In the world of the UFC, talk of eras ending is commonplace. Naturally, these eras usually end in sheer violence.
Over the years, we’ve seen several eras in the UFC end with a single punch, some of which are more memorable than most.
While some of the fighters who ended an era went on to lead one of their own, others simply opened the door for someone else to dethrone them soon after. Either way, though, their names belong in the history books.
Here are five one-punch knockouts that marked the end of an era in the UFC.
#5. Rampage Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell – UFC 71
In the early 2000s, four names were synonymous with the UFC’s light-heavyweight division: Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, and Vitor Belfort.
Between 2000 and 2007, those ‘big four’ fighters ruled the division with an iron fist, each holding the 205-pound title. With many of the world’s other great light heavyweights competing in PRIDE, it felt like their era would last forever.
However, that changed at UFC 71, when Liddell defended his title against Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
By that point, ‘The Iceman’ had set himself apart from his peers by beating Ortiz, Couture, and Belfort and looked every inch the dominant champion.
When he was matched with Jackson, who’d beaten him in PRIDE four years prior, then, many fans favored Liddell to avenge his loss.
That didn’t happen, though. Instead, ‘Rampage’ countered a slack body shot with an overhand right and knocked ‘The Iceman’ senseless in one shot.
Not only was the Liddell era ended with the knockout, but the old order at 205 pounds also vanished away, too.
None of the old ‘big four’ got another title shot at light-heavyweight, while Jackson didn’t go on to dominate the division either. Instead, the title was passed around like a hot potato until Jon Jones claimed it four years later, starting an era of his own.
#4. Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva – UFC 162
It’s almost indisputable that Anderson Silva’s reign as middleweight champion was the longest ‘era’ in UFC history.
‘The Spider’ claimed the 185-pound title in a dominant win over Rich Franklin in late 2006 and held onto his crown for the next seven years, setting a promotional record in the process.
Not only did the Brazilian successfully defend his title on ten different occasions, but he also won sixteen fights in a row during the same timeframe, something basically unheard of.
However, the Silva era ended with an almighty bang in 2013.
Chris Weidman was definitely seen as a threat to ‘The Spider’, but primarily because of his stellar wrestling and grappling skills. Sure, he’d looked sharp on the feet, too, but nobody expected him to really test Silva there.
Remarkably, though, he ended the Brazilian’s reign with one big left hand.
After losing the first round to ‘The All-American’ thanks to an early takedown, Silva knew he needed to change things up. His plan, apparently, was to taunt Weidman by dropping his hands and draw him in for a countershot.
Unfortunately for the longtime champion, he badly underestimated Weidman’s reach, and as he leaned back, the challenger caught him cold.
Silva went down and out, and his long and dominant era as champion came to an instant end. He was a victim of both Weidman’s skill and his own hubris.
#3. Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey – UFC 207
Sure, Amanda Nunes’ finish of Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 in 2016 wasn’t exactly a one-punch knockout – it was a vicious combination – but there’s no doubt that it signaled the end of an era.
In this case, Rousey had already lost her bantamweight title by the point that she faced off with ‘The Lioness’ in Las Vegas.
‘Rowdy’ had been stopped by Holly Holm’s now-legendary head kick a year prior, ending a title reign that’d lasted for the best part of three years and had encompassed six successful defenses.
However, despite the fact that she’d taken a year-long hiatus following the loss, her specter still loomed large over the bantamweight division in her absence.
The title had been passed around like a hot potato, from Holm to Miesha Tate and finally to Nunes, and it felt like everyone was really just waiting for Rousey’s return.
In fact, prior to the fight, many observers felt that ‘Rowdy’ would dump Nunes with a trademark judo throw, submit her with an armbar, and normal business would resume.
That wasn’t the case at all, though. Instead, ‘The Lioness’ stormed out and waylaid the former titleholder with punches in just 48 seconds.
The loss sent Rousey directly into retirement from MMA, ending the ‘Rowdy’ era in the UFC for good. In this case, too, a new era truly began.
Nunes went on to hold the title for the best part of the next six years, breaking all of Rousey’s records in the process and carving out her own slice of history.
#2. Sean O’Malley vs. Aljamain Sterling – UFC 292
While some fans might dispute it, there’s definitely an argument that Aljamain Sterling should be considered the greatest bantamweight in UFC history.
‘The Funk Master’ claimed the 135-pound title in controversial circumstances, defeating Petr Yan via disqualification when ‘No Mercy’ essentially knocked him out with an illegal knee.
However, Sterling returned to cleanly defeat Yan in a rematch and then beat two other former titleholders in the form of TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo.
When you add in his wins over the likes of Cory Sandhagen and Renan Barao, it’d be hard not to view the period between 2019 and 2023 as the bantamweight division’s ‘Sterling Era’.
However, that era came to a punishing end last summer when ‘The Funk Master’ faced off with top contender Sean O’Malley.
At the time, many fans thought it was impossible for ‘Sugar’ to beat Sterling. After all, the general consensus was that he’d been gifted a decision win over Yan, and outside of that, he’d never beaten a top-ranked foe.
After a slightly dull first round, though, O’Malley delivered the knockout he’d promised, shocking the world.
Essentially baiting Sterling in, ‘Sugar’ dodged a punch and countered with a huge right hand that instantly separated the champ from his consciousness. A new king was crowned, and unsurprisingly, the knockout instantly went viral around the world.
It remains to be seen whether we’re now in the ‘Sugar Era’ at 135 pounds, but one thing is for certain: nobody can dispute that he ended the previous era with one single punch.
#1. Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo – UFC 194
Perhaps the best example of a single punch ending one era and ushering in another in the UFC came in December 2015, when Conor McGregor faced Jose Aldo for the featherweight title.
At that time, Aldo had held the 145-pound crown since its inauguration in 2011 and had put together seven successful defenses. Nobody had come close to beating him.
McGregor, meanwhile, was the promotion’s fastest-rising star, but despite his wins over Dustin Poirier and Chad Mendes, there were still some question marks about his ability at the very top level.
Many fans felt that ‘The Notorious’, who had goaded and poked at Aldo for months, would be in over his head with the legendary Brazilian.
Instead, the Irishman had gotten firmly into Aldo’s head, causing him to come into the fight both angry and careless.
In just 13 seconds, Aldo came out firing, only for McGregor to slip a punch and level him with a coffin-nail left hook.
Just like that, Aldo’s title reign ended, and realistically, his time at the top of the UFC was over. McGregor, on the other hand, was suddenly positioned as the biggest star in the promotion’s history, a spot he hasn’t really given up almost a decade on.
