Sports

Top five UFC knockouts that’ll make you cringe

Published

2 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

Aaron Rodgers Signs $150m Contract as Green Bay Packers Retain Star Quarterback

Published

2 months ago

March 25, 2022

Jonathan Grilli

If you are a Green Bay Packers fan, then the news that Aaron Rodgers has pledged himself to the Lambeau Field franchise for another three years will be music to your ears. The veteran quarterback has completed back-to-back NFL MVP award-winning seasons, and many may have feared that another offseason filled with ‘will-he, won’t he’ rumors were on the cards, but that’s now been neatly avoided.

38-year-old Rodgers has put pen to paper on a deal that will net him a massive $150m and makes him the best-paid player in the league. His first year will amount to $41m, the second is worth $59, and his third will work out at $49m. That may seem like a hefty sum, but Rodgers reportedly actually turned down a higher amount, knowing that doing so would free up money to improve the deals of other players (and possible newcomers to the Packers ranks).

The retention of Rodgers will, of course, offer a massive boost to Matt LaFleur’s team’s push for a Super Bowl title, and if you take a look at any odds comparison site, you’ll see that Green Bay are now at around the (+1100) mark, meaning that only the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ahead of them in the betting.

Rodgers has been in superb form over the past few seasons, showing that age hasn’t caught up with him, and there is certainly plenty more left in the tank. Next season will be his 18th with the Packers, and he has led his team to the playoffs in each of the past three campaigns.

During that period, the Packers have a 39-6 record in regular-season action, which is a frightening level of consistency, and keeping such a hugely talented player at the team is something that has been widely applauded.

Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst remarked;

“We are very pleased to be able to come to an agreement with Aaron that keeps him in Green Bay,”

“His play on the field and leadership in our locker room remain vital in our pursuit of another Super Bowl title. The agreement also allows us to maintain and enhance what we feel is already a very competitive roster.”

The new deal for Rodgers has left back-up QB Jordan Love considering his options, and one imagines he may look to leave Green Bay in order to find game time elsewhere.

On that point, comments from LaFleur suggest that they may not stand in his way, should he indeed look to find a new team;

“Jordan’s come a long way,”

“I still think, with any young player that hasn’t gotten maybe the experience up to this point, there’s still a lot of room for growth. So I think it’s going to be an important offseason, that when he does come back, it’s making sure that his footwork is sharp, that he’s on the details of what we’re trying to accomplish on each and every play and all the concepts, really a mastery of the offense, and just the command that he has. I know he takes that to heart, and he takes it very personally, and he’ll do whatever he can to be his best.”

One thing is for sure. Trying to force your way from behind the shadow of such an accomplished player, such as Aaron Rodgers, isn’t something that can be easily achieved. Hence the likely need to move on rather than sit on the sidelines for another three years.