February 1, 2022 9:00 pm ET
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from January 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for January.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Nominee: Anvar Boynazarov def. John Pham at LFA 121
Anvar Boynazarov (3-0) wasted little time getting the job done against John Pham (4-3). Anxious to get the featherweight fight started, the referee had to tell him more than once to stay on his side of the cage until the doors were locked.
Once the action began, it didn’t last long. Boynazarov pressured his opponent and landed a well-timed knee to the jaw, sending Pham into the fence. A barrage of punches followed and the fight was over in just 21 seconds.
Holy _________! That is a dangerous man! #LFA121
Anvar Boynazarov ladies and gentlemen! pic.twitter.com/aMZwraMLyl
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 15, 2022
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Nominee: Viacheslav Borshchev def. Dakota Bush at UFC on ESPN 32
Viacheslav Borshchev (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) said prior to his UFC debut that he was a “spectacular fighter,” and he proved it in the cage by running through Dakota Bush (8-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in their lightweight bout.
After some striking exchanges early in the fight, Borshchev pressured Bush toward the fence. He uncorked a mean left hook to the body that crumbled Bush, and Borshchev landed a few additional shots to force the stoppage.
THE FIRST FINISH OF 2022!!! 🔥
[ @ViacheslavBors1| #UFCVegas46 ] pic.twitter.com/5jQr1EjFz1
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022
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Nominee: Matt Frevola def. Genaro Valdez at UFC 270
Matt Frevola (9-3-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) and Genaro Valdez (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) threw the feeling-out process out the window and almost immediately began sprinting to the finish line in their lightweight clash.
In a chaotic fight, Frevola managed to be the more accurate and effective fighter, as he connected more than Valdez and dropped him multiple times throughout the round. In the last knockdown, Frevola was able to get back mount and ground-and-pounded his way to the first-round TKO.
STEAMROLLAAAAA
[ #UFC270 | @MattFre16 ] pic.twitter.com/IjEGroX8Di
— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022
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Nominee: Zhang Lipeng def. Ruslam Emilbek at ONE Championship: Only the Brave
Zhang Lipeng (32-11-2) improved to a remarkable 24-2 since leaving the UFC in May 2015 with a starching of Ruslam Emilbek (13-2) in their welterweight bout.
Lipeng needed just 32 seconds to connect on a picture-perfect combination. He threw a 1-2 combination down the middle, and both of them landed clean on Emilbek as he went down in a heap and the bout was waved off.
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Nominee: Chris Gonzalez def. Saad Awad at Bellator 273
Chris Gonzalez (7-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) wanted to make a statement after the first loss of his pro career, and he did it with authority against Saad Awad (24-14 MMA, 12-11 BMMA).
Gonzalez took out longtime Bellator lightweight with a big left head kick and a few follow-up punches on the canvas. It took Gonzalez just 36 seconds to finish the fight.
Chris Gonzalez BLASTS through Saad Awad! 🤯
A quick start from Gonzalez leads to a perfect finish, and his 3️⃣rd career KO!
Catch the last #Bellator273 @MonsterEnergy Prelims LIVE NOW on the #Bellator YouTube channel!👇
▶️ https://t.co/YM98IF6W50 pic.twitter.com/4X0xchM9WY— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022
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The winner: Viacheslav Borshchev
After a string of decisions to open UFC on ESPN 32, Borshchev produced the first octagon finish of 2022 when he stopped Bush in the opening round.
Borshchev showed plenty of confidence in his UFC debut. He went toe-to-toe with Bush, and it didn’t take long to finish the job.
Slava Claus got the MOVES 🕺 #UFCVegas46 pic.twitter.com/VRSrbPG8i0
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022
The Team Alpha Male product cornered Bush against the fence and unleashed a powerful combination that was highlighted by a nasty left hook to the body. Bush immediately folded from the shot, then Borshchev landed a few more hammerfists to get the stoppage at the 3:47 mark of Round 1.
With the win, Borshchev has now earned all five of his career finishes by knockout.
“I believe in the liver shot,” Borshchev said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “It’s a good move. I got him there to the body.”
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February 1, 2022 9:00 pm ET With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from January 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for January. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Anvar Boynazarov def. John Pham at LFA 121 Anvar Boynazarov (3-0) wasted little time getting the job done against John Pham (4-3). Anxious to get the featherweight fight started, the referee had to tell him more than once to stay on his side of the cage until the doors were locked. Once the action began, it didn’t last long. Boynazarov pressured his opponent and landed a well-timed knee to the jaw, sending Pham into the fence. A barrage of punches followed and the fight was over in just 21 seconds. Holy _________! That is a dangerous man! #LFA121 Anvar Boynazarov ladies and gentlemen! pic.twitter.com/aMZwraMLyl — UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 15, 2022 Related Nominee: Viacheslav Borshchev def. Dakota Bush at UFC on ESPN 32 Viacheslav Borshchev (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) said prior to his UFC debut that he was a “spectacular fighter,” and he proved it in the cage by running through Dakota Bush (8-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in their lightweight bout. After some striking exchanges early in the fight, Borshchev pressured Bush toward the fence. He uncorked a mean left hook to the body that crumbled Bush, and Borshchev landed a few additional shots to force the stoppage. THE FIRST FINISH OF 2022!!! 🔥 [ @ViacheslavBors1| #UFCVegas46 ] pic.twitter.com/5jQr1EjFz1 — UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022 Related Nominee: Matt Frevola def. Genaro Valdez at UFC 270 Matt Frevola (9-3-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) and Genaro Valdez (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) threw the feeling-out process out the window and almost immediately began sprinting to the finish line in their lightweight clash. In a chaotic fight, Frevola managed to be the more accurate and effective fighter, as he connected more than Valdez and dropped him multiple times throughout the round. In the last knockdown, Frevola was able to get back mount and ground-and-pounded his way to the first-round TKO. STEAMROLLAAAAA [ #UFC270 | @MattFre16 ] pic.twitter.com/IjEGroX8Di — UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022 Related Nominee: Zhang Lipeng def. Ruslam Emilbek at ONE Championship: Only the Brave Zhang Lipeng (32-11-2) improved to a remarkable 24-2 since leaving the UFC in May 2015 with a starching of Ruslam Emilbek (13-2) in their welterweight bout. Lipeng needed just 32 seconds to connect on a picture-perfect combination. He threw a 1-2 combination down the middle, and both of them landed clean on Emilbek as he went down in a heap and the bout was waved off. Related Nominee: Chris Gonzalez def. Saad Awad at Bellator 273 Chris Gonzalez (7-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) wanted to make a statement after the first loss of his pro career, and he did it with authority against Saad Awad (24-14 MMA, 12-11 BMMA). Gonzalez took out longtime Bellator lightweight with a big left head kick and a few follow-up punches on the canvas. It took Gonzalez just 36 seconds to finish the fight. Chris Gonzalez BLASTS through Saad Awad! 🤯 A quick start from Gonzalez leads to a perfect finish, and his 3️⃣rd career KO! Catch the last #Bellator273 @MonsterEnergy Prelims LIVE NOW on the #Bellator YouTube channel!👇▶️ https://t.co/YM98IF6W50 pic.twitter.com/4X0xchM9WY — BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022 Related The winner: Viacheslav Borshchev After a string of decisions to open UFC on ESPN 32, Borshchev produced the first octagon finish of 2022 when he stopped Bush in the opening round. Borshchev showed plenty of confidence in his UFC debut. He went toe-to-toe with Bush, and it didn’t take long to finish the job. Slava Claus got the MOVES 🕺 #UFCVegas46 pic.twitter.com/VRSrbPG8i0 — UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022 The Team Alpha Male product cornered Bush against the fence and unleashed a powerful combination that was highlighted by a nasty left hook to the body. Bush immediately folded from the shot, then Borshchev landed a few more hammerfists to get the stoppage at the 3:47 mark of Round 1. With the win, Borshchev has now earned all five of his career finishes by knockout. “I believe in the liver shot,” Borshchev said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “It’s a good move. I got him there to the body.” Related Related