Joaquin Buckley scored one of the most incredible knockouts in UFC history against Impa Kasanganay on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 37.
Buckley (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) landed a spinning back kick off a caught kick in the second round of his middleweight bout with with Kasanganay (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), and it put him out upon impact at Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi.
Kasanganay froze when the shot landed before crashing to the canvas. Watch the video of the incredible finish below (via Twitter):
KO of the Year!
Go all angles on @NewMansa94‘s masterpiece
[ #UFCFightIsland5 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/1ywVZzin5U— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2020
Kasanganay stiffened up in a worrying fashion after the strike landed, but he eventually was able to recover and leave the octagon under his own power.
Buckley, meanwhile, put on a performance that will live in UFC highlight lore for years, and it was a thrilling way to get his hand raised in the octagon for the first time.
Buckley’s knockout was the fourth in UFC history to stem from a spinning back kick to the head. Renan Barao, Uriah Hall, and Magomed Mustafaev also accomplished the feat.