Mixed Martial Arts always aims to provide the most gruelling and thrilling battles in any promotion.
We’ve seen fighters time and again perform with such high pace, creating an electrifying atmosphere for the crowd.
But some of the most insane fights haven’t gone the distance or even past the very first round.
Here are five one-round slugfests that left the audience in complete shock and awe of what fighting fans can witness.
Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje
At UFC 274, a barnburner was prepared in the main event as a bout between Oliveira and Gaethje was expected to feature fireworks in the Octagon.
‘Do Bronxs’ missed the Lightweight title fight weight limit, meaning he would be stripped of the title and would not be eligible to win the belt.
Luckily for ‘The Highlights’, he did make weight and had a roaring chance of claiming the 155-pound title.
With Gaethje fighting in his home state, he was hoping to bring an entertaining fight and become a champion at the same time.
This Lightweight war lasted three minutes and 22 seconds and has to be one of the craziest title fights.
Inside the first minute of the battle, Gaethje had rocked Oliveira twice, knocking him down with some powerful punches.
Despite getting stunned, the Brazilian wasn’t afraid to keep the battle on his feet, knocking down Gaethje with a vicious right hand.
From that point, Oliveira took advantage of his opponent being on the ground and submitted him with a Rear-Naked Choke.
The former UFC Lightweight Champion became the first man to stop Gaethje in the first round, as it was a fight to forget for Arizona fans.
Fedor Emelianenko vs Dan Henderson
If two fighters love to stop a fight, especially by knockout, it’s Emelianenko and Henderson.
At the time these two fighters met inside the Octagon, they were both competing for the MMA promotion Strikeforce.
After being on a 28-fight win streak, ‘The Last Emperor’ was looking for redemption since he lost his last two battles against Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva.
‘Hendo’ was on a two-fight win streak with knockout victories over Renato Sobral and Rafael Cavalcante.
The Russian would be a wealthy favourite since it was a heavyweight bout, meaning it was going to be a mission for Henderson to win as a natural Middleweight.
As soon as the fight started, both men swung early, aiming to stun each other at the beginning.
After a couple of minutes of clinching against the cage, Emelianenko knocked down the Californian, pouncing for the finish.
Suddenly, Henderson managed to get out of trouble and land a huge shot on the Russian before a few more ground strikes stopped the contest.
It would not only be one of Hendo’s greatest knockouts, but one of his most prestigious triumphs in his MMA career.
Cheick Kongo vs Pat Barry
The UFC has showcased numerous incredible comeback victories, but the most miraculous one is arguably at UFC Pittsburgh.
Originally, the main event was scheduled to be Anthony Johnson vs. Nate Marquardt, but due to an injury sustained by Marquardt and multiple fight replacements, Kongo and Barry took the headline spot.
At the time, Kongo was unbeaten in his last two fights with a TKO win against Paul Buentello and a draw against Travis Browne.
Barry redeemed himself in his last bout and went the distance for the only time in his career.
While the one-round war did start off quietly, Barry knocked Kongo down with a wicked right-overhand punch after checking a body kick.
Somehow, the Frenchman made it back to his feet, only to suffer another knockdown from ‘HD’.
After narrowly avoiding some ground-and-pound strikes, Kongo made it back to his feet again with Barry putting pressure on.
The Sevran-born fighter landed a right hook and a nasty uppercut, knocking the lights out of Barry.
It may have been a very short comeback, but it was one of the greatest to be witnessed by MMA fans.
Travis Browne vs Andrei Arlovski
The Heavyweights will likely finish a fight in one round with their sheer size and power.
Especially when Browne and Arlovski came face-to-face at UFC 187, bringing a crazy atmosphere in Las Vegas.
‘Hapa’ won his last fight by first-round TKO against Brendan Schaub at UFC 181.
The Belarus-American fighter won his last bout by first-round knockout against ‘Bigfoot’ Silva at UFC Brasilia.
Less than a minute in, Arlovski stunned Browne with multiple punches, giving the Hawaiian wobbly legs.
‘The Pitbull’ then knocked down Browne with a backfist, before pouring on punches against the cage.
Somehow, a stunned Browne landed a right hook, knocking Arlovski down, making the crowd go wild.
However, it wasn’t enough to stop the fight as the former UFC Champion landed multiple right-hand punches to finish the battle.
An insane contest which had everyone standing on their feet after Arlovski became victorious.
Don Frye vs Yoshihiro Takayama
While Pride FC’s first rounds were traditionally longer, compared to other MMA companies, it did show some thrilling fights.
One iconic moment that cannot be forgotten in Mixed Martial Arts is the fight between Frye and Takayama, which took place back in June 2002.
Frye was on a seven-fight win streak after a split decision victory against Ken Shamrock at PRIDE 19.
Takayama was a professional wrestler before stepping into MMA, and was still searching for his first win after two fights.
As soon as the bout began, Frye and Takayama traded multiple punches from the centre of the ring to the corner.
After clinching for a few seconds, catching their breath, both warriors continued to brawl and exchange strikes.
Eventually, after trading so many punches all around the ring, ‘The Predator’ landed a takedown.
From there, Frye began a vicious ground-and-pound which gave the referee no choice but to stop the fight.
An incredible one-round war that has to be one of the most memorable in MMA.
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