UFC buzzer beater finishes: last-second records

The list starts with the official round clock. A finish at 4:59 in a five-minute round had one second left. A finish at 4:57 had three seconds left. That keeps the ranking focused on the moment the fight actually ended, not total fight time.

The most famous entries are easy to picture: Max Holloway pointing to the canvas before flattening Justin Gaethje, or Yair Rodriguez landing the upward elbow on The Korean Zombie with one second left in a five-round fight. The full list is broader than those highlights, though. It includes title fights, prelims, submissions, late Round 1 chaos, and deep-fight finishes where one exchange changed everything.

Scope: FightAlpha checked 8,758 UFC fights through June 2026. The article covers official KO/TKO and submission finishes recorded in the final five seconds of a round. Article data summary.

About 5:00 records: many official 5:00 results are corner stoppages or unable-to-continue records after the round. FightAlpha excludes those from the main buzzer-beater leaderboard unless the finish itself is tied to the final exchange; that leaves 1 exact-horn finish and excludes 32 continuation stoppages.

Related FightAlpha reads: fastest and latest UFC KO/TKOs, fastest and latest UFC submissions, and how often UFC fights end in Round 1.

Every finish at the horn or one second left

These are the closest finishes in the UFC clock record. The first view shows the top 10 so the page can get to the charts; the full 57-fight list is available below it.

Show full 57-fight leaderboard

#	Fight	Event	Official clock	From horn
1	Ricky Simon def. Merab Dvalishvili Submission	UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee Apr 21, 2018	R3, 5:00	at the horn
2	Demetrious Johnson def. Kyoji Horiguchi Submission	UFC 186: Johnson vs Horiguchi Apr 25, 2015	R5, 4:59	1s before horn
3	Yair Rodriguez def. Chan Sung Jung KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Rodriguez Nov 10, 2018	R5, 4:59	1s before horn
4	Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje KO/TKO	UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill Apr 13, 2024	R5, 4:59	1s before horn
5	Paul Craig def. Magomed Ankalaev Submission	UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov Mar 17, 2018	R3, 4:59	1s before horn
6	Leon Edwards def. Peter Sobotta KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov Mar 17, 2018	R3, 4:59	1s before horn
7	Grant Dawson def. Leonardo Santos KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Holland Mar 20, 2021	R3, 4:59	1s before horn
8	Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2 Jan 11, 2025	R3, 4:59	1s before horn
9	Jakub Wiklacz def. Muin Gafurov Submission	UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs. Oliveira Feb 7, 2026	R3, 4:59	1s before horn
10	Chan Sung Jung def. Leonard Garcia Submission	UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs Davis Mar 26, 2011	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
11	Jorge Masvidal def. Michael Chiesa Submission	UFC on FOX: Johnson vs Moraga Jul 27, 2013	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
12	Russell Doane def. Leandro Issa Submission	UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs Lim Jan 4, 2014	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
13	Magnus Cedenblad def. Krzysztof Jotko Submission	UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs Mousasi May 31, 2014	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
14	Chas Skelly def. Jim Alers KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs Thatch Feb 14, 2015	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
15	Guangyou Ning def. Royston Wee KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs Faber May 16, 2015	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
16	Keita Nakamura def. Kyle Noke Submission	UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker Jul 13, 2016	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
17	James Vick def. Joe Duffy KO/TKO	UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre Nov 4, 2017	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
18	Walt Harris def. Daniel Spitz KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes Jun 1, 2018	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
19	Song Yadong def. Felipe Arantes KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards Jun 23, 2018	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
20	Gregor Gillespie def. Yancy Medeiros KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw Jan 19, 2019	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
21	Ji Yeon Kim def. Nadia Kassem KO/TKO	UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya Oct 5, 2019	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
22	Cody Garbrandt def. Raphael Assuncao KO/TKO	UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer Jun 6, 2020	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
23	Dricus Du Plessis def. Derek Brunson KO/TKO	UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane Mar 4, 2023	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
24	Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Denys Bondar Submission	UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Feb 24, 2024	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
25	Jean Matsumoto def. Dan Argueta Submission	UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2 Apr 6, 2024	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
26	Luana Santos def. Tainara Lisboa Submission	UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Morales May 17, 2025	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
27	Fares Ziam def. Nazim Sadykhov KO/TKO	UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2 Dec 6, 2025	R2, 4:59	1s before horn
28	Mike Kyle def. Wes Sims KO/TKO	UFC 47: It's On! Apr 2, 2004	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
29	Matt Hughes def. Georges St-Pierre Submission	UFC 50: The War Of '04 Oct 22, 2004	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
30	Tim Sylvia def. Tra Telligman KO/TKO	UFC 54: Boiling Point Aug 20, 2005	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
31	Lyoto Machida def. Thiago Silva KO/TKO	UFC 94: St-Pierre vs Penn 2 Jan 31, 2009	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
32	Josh Koscheck def. Matt Hughes KO/TKO	UFC 135: Jones vs Rampage Sep 24, 2011	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
33	Jose Aldo def. Chad Mendes KO/TKO	UFC 142: Aldo vs Mendes Jan 14, 2012	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
34	Anthony Perosh def. Nick Penner KO/TKO	UFC on FX: Alves vs Kampmann Mar 2, 2012	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
35	Roland Delorme def. Nick Denis Submission	UFC on FOX: Diaz vs Miller May 5, 2012	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
36	Scott Jorgensen def. John Albert Submission	UFC on FOX: Henderson vs Diaz Dec 8, 2012	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
37	Brian Melancon def. Seth Baczynski KO/TKO	UFC 162: Silva vs Weidman Jul 6, 2013	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
38	Julianna Pena def. Jessica Rakoczy KO/TKO	The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale Nov 30, 2013	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
39	Matt Mitrione def. Shawn Jordan KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Kim vs Hathaway Mar 1, 2014	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
40	Raquel Pennington def. Ashlee Evans-Smith Submission	UFC 181: Hendricks vs Lawler II Dec 6, 2014	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
41	Vitor Miranda def. Jake Collier KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Machida vs Dollaway Dec 20, 2014	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
42	Ben Nguyen def. Alptekin Ozkilic KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs Hunt May 9, 2015	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
43	Thiago Santos def. Jack Hermansson KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida Oct 28, 2017	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
44	Dwight Grant def. Carlo Pedersoli Jr. KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Santos Feb 23, 2019	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
45	Tai Tuivasa def. Stefan Struve KO/TKO	UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje Oct 24, 2020	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
46	Brandon Moreno def. Brandon Royval KO/TKO	UFC 255: Figueiredo vs. Perez Nov 21, 2020	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
47	Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Augusto Sakai KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai Jun 5, 2021	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
48	Ian Machado Garry def. Jordan Williams KO/TKO	UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 Nov 6, 2021	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
49	Gillian Robertson def. Priscila Cachoeira Submission	UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier Dec 11, 2021	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
50	Kyle Daukaus def. Jamie Pickett Submission	UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill Feb 19, 2022	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
51	Trevor Peek def. Erick Gonzalez KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Muniz vs. Allen Feb 25, 2023	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
52	Karine Silva def. Maryna Moroz Submission	UFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley Aug 19, 2023	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
53	Molly McCann def. Diana Belbita Submission	UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov Feb 3, 2024	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
54	Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal KO/TKO	UFC 319: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev Aug 16, 2025	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
55	Ty Miller def. Adam Fugitt KO/TKO	UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett Jan 24, 2026	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
56	Josh Hokit def. Denzel Freeman KO/TKO	UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett Jan 24, 2026	R1, 4:59	1s before horn
57	Javier Reyes def. Douglas Silva de Andrade KO/TKO	UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanagh Feb 28, 2026	R1, 4:59	1s before horn

How often does it happen?

Last-second finishes are rare, but not freakish. FightAlpha found 57 UFC KO/TKO or submission finishes at the horn or with one second left, 130 within five seconds, and 202 within 10 seconds.

Round 1 supplies the largest chunk because it has the most finishes overall. The later-round entries carry a different kind of weight: fatigue, accumulated damage, and the choice to keep fighting hard when both corners are seconds from resetting.

Do buzzer beaters skew KO or submission?

They lean toward strikes, but submissions still make up a meaningful piece of the final-five-second list. That matters because the clock pressure is not only about one last punch; it can also be a trapped fighter running out of time and space.

Are they rarer in women's fights?

Not when finished fights are the comparison. Women's UFC fights have produced fewer total finishes because there have been fewer women's fights overall, but their final-five-second share is slightly higher in this dataset.

The women's sample is much smaller, so this is perspective rather than a hard rule. Still, it keeps the record book honest: the buzzer-beater finish is not just a men's-fight phenomenon.

Watch two famous one-second finishes

Holloway-Gaethje and Yair-Korean Zombie are the two examples most fans think of first: five-round fights, one official second left, and a finish that instantly changed how the whole fight is remembered.

How to use the signal

Buzzer-beater finishes are fun, but they are not a prop system. The useful question is why a fighter was still vulnerable at the end of a round. Were they tired? Trapped? Losing the last exchange every round? Too hittable after long scrambles? Or did the winner simply keep attacking when most fighters would reset for the stool?

For betting and model work, late-round finishing danger matters most when it lines up with pressure pace, cardio, body work, ground control, strike absorption, and defensive lapses near breaks. The clock is the headline; the matchup traits are the signal.

KO/TKO timing

Fastest and latest UFC knockouts

Compare the buzzer-beater list with the full KO/TKO timing record.

Submission timing

Fastest and latest UFC submissions

See where final-second submissions fit into the UFC submission clock.

Fight duration

How long do UFC fights last?

Put late finishes in context against average UFC fight length.

FAQ