The 2017 year is nearly over, and that means the mixed martial arts (MMA) world has gotten to witness some pretty awesome finishes inside the UFC's Octagon. 

Over the past 12 months the UFC has held some massive events, with great fights, and fierce finishes. We're here to show you the best and most vicious knockouts of the UFC year, featuring some of the biggest names in the sport. 

We've compiled a list of the top five knockouts in the UFC with just 15 days left in the year. Let's get it started:

5. Yair Rodriguez vs. BJ Penn: UFC Fight Night Phoenix

Our first knockout comes via the first UFC card of the year. On January 15, 2017, UFC Hall Of Famer BJ Penn made his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon by taking on one of the hottest young prospects in the featherweight division - Yair Rodriguez.

Rodriguez completely dominated Penn from the opening bell, and during the opening seconds of the second round Rodriguez landed a nice jumping kick followed by a hook that planted Penn.

After swarming on Penn for the ground-and-pound for several seconds, the ref called the fight off and Rodriguez was declared the winner. 

4. Alistair Overeem vs. Mark Hunt: UFC 209

In the opening fight of the UFC 209 main card on pay-per-view (PPV), heavyweight veterans Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem went to war. The bout surprisingly went to the third round after each man exchanged heavy shots.

Finally it was "The Reem" who clinched up with "The Super Samoan" against the cage, where he landed a vicious knee that shut Hunt's lights out. Hunt hit the deck like a ton of bricks and the referee waived the bout off quickly.

3. Holly Holm vs. Bethe Correia: UFC Fight Night Singapore

UFC Fight Night Singapore took place on June 17, 2017 and featured a match-up between two women who are no strangers to the UFC women's bantamweight title picture: Holly Holm and Bethe Correia.

Holm and Correia main evented the card and the Brazilian actually held her own up until the third round. Correia got a little too confident and began taunting before getting caught with a head-kick and punch that rendered her unconscious.

2. Edson Barboza vs. Beneil Dariush: UFC Fight Night Fortaleza 

Whenever Edson Barboza steps into the Octagon, there's a very good chance that you're going to see some fireworks. Barboza owns what is considered the most devastating knockout in UFC history from when he wheel kicked Terry Etim back in 2002.

His appearance at UFC Fight Night Fortaleza this past March was no different. After getting outclassed by Beneil Dariush for the majority of the fight, Barboza was able to land a vicious flying knee in opening seconds of the second round and destroy Dariush.

The knee couldn't have been timed or placed any more perfect, and as a result Dariush was rendered unconscious. 

1. Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem: UFC 218

You knew this would be here. Don't act so surprised. In the opening PPV of December top heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou got his real first taste of elite competition when he locked horns with Alistair Overeem.

After avoiding takedown attempts and shrugging off a clinch, Ngannou landed a hellacious uppercut that produced not only one of the most vicious knockouts of the year - but one of the most vicious of all time.

Overeem was hit so hard that his toes began to curl up in a super tight way. The knockout definitely put Ngannou on the map as a contender and earned him the next shot at the heavyweight throne.

What are your thoughts on our top five UFC knockouts of 2017 list? Who do you think got snubbed from the list? Who do you think doesn't deserve to be on the list? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!

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