The Seven Nastiest Illegal Knockouts of All Time
(Perfectly legal, mind you.)
Ah, the good old days — when men were men, women were women, and ballsacks could be repeatedly pummeled inside the Octagon without Big John McCarthy doing a damn thing about it. Above, of course, is the fateful UFC 4 fight between Keith "By Any Means Necessary" Hackney, and Joe Son (who later appeared as Random Task in the first Austin Powers movie). By the late '90s, rule changes had made mixed martial arts look somewhat civilized, and dozens of attacks/holds/gouges were deemed verboten. But regrettably, accidents still happen. And now, our favorite "accidents" ever...
7. Anderson Silva upkicks Yushin Okami
Before The Spider was the deadliest dude in the UFC, he was just a guy trying to get Yushin Okami the fuck off of him at Rumble on the Rock 8. His knockout kick was a crowd pleaser, but unfortunately he was DQ'd on a technicality — Okami's knees were down.
6. Andrei Arlovski rabbit-punches Marcio Cruz
After back-to-back losses at the hands of Tim Sylvia, Arlovski was dying for a win, and he wasn't above fighting dirty to get it. When the opportunity presented itself at UFC 66, the Pitbull started whaling on the back of Marcio Cruz's head. Herb Dean gave him a warning. Arlovski kept doing it. Herb Dean warned him again. Arlovski kept doing it. Herb Dean stopped the fight and gave Andrei the win. Love that Herb Dean.
5. Roger Huerta knees John Halverson in the head
A 19-second knockout win is pretty damn impressive — even if it is total horseshit. But hey, we can look the other way for a poster boy.
4. Wes Sims stomps Frank Mir
Sims momentarily thought he was in a PRIDE ring during UFC 43 and stomped Mir out for a DQ loss. Mir would have his revenge in a rematch seven months later, knocking Sims out fair and square.
3. Quinton Jackson headbutts Ricardo Arona
To the announcers and audience at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004, it was Rampage's dramatic power-bomb slam that put Arona's lights out. Arona, however, claimed it was the illegal headbutt directly after that caused the K.O. We'll call this one unintentional, but the cuts on Jackson's face at the 2:33 mark of the video do kinda look like they were made by teeth...
2. Mike Kyle soccer-kicks Brian Olsen
What the hell got into this guy? Mike Kyle let the warrior spirit overtake him at WEC 20, as he ignored the rules outlawing soccer-kicks and punching unconscious opponents after the fight has been stopped. Absolutely brutal. Whatever 'roids he was on, I want a month's supply.
1. Gilbert Yvel knocks out referee
Notoriously dirty fighter Gilbert Yvel has bitten Karimula Barkalaev and eye-gouged Don Frye, but nothing compared to his November 2004 match with Atte Backman, in which he actually punched out a referee who got in his face one too many times, then kicked him while he was down. Apparently, it's always illegal to strike a ref (even if his knees are off the ground) and Yvel picked up his third loss by DQ. Kudos, Gilbert — you're a credit to the sport.
Did we forget any good ones? Let us know in the comments section.
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Comments
Rich Says:
when you watch a replay of the Huerta fight from a diff. angle.. you can see the knee was to the shoulder..
but when i saw that live.. i was sooo pissed !!
I concur Says:
Huerta kneed the shoulder
Steve-O Says:
In Gilbert Yvel's defense...what the hell was that ref doing anyway? Jesus, I wanna hit the guy and I'm not even in the ring. Seems he had no control of the fight, and all those two wanted to do was get going. Although I am no Yvel advocate by any means, that ref deserved to get rocked for being a little bitch.
And I love the comment about Anderson Silva..."he was just a guy trying to get Okami the fuck off him." hahahaha, aren't they all? Okami = boring, and why the hell is it illegal for a downed fighter to kick another downed fighter? Whatever, Japan had it right...kick'em in the face
lame Says:
what about the misaki akiyama soccer kick?
Old, Bald and Irish Says:
OH MAN!
Gilbert Yvel clockin' that ref was priceless.
I gotta admit, the ref was askin' fer it!
OWNED!
WalksintheDarkness Says:
Got to love Arlovski's punches to the back of the head! Herb Dean warns him about them and lets him continue yet before he'd stopped the fight entirely when Arlovski kicked Marico Cruz in the face. Surely you do the same thing again Herb? Or maybe you're too aware of the fact that the fans were booing you when you last stopped the fight?
JoeDizzle Says:
nice collection of videos man. I love this site. Keep it coming!
crunch Says:
Huerta is smart, he kneed the shoulder it's not illegal
kvadd Says:
Haha, i read "Whatever hemmoroids he was on, I want a month’s supply." :(
mmacoach Says:
Probably, the best slam ever executed... Quinton Jackson on Ricardo Arona. I really don't think it should have made THIS list though. It is debateable that the head is what did the knockout, when you watch it slow, Ricardo head-butts Quinton just as hard as Page head-butts him. I don't think there is even an argument that Page had no intention of head-butting Arona, it is obvious he didn't try to. Now, if I got my ass slammed like that throwing a Triangle I'd probably make excuses too, except my excuse would be, I never trained that or saw it coming hahahahaha. He got worked like a rib on Sunday... Fknpwned!!!
Monty Says:
You forgot to include Diego Sanchez over Joe Riggs. Diego catches him clean with a punch and Diesel goes to the ground. As Diesel is getting up, Diego rushes him and clearly knees him in the head even though Riggs' knees are still on the mat. The knee to the head while Riggs was on his knees knocked him out, not the punch that was delivered while he was on his feet.
Nemesis_BC Says:
Mike Kyle is a complete scumbag that should be banned from MMA.
Anonymous Says:
3:42 for a 19 second KO? and no replay. That is beyond stupid.
DomIGHT Says:
i like how Atte Backman just wanders off knowin Gilbert Yvel will be disqualified
fightfan Says:
Herb Dean - After re-watching the Arlovski/Cruz fight. I cant believe how horrible the ref was. How can an athletic commision let something like that happen.
Sure, Dean always looks clueless when he stops? a fight. But this one, he TELLS THEM BOTH up, time out, up , both of you up,......They argue it for a few seconds. Herb says, WELL OK how bout a warning> YES the fighters tolf the ref what was going to happen!!! THEN smash AA clips Cruz and then REPEATEDLY hits him in the back of the head(AGAIN HERB GIVING HIM ABOUT 5 WARNINGS). Oh yeah and the whole time AA is wailing on the back of the head he is holding onto the octagon fence to keep a better balance,
There was just so many things wrong there. That has to be ABSOLUTE, HANDS DOWN WORST ref'd fight in UFC history.
Cage Potato....There's a top ten list. THE WORSE REF'D FIGHTS in MMA
a major stoner Says:
poor joe son (garden grove yeah) he will never have kids after that but hackney is good though wish he would come back
Old, Bald and Irish Says:
Oooohhh!
I think "Fightfan" is on to something:
"THE WORSE REF’D FIGHTS in MMA" sounds like a good mash-up to me!
I know it's recent history, but Steve Mazzagatti reffing the Mir/Lesner fight IMMEDIATELY pops to mind. Maybe number 7 or 8 on a top 10 list.
Matt Tatt Says:
Seven Most "Illegal" Knockouts of all Time? Looks like the guys at cage potato are retarded because the last time i check Huerta's knee was completely legal, it landed to the shoulder... Fuck Cage potato and all their shitty ufc predictions! They know absolutely nothing about MMA, especially UFC...
niles Says:
Hey Matt, relax, you're not the only one with a man crush on sexy Roger. I'm sure CagePotato didn't mean to be hard on your hot, hot spanish boyfriend.
fightfan Says:
Herb Dean would make it onto many of the WORST REF'd FIGHTS. He looks so freaking clueless out there. Sometimes he kinda waves his hand, somewhat to stop a fight, BUT SAYS NOTHING....WHILE other times he kind of yells stop BUT NO ONE listens
Dean and Pornstache would make up the entire list. Where is Big John when you ned him??? In his 10 year career(minus the first couple UFC's) Big John has made less mistakes than Pornstache or Dean make in a month
CagePotato Says:
@ crunch, Matt Tatt:
Fine, it was a knee to the shoulder...that immediately made Halverson go limp and stop fighting. Makes sense.
mikem7 Says:
Riggs knees were off the ground when he got ko'd by sanchez. It was pretty obvious especially in the slow mo replays... it was a legal knee.
a major stoner Says:
watch closely arlovski was clearly hitting him in the side of the head he maybe hit him in the back of the head like 2 times but the rest looked clean
brotherhood Says:
Huerta knee was to the shoulder, go watch the footage from the actual fight.
Halverson is a fucking baby, laid their like a girl. simple.
jib Says:
yeah thats right
$lacker Says:
To the guys that said the ref had it coming when Yvel hit him, I hope you all get cheap shotted some time. You guys are trash, just like Yvel.
The ref was clearly trying to put them back into the same position they had been in against the ropes, and Yvel repeatedly kept that from happening because he was too much of a bitch to accept the lesser position he had gotten himself in.
Jon Says:
It was actually a knee to the shoulder but you have to see it from another angle. Honestly can't remember but it may have glanced off the shoulder and then hit his head, but he definitely hit his shoulder first.
Dean is sometimes really good and sometimes really bad, same for Mazagatti (sp?). I couldn't see this one, it won't load for me but it is ridiculous that this happens, and then for one glancing shot in the mir/lesnar fight they get stood up and he gets a point taken away. MMA really needs better reffing and judging and a more defined scoring system. Till then a lot is left up to the refs who have make split second decisions. Big John for sure was the best but he made his mistakes too.
Rampage obviously didn't head butt him on purpose and anyone thinking that is retarded. He slammed him on the ground from 7-8' up and his head bounced back up.
The guy from WEC should be banned for a couple years if not for life. Illegal kick and then continuing to hit the guy after the ref is pulling him away??? BS, and that kind of stuff needs to be dealt with hard to protect the fighters and keep away the people that want the sport banned.
no name Says:
you missed the best one ever. heath herring, with the dude who kisses him pre-fight.
bergen Says:
can these videos stream any slower?
josh Says:
yea,you left out patrick smiths elbow knockout in the first or second ufc...the guy he was fighting claimed to be a ninja ...thats the best ko ive ever seen
Jake Says:
Didn't Rogan confront Halverson about it while they showed the replay in slow motion immediately after the fight. It hit his shoulder. It was very clear. He didn't go limp. He panicked and turtled up. While I have no proof, it looked like Halverson was looking to take the easy way out. Huerta agrees.
no name Says:
Huerta kneed him in the shoulder, funny how you didn't let the video run the replay
The ref was Backman's manager, not that it means Yvel was in the right, but there is more to the story than you let on
Al Johnson Says:
Whoever made this list must suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome. Halverson made a fool out of himself by pretending he was kneed in his head.
Al Johnson Says:
Cage Potato is a joke. Go back to being a couch potato.
slapjaw ackrite Says:
"cage potato is a joke" "fuck cage potato and all its shitty ufc predictions" "i got sand in my vagina"
shut the fuck up
slapjaw ackrite Says:
to fight number 3, Quinton Jackson and Ricardo Arona.
How could it be teeth that cut Jackson's face. They wear mouth guards. You can see Ricardo's cutman taking out his mouthpiece right after the knockout.
slapjaw ackrite Says:
Ur a fuckin idiot
andrew Says:
Yeah the kiss pre-fight. It should be on the list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCtrnRzdrjM&feature=related
whaaa? Says:
Kurt Pelegrino had a mouthguard in when his teeth were kicked right through his bottom lip.
Metis Machete Says:
If you really watch the replay of Diego vs Riggs, Diego hits him with perfect timing on that knee, right as soon as Riggs gets to his feet and brings his hands off the mat. A second difference and Diego would have been DQ'd or the fight would have been ruled a no contest.
Some dude Says:
Monty, watch Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Riggs again, Joe was clearly on his feet when he got kneed in the head, he just crouched, he was probably about to attempt a takedown when Sanchez rushed in, you could see it in the replay perfectly.
Oh yeah, and like everyone in the comments has been saying, Huerta kneed Halverson in the shoulder, I find it kind of funny that the guy who made this list didn't show the replay but thats okay. Perhaps he is not a Huerta fan.
Dirtpuppy Says:
Since when was somebody knocked out by taking a hit to the shoulder?
Metis Machete Says:
Totally forgot about the Herring vs Nakao kiss KO! That one is #1 I think. I also would put Silva's KO a bit higher, that was devastating.
JBOT Says:
Huerta fight was not illegal and neither was the Arlovski fight. Who made this list up? They obviously don't know what the hell their talking about.
JBOT Says:
Huerta was not illegal and neither was Arlovski? Who made this list up? Pay attention to the fights before making something up.
juice Says:
I dunno why they have all these faggy rules anyway. mixed martial arts my ass, how about "a few martial arts with many restrictions". How about no holds barred? How about 2 men enter, 1 man leaves and the other is knocked out however it had to happen.
Fight like men or do what the rest of us speculators do, sit around and talk shit. All these rules remind me of boxing. Limited and boring fights for most of the rounds because the fighters can't do anything interesting.
juice Says:
Btw:
Whats wrong with a knee to the head anyway? I mean... It will knock him out right? Go for it.
What about hitting him in the back of the head... Oh.. well maybe he shouldn't turn his back to someone that is fighting him now should he?
what about a soccer kick to the dome. Lol.. Looks like some dumbass left himself open for that one as well.
Fight girls fight. No hair pulling!
Worst Ref Ever Says:
Herb Dean was horrible. Not only was Arlovski hitting him in the back of the head but he was holding onto the cage allowing him to keep his balance and continue to punch the guy.
Do you not watch? Says:
What exactly are you guys trying to prove? Do you not watch these things before putting them on your website? How convenient that your clip of the Huerta fight cuts off just before the replay from another angle. Because that clearly shows that it was a 100% legal knee to the shoulder, and Huerta's knockout was completely legit. The announcer was mistaken, and corrected himself after seeing the different angle that you cut off. What are you trying to prove?
Anonymous Says:
This list is bullshit. Huerta kneed him in the shoulder. Rampage was cut before the slam and if he did hit him with his own head it was accidental.