFC) added perhaps the final sensational highlight to his win over Billy Quarantillo.
After a back-and-forth featherweight battle, Swanson scored the fight-winning knockout blow against Quarantillo early in the third round of Fight of the Night, and afterward the 41-year-old said it could be his final appearance in MMA competition.
The Winner: Michael Johnson defeated. Ottman Azaitar at UFC on ESPN 63
Related
Michael Johnson defeated. Ottman Azaitar at UFC Tampa: Best photos
Michael Johnson has added a late contender to the discussion for worst knockout in 2024.
Longtime lightweight veteran Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) knocked Ottman Azaitar unconscious and into another dimension with a powerful overhand right hand strike.
Although Azaitar fell out after the first punch, two more right hands from Johnson struck his unconscious head before referee Jason Herzog intervened and stopped the fight at 2:03 of the second round.
The win was Johnson’s second in a row. He defeated Darrius Flowers by unanimous decision in February before undergoing surgery in March. The win was Johnson’s 15th in the promotion and puts him at .500 in his 15th year with the promotion.
[opinary poll=”who-had-the-best-knockout-of-december-2024_mmajunkie” customer=”mmajunkie”]
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkies Knockout of the Month for December: Michael Johnson finishes Ottman Azaitar
