5 Last Second Stoppage Finishes In UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the top Mixed Martial Arts company in the world which attracts some of the best fighters from around the globe.

The company has seen some of the best fighters in the world, and as a result, have seen some extremely exciting fights as well. One of the most exciting things is a finish that comes really early, but even more exciting is a finish coming at a time when every onlooker thought that the fight was going into a Decision result.

The last minute and sometimes, last-second finishes in the UFC always attract a lot of attention. While some fights have gone through entirely without any action only to burst into the picture with a flurry of offense at the last second, the same can be said for fights which have been exciting throughout finishing in a similarly exciting way, without letting it go to a decision.

UFC Fight Night 139 had exactly such a fight.

In this article, we will take a look at the top five such finishes in the UFC, where the fight went to the absolute last second, and only then came to an end.

Be prepared for some incredible fights.

---

#5. Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm - UFC 196

The first stoppage finish of this list is also the only one featuring the women's division.

Miesha Tate and Holly Holm faced each other inside the Octagon at UFC 196. The fight itself was an amazing thing to behold, and it went all of the five rounds.

Tate was down on the scorecard, as the fight had so far largely been dominated by Holly Holm. She had made sure to gain the initiative and had kept a hold of it.

This was something that changed very fast.

Into the 3rd minute of the 5th round, Tate did the only thing that she could have to win the fight. She went for the submission and was actually successful.

She managed to take the back of Holm and hold on with a Rear Naked Choke, and that was it.

She got the win at 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the fifth round, which allowed her to come away with the win.

#4. Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga - UFC on Fox 8

When Demetrious Johnson defeated John Moraga at UFC on Fox 8 via submission, it was a record.

It was a wondrous end to the bout for two separate reasons.

The first reason was that it was a finish for Demetrious Johnson. It was his first-ever finish inside the Octagon. His previous seven fights in the Octagon had all gone to decisions, but for the first time in his life, he had been able to pick up a stoppage finish.

And what a finish.

The second reason the fight was an impressive one was for what he had achieved. No one else had ever finished a fight later that Johnson at this point in time of the UFC.

The Armbar tapout had come at the perfect moment, with Moraga tapping out at 3 minutes and 43 seconds in the fifth round.

#3. Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson - UFC Fight Night 57

When Frankie Edgar met Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57, the main event was one that everyone had been waiting for.

Having been met with criticism for his slow work rate and most of his fights heading to a decision, Edgar knew what he wanted to do in this fight against Swanson. At no point did it appear that Edgar was losing control.

He maintained his dominance over Swanson, much like a brick wall. Being no pushover, Swanson was surprised by how far he was dominated.

Edgar was not done with dominating Swanson for the better part of 5 rounds, he also finished it off in style.

He applied the neck crank, in hopes of shutting up his critics. At 4 minutes and 56 seconds of the fifth round, he finally achieved that. Swanson tapped out, and he picked up the win, again setting a record for the latest finish to a fight in UFC.

#2. Yair Rodriguez vs. 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung

Although the fight between 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodriguez was an equal fight, no one had expected quite how it would turn out.

The Zombie had been dominating for most of the fight, although Rodriguez had thrown in a few immense combinations as well as innovative offense. At no point was this match boring, as the audience was glued to the Octagon seeing these two put on a masterclass, the likes of which no one had seen.

It looked like Jung had the fight in the books. They were heading into a decision but at the last 10-second mark, Rodriguez raised his arms in a gesture to hype the audience. When he lowered his arms, The Zombie went for a rush, but instead, he got caught.

In one of the most insane elbows of all time, Rodriguez threw his elbow vertically up directly at the face of Zombie, and it hit him on the jaw, knocking him out on the spot.

Just like that, at 4 minutes and 59 seconds, Yair Rodriguez picked out the win that he had been looking for.

Also, this is the only Knockout on this list.

#1. Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi - UFC 186

Demetrious Johnson showed the world exactly what he was capable of at UFC 186. During his main event fight with Kyoji Horiguchi, his dominance was unparalleled.

While most fans had expected Johnson to completely outclass his opponent in the fight, this was not completely the case. The first round was all about Johnson, but in the second one, Horiguchi showed offense no one had expected from him.

He was able to get some shots in which seemed to unnerve Johnson for a small while.

After that, however, there was no one to stop Johnson. He proceeded to take on Horiguchi and show him why he was considered to be one of the top fighters in the world.

His grappling offense was met with no resistance, and it only got better.

The fight would end with a record that is yet to be surpassed.

The win came out of nowhere, and it looked like Horiguchi would survive the fifth round despite the armbar, but the pain was too much.

He tapped out and Demetrious Johnson won the fight, picking up the win at 4 minutes and 59 seconds. This remains the latest a submission has won a fight, as it comes literal nano-seconds after the Rodriguez-Zombie knockout.