30 of the best MMA knockouts of all time [UPDATED AUGUST 2023]
By Amy Kaplan
13. Lyoto Machida rips the belt from Rashad Evans’ cold dead fingers
From UFC 98 - 2009
Knocking out Rashad Evans is impossible unless your name is Lyoto Machida.
Even Machida pushed it to the limit to get the finish against Evans. It took around five or six clean shots on the chin of Evans to finally get the former champion to go down. Despite getting finished, Evans proved that he is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC. Most guys would have gone down a long time ago.
Regardless, Machida’s knockout to win the UFC’s light heavyweight belt is a thing of beauty. With the power of Evans’ hands, it takes a lot of skill and guts to swing like Machida did. However, with resolve and determination, Machida emptied the gas tank and finally knocked Evans out cold.
Machida is the only fighter to ever knock the great Rashad Evans out. Evans clearly has an iron jaw, as evident in this fight. However, it goes to show how good Lyoto Machida really is, and how hard he can strike.
When you add the belt to this equation, it makes this knockout truly amazing. Machida is probably the most unique striker to ever compete in mixed martial arts, but it took sheer will and endurance to get this finish. Especially when you factor in that Evans fought until he literally could not stand anymore.