30 of the best MMA knockouts of all time [UPDATED AUGUST 2023]
By Amy Kaplan
11. Cheick Kongo launches an unbelievable comeback on Pat Barry
From UFC on Versus 4 – 2011
Nothing is better than when a heavyweight fight turns into a slugfest, and that’s exactly what happened when Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo tangled back in 2011.
After getting dropped twice by Pat Barry on the receiving end of some nasty overhand rights, Cheick Kongo was somehow still conscious. Even after the second punch, it looked like he was out.
By some act of a higher power, Kongo was able to scramble back to his feet and regain his composure. Somehow, Kongo was able to land a right hook of his own, which put Barry unconscious. I don’t know what this knockout is more telling of, Kongo’s chin or Barry’s lack of one.
Yes, Kongo is a beast with one-punch knockout power. However, Kongo was obviously out of sorts and the fight could have been stopped earlier than it was. Kongo was wobbling around like a drunk and still delivered a one-punch knockout right on the temple of Barry. Is it luck? Is it a lack of chin from Barry? Is it just a perfectly placed shot?
If you look at Barry’s career, he’s lost more times by knockout then by any other method of defeat. He’s been knocked out by Kongo, Lavar Johnson, Soa Palelei, and Shawn Jordan. This would have been one of the greatest knockouts of all time, had it come against a fighter with a better chin. Barry hasn’t fought since 2013, and is 8-7 in his professional career.
Regardless, it’s amazing.