What’s the difference between a TKO & KO in MMA & Boxing?

If you’re a fan of combat sports, then there’s a chance you’ll have heard of the terms TKO or KO at some point. These are commonly used and describe some of the methods to victory. Specifically, you’re most likely to hear TKO and KO during boxing or MMA fights. However, you can also score a KO in other sports settings, such as in Taekwondo and other martial arts that involve strikes.

Sound confusing? It’s not actually as bad it sounds and for the most part, a TKO simply means when the ref has had to step in and end the fight, whereas a KO is much easier to call.

Here, we shall go through the difference between a TKO and KO, both in a boxing and MMA setting.

What does TKO mean?

TKO stands for ‘technical knockout’ and is slightly different from a regular KO. Basically, a TKO is determined by the ref whose job it is to interpret the severity of the damage done to the fighter. For instance, a TKO is given when a fighter is still conscious. Bizarrely, some people believe that TKO means ‘total knockout’ which is a misconception.

An example of this could be seen in MMA. For instance, a fighter may not be able to defend themselves from strikes. Whilst this is the case, if they’re still conscious then the ref may call it early to protect the fighter from further damage, and as an act of mercy.

In boxing, a TKO has a slightly different meaning. Normally, this is when a boxer has gotten up after being knocked down, but cannot walk or talk coherently enough within the 10 count. At this point, the ref must decide whether the fighter is fit enough to carry on. Like MMA, a boxing TKO is given when a fighter is badly damaged, but not quite unconscious or knocked out completely.

What does KO mean?

The term KO means ‘knockout’ and is used to describe when a fighter is knocked unconscious. This happens when a punch (or kick) is so hard that it temporarily shuts down the brain before the fighter eventually wakes up.

In other words, a KO is more definitive compared to a TKO, and there’s less room for the interpretation of a referee. In fact, a KO is the same in both MMA and boxing and has no real differences. As you may have figured, a KO is more definitive compared to a TKO.

Difference between a TKO in boxing and MMA

Where the two sports are most different is their interpretation of the TKO during their respective fights. For instance, in a boxing match, a TKO can be given if a fighter cannot make the count. During this point, the fighter is not vulnerable to punches and is safe. They’re given the chance to continue fighting, but only if they can prove to the ref that they’re worthy – given the time frame.

In an MMA fight, the TKO is different. There is no stoppage or timer, instead the fight continues. Here, a TKO is given if a fighter is not defending themselves or actively escaping. At this point, they will be stopped by the ref – who has to make a personal judgment call on the safety of the fighter, and whether they can realistically improve their position.

Are TKOs controversial in MMA?

Due to the nature of the boxing TKO, there’s little room for controversy. As mentioned, the ref doesn’t have much of a say and it’s mostly judged by time and then the coherence of the fighter. At this point, the ref isn’t much involved and their call is pretty clear and obvious.

However, a TKO in MMA is much less clear and is down to the interpretation of the ref. This means that sometimes, referees can get it badly wrong. In some cases, a referee will call a fight way too quickly when the fighter is capable of defending themselves and improving their position. Rightly, fighters will feel badly judged in these scenarios and have a sense of injustice.

At the same time, a late TKO is arguably even worse, as by then the fighter may have suffered life threatening brain damage. Sometimes, you may see a ref fail to step in and call a TKO, much to the annoyance of the crowd. Thankfully, a good ref will not let this happen, but it certainly goes on.

Why are knockouts judged differently?

Although MMA and boxing are similar, they also have very different rules – and one of them is to do with submissions. In MMA, a fighter can get submitted if they tap to a hold, which usually means a choke or joint lock is being used. Obviously, this isn’t done in boxing.

So, if there is a submission approaching, then a referee will continue the fight whereas in boxing, this isn’t legal. As a result, there’s no need to stop an MMA fight because a fighter can still get submitted, whereas this is impossible in boxing.

The second reason isn’t about rules and is to do with the culture. Historically speaking, boxing has seen itself as less barbaric compared to MMA. As a result, it often has more rules and regulations, especially compared to when MMA was in its infancy.

Whilst MMA has grown a lot since its early days, it’s still less rule-bound compared to boxing. This can be a positive or negative, depending on your viewpoint. Anyway, the outcome is that you won’t see an MMA fight stopped like you would in a boxing match. This is because boxing sees itself more as a sport, whereas MMA sees itself more as a fight.

What is the fastest KO ever?

Undoubtedly, the KO is a great way to score a quick win. However, getting a quick KO is harder than it looks. Usually, there’s either a huge skill gap or a big slice of luck which results in an early knockout.

In boxing, the quickest ever recorded KO was in 1947 when Pat Brownson was knocked out by Mike Collins in just 4 seconds. To this day, the record has not been beaten.

In MMA, the fastest ever recorded KO was done by Jorge Masvidal against Ben Askren in 2019. This took 5 seconds to accomplish and was done by a flying knee to the face. This also shows that you don’t need to punch someone to knock them out under MMA rules.

What is a double knockout?

Generally speaking, a double knockout is incredibly rare, but they can happen from time to time. This is when each fighter hits the other at the same time and knocks themselves out. For instance, if one fighter through a right hook whilst the other simultaneously through a left hook then theoretically, they could land punches at the same time.

If they both got knocked out then this would be scored as a draw. However, you could also get a case in boxing where one fighter gets up, survives the count, and goes on to win. In reality, the chance of witnessing a double knockout is very rare but not impossible.

What is a knockdown?

As the term suggests, a knockdown is different from a knockout. Basically, this is when someone gets knocked to the canvas but quickly gets back up again. This is not to be confused with a knockout, where a fighter loses consciousness.

Typically in combat sports, a knockdown is seen as a pretty big deal, without drastically changing a fight like a KO or TKO would. For instance, if one fighter gets knocked down a lot and the fight goes to the judge’s decision, then the same fighter is more likely to lose. This is because knockdowns score points and show that a fighter has been hurt.

A classic example of a knockdown could be seen in the Tyson Fury fight against Deontay Wilder. Here, many people thought that Fury had been knocked out and Wilder was even celebrating. However, Fury eventually got back up in a dramatic fashion.

Examples of KOs

In MMA, one of the most brutal knockouts ever was probably witnessed when Dan Henderson knocked out Mike Bisping in the UFC. Whilst Henderson had already knocked out Bisping with a big hook, he then followed up with a flying superman punch whilst Bisping was lying unconscious on the floor. This wasn’t out of malice by Henderson but was a natural reaction to make sure he’d win the fight. Sadly for Bisping, he would have taken a lot of damage in the process.

Examples of TKOs

Perhaps the best example of a TKO in MMA was seen when Dustin Poirier defeated Conor McGregor in their trilogy fight. Here, McGregor was knocked down due to breaking his leg. This happened by an earlier kick thrown by the Irishman which landed awkwardly and afterward, he couldn’t stand properly. After this, he wobbled and fell to the floor. Quickly, the ref noticed that McGregor could no longer fight so he sensibly ended the fight and called it a TKO in favor of Porier.

Victory by doctor’s stoppage

Discounting submissions (which aren’t allowed in boxing), there is another way to win which is by a doctor’s stoppage. For example, a fighter could have broken their arm and wants to continue, but the doctor intervenes.
A common reason for a stoppage by the doctor is due to suspecting a concussion. Sometimes, the doctor will check the eyes of a fighter and if they deem it too unsafe to continue, then the fight will end there and then.

Normally, the fighter with the health problem will be declared the loser. However, sometimes they can get this successfully overturned if there’s enough evidence, which can result in a no contest. This looks better on the fighter’s record, as it technically doesn’t count as a loss, whereas a doctor’s stoppage is viewed as a loss.

Conclusion

To summarize, a KO is when a fighter is knocked unconscious and the fighter is deemed the loser. This differs from a TKO, which is where a fighter is still conscious but the fight is stopped as they’re deemed to have taken too much damage by the ref.

Because of this, it’s fair to say that a KO is seen as a more dominant way of victory, compared to a TKO which is still seen as a win, but is less conclusive and it has room for some personal interpretation.

It should also be noted that in particular, the technicalities of a TKO differ from sport to sport and highlight how different interpretations of the rules shape certain martial arts and fighting styles.