The UFC's Octagon has witnessed some jaw-dropping knockouts, but who delivers the fastest finishes? The race for the most first-round KOs is heating up!
UFC Vegas 113 is set to feature a rising star who's making waves in this department. Michal Oleksiejczuk, the Polish middleweight, has found a new home with the renowned Fighting Nerds team, and his career trajectory has taken a dramatic turn.
After a rough patch in 2024, where he suffered three consecutive losses, two by submission, Oleksiejczuk joined forces with the Fighting Nerds in 2025. This partnership sparked an incredible comeback, resulting in back-to-back first-round knockouts against Gerald Meerschaert and Sedriques Dumas.
And here's where it gets intriguing: Oleksiejczuk's overall UFC record might not be the most impressive at 9-7-1, but an astonishing 89% of his wins in the promotion have come via knockout. That's a statistic that demands attention!
But he's not alone in the pursuit of first-round dominance. Only two feared strikers, Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson and Vitor Belfort, have more first-round finishes in the UFC. Johnson, with nine, and Belfort, with eleven, are the benchmarks that Oleksiejczuk is chasing.
This weekend, at UFC Vegas 113, Oleksiejczuk has the chance to equal Johnson's record. He'll face Marc-Andre Barriault, a Canadian fighter known for his output. Interestingly, 33% of Barriault's UFC losses have come by knockout, with two of his three KO defeats occurring in consecutive fights in 2024.
As Oleksiejczuk aims to make history, the question remains: Can he maintain this knockout power and climb the ranks? And what does this mean for the future of the Fighting Nerds team? Share your predictions and thoughts in the comments below!
