Holiday countdown: The UFC’s 24 best year-end fights of all time, ranked – where does Hendricks’ 12-second KO land?

Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon, UFC 108

Event: UFC 108
Date: Jan. 2, 2010
Result: Cole Miller def. Dan Lauzon via submission (reverse triangle choke and kimura) – Round 1, 3:05
Notes: “Submission of the Night” ($50,000) for Miller … Miller’s third UFC fight-night bonus award … Miller’s 11th submission in 16 career wins … Lauzon’s return to the UFC after more than three years away … Lauzon’s brother Joe fought later on the card and lost to Sam Stout

Sam Stout vs. Joe Lauzon, UFC 108

Event: UFC 108
Date: Jan. 2, 2010
Result: Sam Stout def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($50,000 each for Stout and Lauzon) … Stout’s second straight “Fight of the Night” award in a run that hit three in a row … Stout’s second straight win, which gave him his first winning streak in the UFC … Lauzon’s fifth overall UFC bonus award and second in a run that hit six fights in a row … first decision loss of Lauzon’s career … Lauzon’s brother Dan fought earlier on the card and lost to Cole Miller, who won “Submission of the Night”

Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, UFC 232

Event: UFC 232
Date: Dec. 29, 2018
Result: Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:02 – to win vacant light heavyweight title
Notes: The fight was a rematch from UFC 165 in September 2013, which Jones won by unanimous decision in what was his closest fight to that point … Jones and Gustafsson each made a disclosed $500,000 for the fight; Jones was not scheduled to receive a disclosed win bonus … the win was Jones’ 14th straight, which doesn’t count his stoppage of Daniel Cormier at UFC 214, which was overturned to a no contest … the TKO finish was Jones’ return to stoppages (again, not counting the no contest) after decision wins in his previous four fights … Gustafsson dropped to 0-3 in light heavyweight title fights, including his previous loss to Jones and a split decision loss to Cormier at UFC 192.

Travis Browne vs. Josh Barnett, UFC 168

Event: UFC 168
Date: Dec. 28, 2013
Result: Travis Browne def. Josh Barnett via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 1:00
Notes: “Knockout of the Night” ($75,000) for Browne … Win was Browne’s third straight first-round knockout and third straight “Knockout of the Night” bonus, all in a perfect 3-0 2013 … After the win, Browne went on a 2-6 slide, including a loss his next time out in a title eliminator to Fabricio Werdum, who went on to become heavyweight champion … Browne fought one fight ahead of Ronda Rousey, whom he started dating less than two years later and eventually married … Loss was Barnett’s first by knockout in seven years

Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon, UFC 155

Event: UFC 155
Date: Dec. 29, 2012
Result: Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($65,000 each for Miller and Lauzon) … bonus was Lauzon’s 12th post-fight award in 14 UFC fights to that point and ninth in nine fights … Miller and Lauzon had a combined 54 fights heading into the bout, which was UFC 155’s co-main event … Just the second time Lauzon had lost a decision, though both of those setbacks were “Fight of the Night” winners … Miller was a replacement for Lauzon’s original opponent, Gray Maynard … Miller and Lauzon fought in a rematch in August 2016, which was a split decision win for Miller and again a “Fight of the Night” honoree.

Paul Felder vs. Danny Castillo, UFC 182

Event: UFC 182
Date: Jan. 3, 2015
Result: Paul Felder def. Danny Castillo via knockout (spinning backfist) – Round 2, 2:09
Notes: “Performance of the Night” ($50,000 for Felder) … fight was Felder’s second in the UFC and kept him perfect at 10-0 as a pro … knockout was Felder’s seventh in 10 fights to open his career … KO was one of just three finishes at UFC 182 to go with eight decisions … Felder’s spinning back fist KO was just the third in UFC history.

Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz, UFC 141

Event: UFC 141
Date: Dec. 30, 2011
Result: Nate Diaz def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($75,000 each for Diaz and Cerrone) … one of seven decisions in 10 fights on the card … middle victory in a run of three straight wins for Diaz after his return to lightweight; all three were bonus-winners … was Diaz’s ninth post-fight bonus in his 15th UFC fight … loss snapped a six-fight winning streak for Cerrone that included his first four in the UFC after the merger with the WEC … Cerrone’s fourth UFC bonus in five fights … was Cerrone’s fifth fight in the 2011 calendar year.

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chad Mendes, UFC 232

Event: UFC 232
Date: Dec. 29, 2018
Result: Alexander Volkanovski def. Chad Mendes via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:14
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($50,000 for Volkanovski and Mendes) … first bonus win in Volkanovski’s career (and so far, only bonus win) … one of 10 stoppages in 13 fights on the card … Volkanovski’s 16th straight win on his way to a featherweight title shot and ultimate title win … third loss in four fights for Mendes … second fight for Mendes after returning from two-year suspension … Mendes announced retirement after the loss and hasn’t fought since.

Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos, UFC 155

Event: UFC 155
Date: Dec. 29, 2012
Result: Cain Velasquez def. Junior Dos Santos via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-43, 50-44)
Notes: Rematch from UFC on FOX 1 in November 2011 … Dos Santos won the first fight as challenger by knocking out Velasquez in the first round … the two fought a third time at UFC 166, which Velasquez won by fifth-round TKO … one of eight decisions in 12 fights on the card … Dos Santos has fought 12 times since his UFC 155 loss to Velasquez with a 6-6 record – and all six losses by knockout … Velasquez has fought just five times since the UFC 155 win over Dos Santos.

Rashad Evans vs. Forrest Griffin, UFC 92

Event: UFC 92
Date: Dec. 27, 2008
Result: Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:46 – to win light heavyweight title
Notes: “Fight of the Night” ($60,000 each for Evans, Griffin) … Griffin’s third straight bonus … first time two “Ultimate Fighter” winners met in a title fight … after beating Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to win the belt in July 2008, Griffin lost it in his first attempted defense … Evans stayed unbeaten, but like Griffin lost the title in his first attempted defense in May 2009;

Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 92

Event: UFC 92
Date: Dec. 27, 2008
Result: Quinton Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:21
Notes: “Knockout of the Night” ($60,000 for Jackson) … third bonus for Jackson in his first five UFC fights … one of eight knockouts in 10 fights on the card, including all five on the pay-per-view main card … trilogy fight for “Rampage” and Silva; Silva won the first two fights in PRIDE by knockout … the pair fought a fourth time in September 2018 at Bellator 206, won by Jackson to even the series at 2-2 … Silva’s fourth loss in five fights, including three by knockout.

Johny Hendricks vs. Jon Fitch, UFC 141

Event: UFC 141
Date: Dec. 30, 2011
Result: Johny Hendricks def. Jon Fitch via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:12
Notes: “Knockout of the Night” ($75,000 for Hendricks) … one of just three stoppages, all on the main card, at the 10-fight event … third victory in a six-fight winning streak for Hendricks that led to a welterweight title shot against Georges St-Pierre … just the second knockout loss of Fitch’s career … though the fastest finish in Hendricks’ career, at 12 seconds it doesn’t quite reach the top 10 fastest KOs in UFC history.