Top 5 MMA knockouts of 2023

Fighters across the UFC, PFL, and beyond treated MMA fans to many knockouts throughout 2023. A few stood out from the rest.

Here are theScore's top five knockouts of the year.

5. Drakkar Klose def. Joe Solecki

Event: UFC Austin
Date: Dec. 2

Early into the first round, lightweight Drakkar Klose found himself on top of Joe Solecki but trapped in an armbar. So what did he do? He picked Solecki up and dropped him onto the ground, seemingly in an attempt to break the submission hold. While Klose did indeed escape the armbar, he also slammed Solecki on the side of his head, separating Solecki from consciousness and delivering one of the most unique knockouts of the year.

4. Patchy Mix def. Raufeon Stots

Event: Bellator 295
Date: April 22

Patchy Mix couldn't have won the Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix any more impressively than he did. Just over a minute into the tournament final against interim champion Raufeon Stots, Mix, a grappling specialist, scored the first knockout of his Bellator career - and it was a brutal one. He effortlessly brought up a left knee that landed flush on Stots' chin and immediately crumpled the Roufusport fighter.

3. Justin Gaethje def. Dustin Poirier

Event: UFC 291
Date: July 29

Justin Gaethje went into his rematch with Dustin Poirier looking to exact revenge. Gaethje lost to Poirier via four-round TKO in one of the best fights of 2018, and avenging that defeat was crucial if he wanted to stay in the lightweight title picture. Well, "The Highlight" put an exclamation mark on the second meeting between former interim champions, sending Poirier to the land of wind and ghosts with a terrifying head kick early into Round 2. The result was very fitting for a fight that crowned a new BMF - baddest motherf----r - champion.

2. Israel Adesanya def. Alex Pereira

Event: UFC 287
Date: April 8

Israel Adesanya finally beat his boogeyman. The former UFC middleweight champion got an immediate chance to get the belt back after Alex Pereira dethroned him in November 2022, and Adesanya produced one of the highlights of the year.

What makes this knockout so special is that Pereira seemed on the verge of repeating history. The Brazilian pushed Adesanya back up against the fence and started teeing off with punches, knees, and kicks to the head, body, and legs. Trying to fend off the blows, Adesanya uncorked two vicious right hands - the first hit Pereira's chin and the second his temple - and "Poatan" slumped to the canvas. Adesanya unleashed one of the most iconic celebrations in recent UFC history, shooting three invisible arrows at his fallen foe. "The Last Stylebender" was back.

1. Josh Emmett def. Bryce Mitchell

Event: UFC 296
Date: Dec. 16

Josh Emmett stole Knockout of the Year honors with less than three weeks left in 2023.

Badly in need of a victory, the featherweight contender reminded everybody that he is one of the hardest punchers in the division in his fight against Bryce Mitchell. Just minutes into the bout, Emmett landed a piston of a right hand that turned Mitchell into a wooden board.

It was honestly one of the scariest, most violent knockouts in UFC history. No follow-up shots needed, no big callout in his postfight interview - Emmett made the biggest statement possible with one punch, leaving Mitchell wondering whether he made the right call by stepping in on 10 days' notice. Emmett is one scary dude.