Alexa Grasso's knockout of Maycee Barber wins mid-2026 honors

Alexa Grasso's first-round demolition of Maycee Barber in Seattle earned recognition as MMA Fighting's knockout of the midyear, topping a list that included Carlos Ulberg's improbable title-winning finish and an amateur sequence never seen before.

Grasso clipped Barber with a left hand midway through the opening round at UFC Seattle in March, then followed with a right cross that twisted Barber's body and sent her crashing to the canvas, according to MMA Fighting's Damon Martin. Grasso latched onto a rear-naked choke as Barber fell, though replays confirmed the punch had already rendered her unconscious. The bout was stopped moments later. The finish marked a rematch between the two flyweights — Grasso had won their 2021 meeting by decision — and came after Grasso's loss to Natalia Silva stalled her path back to title contention.

Ulberg's torn ACL finish earns second place

Ulberg's knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327 landed at number two despite the New Zealand striker suffering a knee injury early in the first round. Limping and barely able to stand, Ulberg was expected to either succumb to leg kicks or face a doctor stoppage between rounds. Instead, Prochazka charged forward and walked into a check left hook that flattened him and ended the fight. Ulberg confirmed afterward he tore his ACL during the bout but still managed to claim the vacant heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight title.

Rounding out the top three was Gabriel Peinado's amateur knockout of Santiago Gonzales at an Empire Championship Series event in March. Peinado threw a double punch from his back that connected clean, reversed position to mount, and finished Gonzales with ground strikes 49 seconds into the opening round. MMA Fighting noted the sequence as one of the most unusual finishes in recent memory, though conceded such a technique would rarely work at the sport's highest levels.

The UFC has not announced Grasso's next opponent, though a potential title eliminator remains possible if Silva defends the flyweight belt successfully later this year.

Photo: La Tribuna / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — MMA Fighting’s 2026 Knockout of the Midyear: Alexa Grasso goes scorched earth on Maycee Barber | MMA Fighting