“December 19, 2024 10:00 pm ET With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from December 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for December. At the bottom of the post, let us know”, — write: mmajunkie.usatoday.com
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
* * * *
Nominees
In a featherweight contest against Kron Gracie that was expected to be grappling-heavy, Mitchell countered a guard pull attempt by his opponent with a hard slam. He then postured up and landed a pair of brutal elbows to separate Gracie from consciousness and force the TKO stoppage.
After rocking Klose with a punch in the opening round of the lightweight bout, Alvarez charged in with a flying knee that landed clean. With his opponent essentially unconscious, Alvarez grabbed the neck and went for a guillotine as Klose started to fall back. However, he was already out and the referee stepped in.
The crowd was chanting “boring” as the final 90 seconds in the third round ticked down. That’s when Jacoby lined up an absolutely massive straight right hand that instantly knocked Petrino out cold and sent him folding to the canvas.
After a back-and-forth featherweight battle, Swanson found the fight-ending knockout punch on Quarantillo early in the third round of the Fight of the Night, and afterward the 41-year-old said it could be his final appearance in MMA competition.
Longtime lightweight veteran Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) knocked Ottman Azaitar unconscious and into another dimension with a blistering overhand right.
Though Azaitar was out from the initial blow, two more Johnson right hands cracked his unconscious head before referee Jason Herzog dove in and stopped the fight at 2:03 of Round 2.
The win was Johnson’s second in a row. He beat Darrius Flowers by unanimous decision in February before having surgery in March. The win was Johnson’s 15th in the promotion and brings him up to .500 in his 15th year with the promotion.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.