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August’s Top Five UFC Knockouts
August was hands down the most thrilling month of Octagon action in 2025 so far, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld as he selects the top five UFC knockouts of the month.
There have been just 10 spinning back elbow knockouts in UFC history, and we saw three of them this month. Even more mind-blowingly, two of them happened back-to-back.
And yet, none of them took the top spot, as that was reserved for Elijah Smith. Check out these and the month’s other top knockouts below:
Honourable Mentions:
Chopped Liver
Coming off the first loss of his career, Rinya Nakamura roared back to winning ways when he shut down Nathan Fletcher with a wicked liver kick for a 62-second victory at UFC Vegas 108.
Teeing Off
Joselyne Edwards treated Priscila Cachoeira like a human punching bag, dropping her with a crushing combination and finishing her off on the ground to score her third straight stoppage win at UFC Vegas 109.
Comeback Kid
Down on the scorecards, Charles Johnson pulled his UFC Shanghai fight out of the fire as he slept Lone’er Kavanagh with a savage right hand.
5: Just What The Doctor Ordered
Uros “The Doctor” Medic overcame an early knockdown and turned the tables as he landed a lethal left hand on Gilbert Urbina at UFC Vegas 109 to keep his 100% finish rate intact.
4: Plot Twist
Christian Leroy Duncan picked up an important win with some style points at UFC Vegas 109, catching Eryk Anders with a spinning back elbow and battering “Ya Boi” to seal the deal.
3: A Nightmare To Deal With
Carlos “The Nightmare” Prates lived up to his moniker and became the first man to knock out Geoff Neal when he uncorked a spinning back elbow in the final seconds of the first round at UFC 319.
2: Un-be-lievable
Minutes after Prates’ stunner, the undefeated Lerone Murphy showed everything the Brazilian can do, he can do better, as he punched his ticket to a featherweight title shot and spoiled Aaron Pico’s UFC debut with an even cleaner spinning back elbow in UFC 319’s co-main event.
1: Grand Slam
Taking top spot, Elijah Smith channelled his inner Quinton “Rampage” Jackson when he knocked Toshiomi Kazama out cold with a brutal powerbomb at UFC Vegas 109.