Knockout
In combat sports, ending a bout by a strike that leaves the opponent unable to continue.
Definition
A knockout, often shortened to KO, is a way of winning a fight in sports such as boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts. It occurs when a legal strike drops an opponent who is then unable to rise and continue within the count, or is otherwise judged unable to defend themselves, ending the contest immediately.
A related result is the technical knockout (TKO), where the bout is stopped without a full count, for example by the referee. The word "knockout" is also used more loosely to describe a tournament format in which the loser of each match is eliminated.
Where you’ll hear “knockout”
Sports that use this term:
Boxing
A striking combat sport built on footwork, timing and conditioning, practised from fitness drills to controlled sparring.
Kickboxing
A striking combat sport that combines punches and kicks, popular for fitness, focus and a full-body workout.
Muay Thai
A striking combat sport using fists, elbows, knees and shins, often trained for fitness and skill.
Mixed Martial Arts
A combat sport that blends striking and grappling from several disciplines into one all-round skill set.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Knockout in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Commonly confused with
Close enough to be mixed up — the distinction is worth knowing.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Knockout to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Equipment
- Boxing glovesPadded gloves worn to cover the hands when punching in boxing and striking sports.
- Padel racketA solid, stringless perforated racket used to play padel.
- BasketballA large, inflated ball with a dimpled surface used to play basketball.
- Badminton racketA lightweight strung racket used to hit the shuttlecock in badminton.
- Football (soccer ball)A round, inflated ball used to play association football and futsal.
Officiating
- JudgeA judge is an official who scores performance in judged sports, awarding marks for execution and difficulty rather than counting goals or timing a race.
- TimekeeperThe timekeeper is the official who runs a contest's clock — starting and stopping time, timing rounds, races and periods, and signalling when time expires.
- RefereeThe primary on-field official who enforces the rules, controls play, penalises fouls, awards restarts, and blows the whistle to start and stop a match.
- Foul callA foul call is an official's ruling that a player broke a rule of contact or conduct, triggering a penalty such as a free kick, free throw or penalty.
Player roles
- Utility playerA dependable, versatile player who can competently fill several different positions as the team needs, rather than specialising in just one.
- Ball-winnerA ball-winner is the player tasked with regaining possession through pressing, tackling and interceptions — a team's tireless defensive workhorse.
- PlaymakerThe playmaker is a team's creative hub — the player who orchestrates attacks, controls the tempo and distributes the ball so teammates can score.
- Target playerA target player is a focal attacker who receives, holds up and links play for others, often physically strong and good in the air or with the hands.
Movement comparisons
- Kick vs StrikeKick vs Strike: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
- Push vs StrikePush vs Strike: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
- Strike vs ThrowStrike vs Throw: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
- Acceleration vs DecelerationAcceleration vs Deceleration: how these two movements differ, what they share, and how to tell them apart — from mechanics to the sports that use them.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-08-04
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