Things can go south quickly in MMA. One moment you’re trying to defend a bodylock, the next you’re flying through the air as your opponent slams you to the mat! That’s exactly what happened when Lawrence Phillips stepped into the ONE Championship ring and unleashed a slam heard around the world. The video was recently shared again on Instagram by the promotion’s official account with the caption, “Have you ever seen a SLAM KO like THIS?”
The fight? It was short and brutal. At a One Championship Friday Fights event in Bangkok in 2023, Phillips needed only 18 seconds to add his name to the list of jaw-dropping MMA moments. After a body kick from his opponent, Ben Parker, Phillips closed the distance, locked his arms around Parker’s midsection, lifted him like a bag of potatoes, and slammed him down into the mat!
Parker lay motionless. No follow-up needed. The ref didn’t even hesitate. And fans knew exactly what they’d seen. For many, the brutal slam triggered a rush of MMA memories, flashbacks to the raw power of Tito Ortiz, the rage-fueled ‘rampage’ of Quinton Jackson, and the night Evan Tanner’s lights went out in seconds.
In the wild world of MMA, slams are rare. Slams that end fights instantly? Even rarer. Back in 2004, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson obliterated Ricardo Arona with a power bomb in PRIDE after eating one too many heel kicks. The MMA legend confessed in a later interview, “If the referee was on his s—, he could’ve called the fight. So, that p— me off. If you go back and watch the fight, it was right after that I powerbombed him.”
And who could forget Tito Ortiz’s monster slam against Evan Tanner at UFC 30? So when the clip of Phillips doing the same to Parker resurfaced, it was deja vu in the most violent way possible. Here’s a look at what the netizens had to say!
Fans left stunned as One Championship’s “Slam KO” leaves them with nostalgic flashbacks
One fan wrote, “Imagine his kids watching… damn near rock bottomed this man.” The comment painted a vivid, almost cinematic picture. And the Dwayne Johnson reference? It wasn’t just for laughs, it captured the sheer velocity and spectacle of the throw that resembled a pro-wrestling finisher rather than an MMA fight!
Another fan said, “Pancaked that man.” An apt description of the aftermath of the throw, to say the least. In the clip, Phillips is so tight in the body-lock that he head-butts Parker in the face as they land on the ground. A slam and a head-butt combo? Who wouldn’t resemble a “pancake” that?
A nostalgic viewer chimed in, “Rampage Jackson v Ricardo Arona vibe.” For old-school fans, this was the clearest comparison. Both slams happened in a moment of total control, total commitment. In both cases, the fighter doing the slamming knew they had only one shot, and they took it with bad intentions.
Another observed, “Sheesh, that’s a headbutt too tho.” Intentional or not, that kind of impact can end careers. It was a reminder of just how dangerous the sport can be, especially when gravity joins the fight. What do you think?
One viewer went even deeper, writing, “Tito Ortiz vs Evan Tanner comes to mind. RIP.” This wasn’t just a reference, it was a tribute. Tanner, who tragically passed away in 2008 during a solo desert expedition, was known for his grit and winning the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 51. Seeing a slam so similar to the one that knocked him out brought back emotional memories for fans who followed his journey. It wasn’t just a throwback. It was a haunting parallel.
To wrap things up, these slams are more than just highlights. They’re reminders of what makes MMA so visceral, so unpredictable, and so unforgettable. One wrong move, one mistimed kick, and you’re airborne, then unconscious. And just like that, a fighter becomes a memory, and a moment becomes myth. So as the dust settles on another viral knockout, one question lingers: Was this the best slam KO since ‘Rampage’ and Tito Ortiz? What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The post “RIP”: MMA World Watches in Horror as ONE Championship Slam KO Brings Back Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson Memories appeared first on EssentiallySports.
