MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month for August: Li Jingliang Gets First Knockout Thanks to Carlos Prates

With another month of action-packed MMA behind us, MMA Junkie takes a look back at the best knockouts of August 2024: Here are the nominees, in chronological order, and the winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for August.

Let us know at the bottom of the post if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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Nominees

Nominee: Lone’er Kavanagh defeats An Tuan Ho at Dana White’s Contender Series 67

(autotag)Lone’er Kavanagh(/autotag) started Season 8 of DWCS with a bang when he scored a knockout that left Dana White writing “holy sh*t” on his score sheet.

Kavanagh (7-0) struck the previously undefeated An Tuan Ho with a brutal left hook that ended the fight in the first round. Ho lay on the canvas for a long time, staring into the distance as his corners, medical staff and referee Herb Dean tried to help him get back. Eventually, Ho got to his feet.

Nominee: Kai Kara-France def. Steve Erceg at UFC 305

(autotag)Kai Kara-France(/autotag) defeated Steve Erceg, ending their pivotal flyweight bout with punches in the first round.

The final sequence began when Kara-France (24-11 MMA, 7-4 UFC) took Erceg down with a left hand. Erceg fell to the canvas, flat on his back, his head thrown back. Erceg survived and got back up, but Kara-France didn’t take his foot off the gas and continued to chase Erceg, taking him down again. This time, Erceg curled onto his stomach and the fight was over.

Nominated: Wiktoria Czyzewska def. Erianny Castaneda at KSW 97

A potentially major future female flyweight prospect added another highlight to her early career when (autotag)Wiktoria Czyzewska(/autotag) fired up Erianny Castaneda with a killer kick.

The 20-year-old Polish fighter Czyzewska (4-1) delivered the perfect right headbutt in the opening round of her matchup with Castaneda. The shot knocked Castaneda out on impact, and Czyzewska maintained her 100 percent career knockout percentage.

Nominee: Wang Cong defeated Victoria Leonardo at UFC on ESPN 62

“I’m going to win. I’m crazy,” is the promise (autotag)Wang Cong(/autotag) made to Victoria Leonardo during their pre-match confrontation – while he was wearing paint to resemble the Joker.

Cong (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made good on that promise when she knocked Leonardo out with a single right punch, all in just 62 seconds of fighting in the women’s flyweight division.

Nominated: Marion Santos def. Kaan Ofli at UFC on ESPN 62

The featherweight class of “The Ultimate Fighter 32” has officially concluded and the newest champion of the long-running reality series has been crowned in (autotag) Mairon Santos(/autotag).

Santos (15-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) crushed Kaan Ofli with an ultra-violent knockout in the second round. He perfectly timed a hellish blow to send his opponent slumping to the mat, leaving Ofli with no chance to recover.

The winner

The Winner: Carlos Prates Defeats Li Jingliang at UFC 305

UFC welterweight (autotag) Carlos Prates(/autotag) can celebrate his birthday in style after passing the toughest test of his career to date against Li Jingliang.

After a thrilling end to round 1, Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) gave Jingliang the finishing touch with a merciless knockout at the 4:02 mark of round 2.

Hard punches from Prates arrived late in round 1, when he rocked Jingliang more than once. “The Leech,” known for his hard chin, kept firing back to see out the next frame.

Without haste, Prates continued his attack and eventually found a combination of punches to shake Jingliang again. A final blow sent Jingliang to the canvas.

With the victory, Prates extends his winning streak to 10. The Brazilian made his debut in February after a stoppage victory last August on Dana White’s Contender Series. Through three fights, Prates has stopped everyone in front of him. Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke and now Jingliang have all been stopped early by Prates’ strikeout.

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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month for August: Li Jingliang Gets First Knockout Courtesy of Carlos Prates