Thiago Santos is a madman. A berserker. A true finisher. Santos is also the next challenger for Jon Jones' UFC light heavyweight champion this Saturday at UFC 239.

During his run inside the Octagon, Santos has finished 11 of his opponents by knockout. He has done so in two different divisions.

He has power that is a threat to anyone who steps inside the cage against him. Yes, that includes Jones—although landing those shots on Jones is a different story that will write itself on Saturday. If he can connect, he may well become the next light heavyweight champion of the world. But it is a tall order.

Just how deadly is Santos with his strikes?

That is what you are here to find out. From body kicks to left hooks to head kicks, Santos has done it all. He is a danger with any appendage and boasts speed and power combined.

Selected are eight of his best finishes, ranked according to their violent nature, level of opposition and their importance to Santos' career.

No. 8: Nate Marquardt

UFC 198 (May 14, 2016): Santos def. Marquardt by KO at 3:39 of the first round

Nate Marquardt may have been well past his prime by 2016, but his name still resonated in the land of MMA. More importantly, he was coming off a KO win of his own against C.B. Dollaway five months earlier. Santos was still fighting a dangerous veteran of the sport.

But the power and speed of Santos proved too much.

Santos hurt Marquardt early, and it was evident this was his time and not Marquardt's.

A left hook sent Marquardt to the mat earlier, but it was an additional flurry that finally put Nate "The Great" face down. The referee came in and stopped the bout, but it was officially ruled a clean knockout. It marked a four-fight win streak for Santos and put him in the title hunt at 185 pounds.

Putting away a wily vet like Marquardt will be an achievement he can always hang his hat on throughout his career.

No. 7: Ronny Markes

UFC Fight Night 38 (March 23, 2014): Santos def. Markes by TKO at 0:53 of the first round

Santos got his UFC tenure off on the wrong foot with a submission loss to Cezar Ferreira at UFC 163, and his next match was against Ronny Markes, a solid fighter with a 14-2 record coming off a loss to Yoel Romero.

The buzz entering UFC Fight Night 38 was around Markes.

The UFC put this bout in its featured prelim spot to highlight Markes, who was the biggest favorite on the card at -750. Per BestFightOdds, Santos was as big as a +660 underdog by bell time.

That is a big reason why this is one of the most important finishes of Santos' career. He silenced the doubters and announced himself as a player on the big stage of the UFC.

A kick to the liver shut Markes down. A delayed reaction saw Markes back away and crumple the mat. Santos' killer instinct hit, and he followed up with hammerfists until Mario Yamasaki came in to save Markes from more punishment.

In less than a minute, Santos cashed out as a massive underdog and became a known threat.

No. 6: Eryk Anders

UFC Fight Night 137 (September 22, 2018): Santos def. Smith by TKO (referee stoppage) between the third and fourth rounds

This is the fight that truly began Santos' run toward a light heavyweight title shot.

Middleweights, at the time, Santos and Eryk Anders came in on short notice to replace Glover Teixeira and Jimi Manuwa, respectively. The UFC kept the fight at light heavyweight, and the two middleweights put on a thrilling show.

It was a back-and-forth fight with both men seeing success. Santos' calling card of heavy body kicks helped sap the cardio of Anders as the fight grew on, but he continued to push. Anders went back to the wrestling, overextending his cardio even more.

Santos closed out the third round lacing in elbows to the side of Anders' head. Anders was just hanging on to get to the end of the round. But he was so tired he collapsed and couldn't make it back to his corner, which forced the end of the fight.

While it's not a clean one-punch or kick knockout, it is undoubtedly impressive.

Santos came in on short notice and outworked his opponent to the point of exhaustion. Without the accumulation of damage, Anders would have remained active in the fight. It was Santos' offense and pace that wore him out and called an end to the incredible fight.

No. 5: Anthony Smith

UFC Fight Night 125 (February 3, 2018): Santos def. Smith by TKO at 1:03 of the second round

It is amazing to realize that at the beginning of 2018 both Anthony Smith and Santos were middleweights. And not even top contenders. A little more than a year later, both men will have had title shots against Jones.

Unsurprisingly, their matchup was deemed Fight of the Night at UFC Fight Night 125.

As has already been evident through the list of Santos' knockout performances, it is his body kicks that do true damage to his opponents. It was the same case here. After a fun first round, Santos nailed Smith with a kick to the body, and he doubled over in pain.

A furious rush of ground and pound came right after to force the referee to step in and stop the action.

A lot of focus is on the heavy hands on Santos, but when you reflect on what his greatest weapon may be, an argument could be had it is the kick to the body. He times and places them incredibly well, and when they land, they do incredible damage.

Saturday, we will see if Santos can defy all expectations and do what Smith could not—defeat the GOAT.

No. 4: Jack Marshman

UFC Fight Night 105 (February 19, 2017): Santos def. Marshman by TKO at 2:21 of the second round

Had this been a clean KO, it would likely top the list. But checking in at No. 4 is not shabby at all.

Santos utilized his kicks early in the fight against Jack Marshman. The former focused on leg and body kicks and even worked in his wrestling.

Marshman took some damage, but he gave some as well. An overhand right counter timed off of a Santos kick put the Brazilian in danger.

He recovered and survived the round.

Santos went to the body with a spinning kick in the first round, but this time he went high. A spinning heel kick caught Marshman cleanly, and he went down. Surprisingly, he wasn't unconscious. It wouldn't matter. Santos' quick ground and pound after hurting his opponent is devastating. Marshman couldn't stop it, and the referee had to step in to end the bout.

Santos will take some in order to give some, and it worked out in the end against Marshman.

No. 3: Jimi Manuwa

UFC 231 (December 8, 2018): Santos def. Manuwa by KO at 0:41 of the second round

Santos dropped Jimi Manuwa early, and although Manuwa survived, he would get hurt again later in the round. But the "Poster Boy" would not go away easily. He rebounded late in the round to hurt Santos. The action-packed first round was a microcosm of Santos' career to date.

Santos takes punishment. While it has cost him in the past and could cost him against Jones, it is his willingness to engage his opponents that opens windows of opportunity to find his own power shots that finish fights.

In the second round, as Manuwa threw an elbow off of a clinch break, Santos landed a left hook, knee combination that turned the tide for good. He began to throw heavy shots with Manuwa's back against the cage. As Manuwa tried to respond as Santos was out of range, Santos stepped back in with an uppercut. A left followed to finally shut out the lights.

While the Anders fight was not seen as a contender's bout at the time, there was no question that Santos' crushing KO over Manuwa put him into contention in the light heavyweight division.

No. 2: Jan Blachowicz

UFC Fight Night 145 (February 23, 2019): Santos def. Blachowicz by TKO at 0:39 of the third round

The main event of UFC Fight Night 145 was a battle of fresh contenders in the 205-pound division, and it turned out to be the night Santos earned himself a shot at gold.

Jan Blachowicz and Santos fought the first 10 minutes close. In the first, Santos was landing the heavier shots, but Blachowicz displayed a nice jab to score on his behalf. The second round was tighter, with Santos only having a one-punch lead on significant strikes, per UFC Stats.

But then the hammer came.

Blachowicz pressed forward, and while backing away, Santos leveled him with a left. The fight could have been called there, but the referee gave Blachowicz time to recover. Santos pounced and didn't give him that same chance. Hammerfists came one after another until the referee had no choice in the matter.

When a fighter hits the mat, Santos has an amazing ability to fire away shots without stopping for a breath to force the stoppage. It's raw power and unrelenting aggression on display.

No. 1: Steve Bosse

UFC Fight Night 70 (June 27, 2015): Santos def. Bosse by KO at 0:29 of the first round

There is no other choice for the top spot than the head kick KO over Steve Bosse.

It is the quickest knockout of Santos' career. It is also the cleanest, most vicious knockout in his UFC tenure.

Bosse was a former hockey enforcer on the ice and known for his heavy hands inside of the cage. But he did lack technique and finesse, something Santos exploited.

As Bosse pressed, Santos loaded up and stepped forward with a head kick. It landed perfectly. Bosse stiffened up as he fell toward the canvas in a heap of unconscious flesh. There was no doubt it was a Performance of the Night bonus winner.

While Bosse may not have been at the level of a Manuwa or Blachowicz, Santos has not had a more impressive or devastating KO during his UFC career. He is capable of landing that kick on anyone, and his list of knockouts shows that his kicks are his biggest weapon.

Santos will be looking for that one-shot KO to net him one of the biggest upsets in UFC history this weekend.