2017's best of MMA so far: The 10 most thunderous knockouts

As the year in cage fighting reaches its halfway point, theScore's MMA staff looks back at a time of chaos, controversy, and lots of people getting clobbered in the face.

2017's best of MMA so far:

• The savviest submissions
• The most absurd, wild, and surreal moments
• The best fight thus far (July 2)

In the first of our four-part series, we highlight 10 of the best jaw-droppers from the past six months:

10. Akop Stepanyan def. Felipe Cruz (ACB 62, June 17)

Not only did Akop Stepanyan uphold Absolute Championship Berkut's reputation as an action fighter factory - he separated himself from its pack at Felipe Cruz's expense.

"Sniper" let his kicks fly early and often, and while the Brazilian wisely raised his guard to protect his dome, the precautionary measure did nothing to shield him from a picture-perfect spinning heel kick that nearly rendered him airborne.

9. Dan Hooker def. Ross Pearson (UFC Fight Night 110, June 10)

A shift in weight and a ticket home brought out the best in "Hangman."

Hooker looked like a new man while debuting at lightweight in his native Auckland, picking apart the seasoned, durable Ross Pearson with distance striking through the opening round and change while the Brit bobbed and weaved. The Kiwi then made Pearson pay in Round 2 with an expertly timed counter knee that even his mouthguard wanted no part of.

8. Sean O'Malley def. David Nuzzo (LFA 11, May 5)

It was only natural that "Sugar" Sean O'Malley treated David Nuzzo to sweet chin music when they met at Legacy Fighting Alliance 11.

The undefeated featherweight prospect softened Nuzzo up - first with a counter left hand, and then with a right kick to the midsection - which set up a stunning wheel kick that would have made even a vaunted karateka in Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson blush.

Not bad for just over two minutes of work.

7. AJ McKee def. Dominic Mazzotta (Bellator 178, April 21)

After a pair of forgettable decisions, McKee promised he'd make a statement against Dominic Mazzotta, and walked the walk 75 seconds after the cage door was shut.

Running on sheer braggadocio, "Mercenary" needn't resort to feints or combinations for his head kick to hit pay dirt and send his fellow prospect into a temporary coma.

6. Jimi Manuwa def. Corey Anderson (UFC Fight Night 107, March 18)

In a division starving for viable contenders, light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa had himself a coming-out party in front of his fellow Londoners.

"Poster Boy" hardly let his fearsome mitts fly in the opening three minutes against Corey Anderson, but made it count when he found an opening. The lead left hook couldn't have been a better testament to Manuwa's knockout power, as it face-planted Anderson despite appearing to merely graze the front his head.

Feel free to color Manuwa a contender.

5. Sabina Mazo def. Jamie Thorton (LFA 9, April 14)

MMA's most-renowned "feeder" promotion did just that when 20-year-old Sabina Mazo took on Jamie Thorton.

In just her third pro fight, the "Colombian Queen" made chum out of her flyweight foe, exposing Thorton's chin with an errant 1-2 before leaving her stiff as a board with a flush head kick - a finish that stood in stark contrast to Mazo's high-stepping celebration, almost childlike in its giddiness.

4. Edson Barboza def. Beneil Dariush (UFC Fight Night 106, March 11)

For the better part of two rounds, Beneil Dariush did everything right. Then his gas tank failed him.

Dariush had neutralized Edson Barboza's vaunted striking by initiating leather exchanges and driving him back with suffocating pressure. But his subpar conditioning reared its ugly head, as the Brazilian deciphered his timing and countered a sloppy shot with a flying knee that left Dariush limp - and the jaws of several thousand of Barboza's fellow countrymen floored.

3. Marc Diakiese def. Teemu Packalen (UFC Fight Night 107, March 18)

Diakiese fought Frankie Perez to a decision in December, but got back to his headhunting ways in short order at UFC Fight Night 107.

The brash 24-year-old's edge in quickness made Teemu Packalen give chase in desperation, a move Diakiese made him rue with a lightning-quick overhand right that Packalen's body needed a moment to digest before wilting to the canvas just 30 seconds into their lightweight tilt.

2. Mike Perry def. Jake Ellenberger (UFC Fight Night 108, April 22)

Even Mike Perry's staunchest detractors can't deny that he hits hard. Real hard.

"Platinum" furthered his emergence as the welterweight division's greatest heel by following a closely contested first round with a standing elbow from hell that obliterated whatever was left of 44-fight veteran Jake Ellenberger's chin.

It took "Juggernaut" several minutes to stand and exit the cage, prompting many to implore him to end his miserable skid and call it a career.

That hard.

1. Paul Daley def. Brennan Ward (Bellator 170, Jan. 21)

Six months after Michael Page scored 2016's Knockout of the Year, Paul Daley matched him with the exact same strike - and a rivalry was born.

Daley rebounded from his loss to Douglas Lima by tagging Brennan Ward with a spinning back elbow, before reminding us all why he goes by "Semtex" with a flying knee that sent his foe to another dimension.

Brit-on-Brit beef soon followed, and if Bellator president Scott Coker has anything to say about it, Daley and Page will soon duke it out for striking supremacy in their native England.