January’s Top Five UFC Knockouts

There was only one UFC event this month, but boy, did it deliver. Ushering in a new era for the mixed martial arts leader on Paramount+ in the US, this past weekend’s UFC 324 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas saw five finishes and an instant classic main event title fight.

In what was the modern equivalent of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar’s legendary battle in the Ultimate Fighter finale on Spike TV back in 2005, Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett put on a war. “The Baddy” proved what he always says, that Scousers don’t get knocked out, taking some of Gaethje’s best shots and surviving multiple knockdowns.

However, the night belonged to “The Highlight”, who won the chaotic headliner by unanimous decision to capture the interim lightweight title and set himself up for a unification bout against undisputed 155-pound king Ilia Topuria later this year.

UFC CEO Dana White delivered on his promise that performance bonuses would go up under the new $7.7 billion Paramount+ deal, with standouts now earning $100,000 extra, double the previous amount.

There’s also a new finishing bonus where any fighter who finishes an opponent via knockout or submission but wasn’t selected for Performance of the Night or Fight of the Night earns an extra $25,000.

These winners walked away with sweet bonuses, except for Alex Perez, who was ineligible for a bonus due to missing weight:

5: Home Run

In the only stoppage on the main card, former baseball star Waldo Cortes-Acosta cemented his place in the heavyweight top five and scored the biggest win of his career by raining down blows on Derrick Lewis to seal a second-round TKO.

DERRICK LEWIS FELL AND WALDO CORTES-ACOSTA KNOCKED HIM OUT BEFORE HE COULD GET UP. pic.twitter.com/KKrGQr5YUi

— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) January 25, 2026

4: Lightning Strikes Twice

Moments after Ty Miller recorded a knockout with one second to spare in the first round, Josh Hokit did the same as he swarmed Denzel Freeman to beat him and the buzzer.

Josh Hokit vs Denzel Freeman#UFC324 pic.twitter.com/Srtd4FcOVF

— 🥷💥▂ ▃ ▅ MMA FIGHTING SUMMARIES ▅ ▃ ▂💥🥷 (@mmafightt) January 24, 2026

3: Fugitt About It

As mentioned above, Miller marched to a timely finish and he did it in his promotional debut. Wearing a crimson mask, the UFC rookie dropped and stopped an overwhelmed Adam Fugitt.

WOW! 💥

Ty Cole Miller knocks Adam Fugitt out with ONE SECOND left of the first round #UFC324 pic.twitter.com/jOugoNxXk2

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 24, 2026

2: Kill Switch

Modestas Bukauskas learned a valuable lesson, that you can’t afford to switch off for a second inside the Octagon, the hard way. With the final seconds of the fight winding down, Bukauskas threw a wild spinning back kick and dropped his hands.

The experienced Nikita Krylov made his pay with a swift combination and heavy follow-up shots to switch his lights off with three seconds remaining.

Nikita Krılov vs Modestas Bukauskas#UFC324 pic.twitter.com/9sIIhV4KG5

— 🥷💥▂ ▃ ▅ MMA FIGHTING SUMMARIES ▅ ▃ ▂💥🥷 (@mmafightt) January 25, 2026

1: Finger Licking Good

Perez made amends for missing weight with a one-sided beatdown of Charles Johnson. The former flyweight title challenger was relentless, and a beautiful left hook that rocked his opponent’s world was the final straw.

👊 Quelle victoire d'Alex Perez !!! Il a éteint Charles Johnson dès le premier round, cet UFC 324 commence très bien ! #RMCMMA pic.twitter.com/Zigv0B98CE

— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat) January 25, 2026