(Props: OOFights.com)

Whew, does anyone else need a break from all this Nick Diaz/GSP/UFC 158 hype for a moment? I mean, I could listen to those two hurl insults at each other in broken English all day, but every now and again, I just want to see someone get knocked the fudge out, you know?

Thankfully, a video has recently been released of the battle between 3-0 KO artist Scott Noble and the debuting Francis Grant, which went down on December 1st of last year at OO Fights XXII in Virginia. And when I say “battle,” I mean a lone flying head kick that had Grant singing the Sleepsong just five seconds into the fight.

Look at it this way, Francis; your professional debut could have gone worse, I guess. You could have died.

-J. Jones

(Props: TheUltimateFighterFX)

The UFC was so damn proud of the Edson Barboza-esque knockout that Uriah Hall laid on Adam Cella during last night’s episode of TUF, that they actually made it available on YouTube along with some extended aftermath footage. And come to think of it, I can’t think of a knockout from the show’s history that was more impressive — or more brutal — than this one, especially considering how long Cella was unconscious. Cella did in fact go to the hospital for a CAT scan when he woke up, but it looks like the black dude in the ambulance that they kept showing in promos was footage from a different fight. (Could be the next one, actually.)

Hall’s win makes him an iron-clad front-runner for the $25,000 Knockout of the Season prize, and puts Team Sonnen up 2-0 in the preliminary round. A couple other notable moments from episode 3…

(Props: RASTANITRO. Skip to 3:12 for the money shot.)

Though Yves Edwards was awarded UFC on FOX 5‘s official Knockout of the Night bonus for his beatdown of Jeremy Stephens, it was TUF Live contestant Daron “The Detroit Superstar” Cruickshank who produced the most dazzling KO on the prelim broadcast, with his second-round slaying of Henry Martinez. Honestly, that $65,000 should belong to Daron — walk-off knockouts and one-hitter quitters are awesome enough individually, but when they’re combined (with the traditional raising of the arms after the victor realizes what he’s done), the knockout becomes a thing of true beauty.

Cruickshank bumps his official UFC record to 2-0 as a lightweight, including his previous decision win over Chris Tickle. Any ideas on who he should fight next?

(Props: NEFMMA via MiddleEasy)

Last month at New England Fights: Fight Night III in Lewiston, Maine, Young’s MMA product Bruce Boyington added his name to the regional MMA knockout hall of fame with a spinning wheel-kick that snored up Keegan Hornstra in just 10 seconds. After his devastating victory, Boyington gets up in the camera’s face and shouts “You seen that befoah? You seen that befoah?” Well, yeah, we have — but that doesn’t make it any less impressive, Bruce.

Speaking of which: Edson Barboza‘s wheel-kick knockout of Terry Etim has now made the Final Four of ESPN’s 2012 ESPY Awards voting for “Best Play of the Year,” where it’s up against some college bullshit that I’ve never even heard of. Vote here and help Barboza get the recognition he deserves.

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I’m gonna be honest — I have no idea who these people are or when this fight took place. But you can tell it’s an educated audience by the way they openly laugh at that jacked-up teep kick and standing hammer-fist at the 0:07 mark. After that, the dude just hangs out with his hands down, and the Neil Grove-lookalike kicks his head into last month. Concussions, man. Always entertaining.