WKR Knockouts of the Year

The end of the year is almost upon us which means it is time to celebrate both the good and the bad of what has passed into memory. Over the next few days WKR will be posting some "best of's" as well as some "worst of's" for MMA in 2009.

First up are the Best Knockouts. Behold the devastation that 365 days of MMA has wrought.

Zak Woods: Dan Hornbuckle KO's Akihiro Gono

There were a lot of memorable knockouts in 2009. Spencer will mention Dan Henderson knocking Michael Bisping back to the times of Victorian England while Nick will talk about Fedor's over Arlovski, though it could be Fedor over Rogers or Rogers over Arlovski as well. I could pick Anderson Silva's fadeaway jab or the inaugural KO of the Lyoto Machida "Era". I can't dismiss Scott Smith's home run punch ability but I decided it would be better to go in a more eastern direction.

Call me nostalgic but there was something very Pride circa 2004 about Hayato Sakurai holding Shniya Aoki down and kneeing his skull till the referee stopped the fight. Then there was Marius Zaromisks head kick KO of Sakurai  but for sheer shock and awe power nothing beats Dan Hornbuckle's foot hitting Gono's face. Probably more impressive is the way Akihiro falls backwards. It is sort of lyrical and organic, like a tree being felled. All we need is a lumberjack to shout "TIMBER!"

Nick Becker: Fedor Emilianenko KO's of Andrei Arlovski at Affliction: Day of Reckoning

The beauty of this knockout wasn't just the perfect placement of Fedor's overhand right - but also its impeccable timing. Just when it looked as if Arlovski was going to pull off the major upset, he had his lights switched off and the already voluminous legacy of Fedor added another chapter.

E. Spencer Kyte: Dan Henderson KO's Micahel Bisping at UFC 100.

In part because it was such a well-placed, perfect punch, but also because it shut Bisping up and was a great end to their back-and-forth from TUF 9. This is how coaches feuds should end... *cough Rampage cough*...

More videos after the jump.