30 of the best MMA knockouts of all time [UPDATED AUGUST 2023]
By Amy Kaplan
10. Rashad Evans puts Chuck Liddell on ice
From UFC 88 – 2008
Rashad Evans has only been knocked out once in his professional career, but he has knocked out many great fighters.
Chuck Liddell is another man who does not go down by just one punch, unless that punch comes from Rashad Evans.
This knockout not only marked the fall of a legend, but put a new future champion on the map. In his prime, Liddell would not have allowed that shot to happen, but Evans proved just how fast and explosive he truly is.
Evans is one of the most underrated UFC champions in the history of the sport. He owns victories over Rampage, Dan Henderson, Phil Davis, Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz, among many others. He may be reaching the latter portions of his career, but he’s still responsible for some of the best finishes in MMA history.
This punch was the beginning of the end for Chuck Liddell. Liddell had just won a decision over Wanderlei Silva, and looked to have some momentum after losing his two previous fights. However, after taking that shot from Evans, Liddell would go on to fall at the hands of Mauricio Rua and Rich Franklin to close out his professional career.
Liddell had never eaten a punch quite like he did against Evans. It was a textbook overhand right hook, and Liddell went down like a ton of bricks. Good thing the fight stopped when it did, but the punch essentially knocked Liddell out of professional MMA.