Sports

Top five UFC knockouts that’ll make you cringe

Published

4 years ago

April 9, 2020

If you’re finding yourself hankering for some mma betting, why not get clued up on some of the greatest knockouts that have happened previously, and get into the fighting spirit! Be ready to analyse their moves and learn what it takes to be a winner!

UFC stands for the “Ultimate Fighting Championship” and is a form of Mixed Martial Arts, otherwise known as MMA, where a series of fights take place during what fans know as fight nights. It is quite similar to boxing in its rituals – bringing together the best fighters and then having them compete at different weights, in front of an eager crowd that is begging for blood. The organisation began in 1993, and has revolutionised the fight business, standing today as a premium global sports brand, media content company and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.

The UFC has been around for 17 years now, and throughout the years, it has provided us with many excruciating knockouts. Keep reading and prepare to wince as we take a look back at the most brutal knockouts in UFC history.

Silva Vs. Belfort

At UFC 126, one of the more recent knockouts on the list, we saw Brazilian-American Anderson Silva launch a ferocious front kick into fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort’s poor face, defending his previously held grand title. The crowd cheered as Belfort fell to the floor, unable to recover from the tremendous blow, with Silva landing a couple more punches for good measure. Show off!

Silva Vs. Jardine

Wanderlei Silva went up against the now actor Keith Jardine at UFC 84 in 2008. Within 36 seconds of dancing around the ring, Silva landed a relentless series of tight-fisted punches to Jardine’s face, disarming his opponent completely. Jardine fell to the floor and the rest was history. This impressive knockout earned Wanderlei the “Knockout of the Night” award, as well as “Knockout of the Year” – understandably so!

Jackson VS. SIlva

Following on from his victory, Wanderlei Silva went on to receive a stark wake-up call from America’s own Quinton Ramone “Rampage” Jackson. Rampage Jackson, as he is more commonly known, came to UFC 92 with an untameable fire in his belly, having been previously knocked out twice by none other than Silva himself. Jackson pushed forward in the pair’s third fight, slamming Silva several times in the jaw before the Brazil native finally fell back in defeat. Jackson continued to land punches until he was finally pulled away, and declared the winner.

Marquardt Vs. Maia

Nate Marquardt truly showed the audience how it should be done when he launched a winning attack on Demian Maia in UFC 102. Maia approached his opponent and attempted to land his first hit with some kind of jumping strike; however, it appeared that Marquardt wasn’t going to have a single second of it as he intercepted his opponent before Maia’s foot had barely left the ground. He slammed the older fighter with a single blow to the face – Maia falling back instantly and rolling onto his back. Marquardt stood over him and looked ready to go in for the kill, but he decided to show mercy, stepping away and enjoying the moment as a champion.

Harris Vs. Branch

The final knockout we wish to visit is from UFC 116, where Gerald Harris took out David Branch in a rather athletic knockout. Brach attempted to take the upper hand by jumping up and wrapping his limbs around Harris, trying to pull guard and make his opponent succumb to a vulnerable position. However, Harris proved to be wise to this, and pushed Branch’s head away from him, slamming the other fighter down onto the canvas. Branch’s head bounced off the floor, knocking him out cold. Harris went on to win “Knockout of the Night” for this feat, for the second time in three fights.

Sports

Why Todd Graves Is Driven To Innovate Golfing Techniques and Inspire Future Athletes

Published

5 months ago

November 28, 2023

Jonathan Grilli

When you look up the history of sports and how it changed over the years, you will find several influential public figures and athletes’ names at the top of unique inventions. After all, those who play the sport, also know what could improve and popularize it. Todd Graves is one of those individuals with a passion for golf and sports innovation.

He is an innovative thought leader and business expert with nearly 50 years of experience in the golf community. He practiced golf under the training and guidance of Murray “Moe” Norman, the world-renowned PGA golfer of the 20^th Century. Norman was one of the most influential figures in the golf community with his unique techniques and innovative methods to approach the game.

His contributions and golf skills earned him the nickname of “Pipeline Moe”, mainly for his unmatched ability to hit one straight shot after another with the slightest deviation in the ball’s trajectory. As his protégé, Todd Graves vowed to be among the leading sports personalities and innovators in the golf space. He worked on the single-plane swing technique modeled by his mentor, Moe Norman over his professional career.

It is a technique that helps a golfer reduce strain on the lower back while increasing the consistency and frequency of making a solid impact with the ball. Before, it was limited in practice to highly experienced golfers with immense knowledge of kinetic movements and swinging techniques. Today, Todd Graves’ contributions have enabled the wide use and adoption of the single-plane swing method in the global golf community.

The pro golfer believes that innovation is a key component of progress and without progress, humanity could come to a standstill. Whether it is progress in the personal, professional, or sports world, every great athlete should strive for it and reach their maximum potential, according to Todd Graves. To bring new knowledge to a wider audience around the world, he recently partnered with Barry Morrow, who is a famous American screenwriter and film producer credited with co-writing the screenplay for the movie Rain Main (1988).

Graves partnered with Oscar-winning Barry Morrow to create a documentary on the life and achievements of the great pro golfer, Moe Norman. Through the documentary, Todd wishes to inspire athletes and motivate golfers to bring innovation to their gameplay. Todd Graves shares his drive for bringing innovation and catalyzing change in the sports world with aspiring athletes, pro golfers, and students.

Graves’s inspiration comes from his dedication to the advancement of sports science. He spent a better part of his career with kinesiology experts and sports scientists to discover intricate details involved in various physical activities, also including golf. He identified potential risk injuries, analyzed their occurrences, and gathered factual data with the help of scientists.

He aims to portray actual findings in his upcoming documentary and inspire young athletes to be more than participants in national and international competitions. Todd Graves stands as one of the most influential and inspirational figures in the golf community and has earned association with several famous personalities including Ben Hago, and Tiger Woods, among others.