Main: Ilia Topuria attempts to punch Charles Oliveira on the mat as the Brazilian lays unconscious during their fight at UFC 317. Inset: Daniel Cormier on stage during a Q&A ahead of UFC Edmonton. Credit: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC/Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Daniel Cormier chooses which knockout is above Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira as best KO of 2025 so far

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 11:57 AM ET

Daniel Cormier doesn’t consider Ilia Topuria’s brutal UFC lightweight title crowning the front runner for Knockout of the Year.

Topuria put himself in both the Fighter of the Year and Knockout of the Year discussions in 2024 thanks to a pair of brutal finishes against Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

It took him just one fight back at lightweight to set himself up for a similar scenario in 2025. Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 on June 28, landing a brutal combination that put ‘Do Bronx’ out cold in the very first round.

Many were quick to proclaim that as the year’s best KO thus far, but Cormier thinks they may be forgetting what transpired at the same venue three months prior.

Daniel Cormier picks Mauricio Ruffy knockout over Ilia Topuria’s latest violent finish

During a recent episode of his Good Guy/Bad Guy show alongside Chael Sonnen, Cormier made his pick for the mid-year KOTY award.

While ‘The Bad Guy’ chose Topuria’s triumph over Oliveira because of the simplicity of the strike that put the ex-champ out, Cormier went with a more acrobatic selection.

“Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira, Malcolm Wellmaker knocked out (Kris) Moutinho, and then Mauricio Ruffy hit that spinning heel kick on King Green,” Cormier said, outlining the likely nominees.

“I think this one’s a no-brainer. I think Ilia Topuria’s knockout was the most valuable because of the stage and what it meant, but in terms of just a (gasps in shock) knockout, it was Mauricio Ruffy’s heel kick of King Green.

“That was crazy…’cause you know how good Green is, you know how good his eyes are…he had no idea that that heel kick was coming,” Cormier added. “Ruffy hits him with it, boom, face first on the ground, over. That’s my Knockout of the Year to this point.”

Mauricio Ruffy left Daniel Cormier’s ‘jaw on the floor’ with UFC 313 knockout

Cormier’s pick is unsurprising given how he reacted alongside thousands at T-Mobile Arena when Ruffy landed the wheel kick at UFC 313.

Commentators Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and ‘DC’ were left in awe of the Brazilian’s victory, which further put both Ruffy and his Fighting Nerds team on the map.

“Wow! Oh, right on the temple,” Cormier said while watching a replay. “Oh my goodness!

“Guys…my jaw is on the floor…that was always one of King Green’s biggest issues, keeping his hands down. You can’t do that with a guy like that (Ruffy) in front of you.”

Mauricio Ruffy INSANE KO vs King Green At #UFC313!
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Posted by UFC on Saturday, March 8, 2025

It remains to be seen whether anyone else in 2025 can outdo both Topuria and Ruffy’s violent finishes, or if, with both men expected to compete again in the second half of the year, they can one-up their own efforts.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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