With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from September 2019: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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The Nominees

Ottman Azaitar def. Teemu Packalen at UFC 242

Ottman Azaitar (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) entered the UFC with a bang. The Moroccan lightweight Azaitar squared off with Finland’s Teemu Packalen (8-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) in his UFC debut and left with one a memorable finish.

In the opening frame, Azaitar landed heavy punches early and often on Packalen, who was put on his back foot on more than a few occasions. One minute past the midway point, Azaitar connected with a vicious overhand right that landed behind Packalen’s left ear, sending him crashing face-first into the canvas for the knockout.

Justin Gaethje def. Donald Cerrone at UFC on ESPN+ 16

It was expected to be exciting as long as it lasted, and it was – but Justin Gaethje (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) ultimately delivered on another exciting finish, stopping Donald Cerrone (38-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in the first.

With Cerrone looking to move forward, Gaethje landed a big right hand to the chin, sending his opponent to his knees. Cerrone tried to stand, but Gaethje unleashed a barrage of uppercuts, again dropping “Cowboy” to a kneeling position. Gaethje clearly hesitated to punch any more than he had to, but he did just enough to get referee to wave off the fight.

Steven Peterson def. Martin Bravo at UFC on ESPN+ 17

Steven Peterson (18-9 MMA, 2-3 UFC) scored the seventh spinning backfist knockout in UFC history when he crushed Martin Bravo (11-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) with a devastating attempt to snap his two-fight skid.

Bravo kicked off the fight-ending exchange with a spinning backfist attempt of his own. Peterson fired one back in near-simultaneous fashion, but his was the far more accurate blow. Peterson sent his opponent crashing to mat, landed one more blow and left with a $50,000 performance bonus.

Michael Page def. Richard Kiely at Bellator Europe 4

In a grudge match between talented strikers, it was Michael Page (15-1 MMA, 11-1 BMMA) who proved superior, knocking out Richard Kiely (3-2 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in the opening round.

Just past the midway point of the first, “MVP” delivered a beautiful flying knee that landed clean, sending Kiely to the canvas. Page didn’t bother following this time, instead mockingly wobbling on the feet while the referee moved over Kiely and waved off the contest.

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A dazzling response from @michaelvenompage against Richard Kiely after his first loss earlier this year #BellatorDublin • • • @bellatormma

A post shared by MMA Junkie (@mmajunkiedotcom) on Sep 27, 2019 at 3:12pm PDT

A.J. McKee def. Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 228

A.J. McKee (15-0 MMA, 15-0 BMMA) needed just eight seconds to knock out Georgi Karakhanyan (28-10-1 MMA, 6-8 BMMA) to stay undefeated and advance past the opening round of the Bellator featherweight grand prix.

McKee, who got in Karakhanyan’s face as he circled the cage during his entrance, dropped Karakhanyan with a thunderous overhand left to the jaw. It was all academic from there, as McKee landed a few more punches until the bout was waved off.

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8⃣ seconds! @ajmckee101 improves to 15-0 with a quick KO of Georgi Karakhanyan #Bellator228 • • • @bellatormma – @dazn_usa

A post shared by MMA Junkie (@mmajunkiedotcom) on Sep 28, 2019 at 8:26pm PDT

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The Winner: Steven Peterson

At 1-3 in the UFC heading in to UFC on ESPN+ 17, Peterson knew he needed to make a big impression.

Bravo must have been looking to make a big impression, too, fighting in his homeland of Mexico. And that’s probably why they both threw near-simultaneous spinning backfists in the second round of their featherweight fight.

Unfortunately for Bravo, his attempt was just off, while Peterson’s landed square on the button, knocking Bravo out cold and ending their fight at the 1:31 mark of the second round.

After Bravo hit the mat, Peterson landed one more shot, which wasn’t necessary but well within the rules, before referee Herb Dean broke things up.

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