30 of the best MMA knockouts of all time [UPDATED AUGUST 2023]
By Amy Kaplan
15. Jose Aldo wipes the smile off Cub Swanson’s face
From WEC 41 – 2009
Jose Aldo turned it into a frown pretty quickly.
Right off the gate, Aldo throws a perfectly timed knee and finishes it off with some vicious Aldo ground and pound. There’s not much to say about one of the fastest finishes in MMA history, it took just seven seconds. That’s a tall task for anyone, including Ronda Rousey.
Aldo is one of the best finishers in mixed martial arts history, particularly when you look at the lighter divisions. He’s done the same thing to the likes of Chad Mendes and Ronaldo Perez.
Swanson isn’t a slouch either, he has knocked out the likes of Dennis Siver and Charles Oliveira. Aldo is the only man to knock Swanson out in professional MMA, which is no minor feat despite the fact that Swanson has never been a champion in a major MMA promotion. To finish a fighter like Swanson in eight seconds is truly special.
Still, it seems pedestrian to Aldo. The Brazilian featherweight is truly one of the best of all time.