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MMAjunkie’s ‘Knockout of the Month’ for October 2014 (and it wasn't really close)

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at the best knockouts from October. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and the winner of MMAjunkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for October 2014.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Knockout of the Month.”

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The nominees

Mike Wilkinson def. Niklas Backstrom at UFC Fight Night 53

Niklas Backstrom (8-1 MMA 1-1 UFC) appeared to be in control of featherweight Mike Wilkinson (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) before he threw a lazy front kick that marked the beginning of the end at UFC Fight Night 53. Wilkinson avoided the kick and responded with a counter right hand that dropped his Swedish foe in a heap. The original punch was likely enough to halt the action, but Wilkinson followed up with a flurry on the ground to put an exclamation point on the win.

Albert Tumenov def. Matt Dwyer at UFC Fight Night 54

Albert Tumenov (14-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) overcame a significant height and reach disadvantage to welterweight Matt Dwyer (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) en route to a brutal head-kick knockout win at UFC Fight Night 54. Tumenov dropped the UFC newcomer not once, but twice, with a pair of accurate high kicks to earn the finish in just 63 seconds.

Stephen Langdown def. Raymond Tan at ONE FC 21

Stephen Langdown (2-1) used a variety of techniques to take out bantamweight Raymond Tan (2-3) at ONE FC 21. It all started with a flurry of elbows as Tan’s back was pressed against the fence. Lagdown forced his opponent to drop to a knee to avoid damage, but he positioned himself to receive even more. Tan walked directly into the fight-ending flurry as Langdown connected with a series of knees followed by two brutal soccer kicks to his downed opponent.

Ev Ting def. Edward Kelly at ONE FC 21

Also at ONE FC 21, Ev Ting (8-2) appeared on his way to an underwhelming decision loss before he turned the tables with a devastating head-kick knockout of featherweight Edward Kelly (5-2). Kelly was determined to press Ting against the cage at all costs. That strategy worked for the majority of the first two rounds, but just as the pace slowed and the second round neared an end, Ting connected with a perfectly placed right kick to Kelly’s jaw.

Damacio Page def. Brian Hall at Legacy FC 36

Damacio Page (19-9) picked up the Legacy FC flyweight title with a hellacious first-round knockout of Brian Hall (7-3). Page’s will was tested early when he ate a handful a crisp punches from his opponent. It didn’t take him long to flip the script, though, when one perfectly place overhand right caught Hall flush on the jaw and dropped him stone cold to the mat.

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The winner: Damacio Page

damacio-page-ufcMMA’s flyweight division receives a lot of criticism for its lack of finishes, but Page is bucking the trend with his ridiculous one-strike power, which he displayed in his Legacy FC 36 finish of Hall.

Although it took less than two minutes to land a perfect overhand right for the knockout, Page isn’t entirely impressed with how he started the fight.

“I’m not known as a slow starter, but for some reason, I had the ‘Cowboy’ (Donald Cerrone) syndrome,” Page told MMAjunkie. “I had to get punched a couple times to turn it on, and that’s what happened. He got me good behind the ear twice, and it got my motor running. I thought, ‘We’re in a fight now.’ I set up the double jab. Then I did a muay Thai technique where I pulled down his arm. Then I just launched the overhand right, and it landed perfect. It was pretty academic.”

The contest was over the second Page’s fist landed. Hall crashed to the mat, and Page walked away in victory. While it was clear to viewers the fight was done after the initial blow, Page said he wasn’t convinced until he saw his opponent’s head bounce off the canvas.

“I really wasn’t sure (if he was out),” Page said. “I saw the punch land, but it didn’t hurt (my hand). You can’t feel the impact, and you know those are the ones that landed perfect. I could see his eyes roll wide, and I knew that stunned him. Then about a tenth of a second later, he was falling back, and I knew he was out. I’m glad I didn’t hit him again after because it would have been bad.”

Page is no stranger to brutal knockouts, but his finish of Hall was among the most memorable of his career, especially considering the Legacy FC championship was on the line.

It’s hard for Page to rank his career knockouts, but he said the Hall win sits near the top of the list. In a month that saw fights end with punches, knees to the head and soccer kicks, Page’s knockout was deemed the best by the MMAjunkie staff, and the 32-year-old said he’s honored by the distinction.

“I don’t know if it’s my best, but it’s up there,” Page said. “I’ve had a lot of knockouts, a lot of one-punch knockouts, and it’s up there. Every knockout is memorable, so it’s hard to say because they were all spectacular in their own little way. It’s up there.

“There were some awesome knockouts this month. There wasn’t too much one-punch ones like that, but there was a lot of kicks, spinning back kicks and stuff like that, but it’s very rare that you see a one-punch knockout from a flyweight.”

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