Within the first few seconds of Joaquin Buckley’s bout with Impa Kasanganay in October, you knew something special was about to happen. Both middleweights came out swinging, landing hard punches and body kicks on each other in the opening minute.
“Buckley is a wrecking ball!” UFC commentator John Gooden said.
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“Every time this young man comes out to fight, he throws heat to take your head off!” Paul Felder said a moment later.
Little did they know the craziness was just beginning.
Two minutes into the second round, Buckley swung his left leg in the direction of Kasanganay’s head. Kasanganay, in defense, grabbed Buckley’s left foot with his left hand. Balancing only on his right leg, Buckley leaped off the ground, spun around and sent his right foot backward into Kasanganay’s face.
Kasanganay’s eyes rolled back. So did his body, falling onto the mat before the referee blew the fight over. The decision to contort his body and land such a vicious strike earned Buckley The Athletic’s Knockout of the Year — and one of the best finishes in UFC history.
KO of the Year! 🔓
Go all angles on @NewMansa94's masterpiece 😳
[ #UFCFightIsland5 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/1ywVZzin5U
— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2020
No matter what Buckley achieves in the coming years, he’ll always be remembered for that kick. It’s like Anthony Pettis’ “Showtime Kick,” when he climbed the cage against Benson Henderson, or Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee on Ben Askren. Even if he wins a UFC belt, that one second in the cage will likely remain his most memorable moment.
He told The Athletic’s Shaheen Al-Shatti that a police officer on a train the next week checked his ticket — but not before recognizing him because of his knockout.
“He was like, ‘Ahhh! You’re that one guy that did that kick?’” Buckley said, laughing.
There were many great knockouts in 2020, even in an abbreviated year of fights, but nothing was close to Buckley’s destruction of Kasanganay. It was so distinctive, so wild. More than anything, it confirmed why we love watching MMA: Anything is possible at any moment. Don’t blink.
Runner-up: Holland KOs Souza
Usually, you don’t want to end up on your back against a jiu-jitsu legend like Jacare Souza. One wrong move and you’re either being choked out or having a limb twisted dangerously in the wrong direction. Kevin Holland, The Athletic’s Breakout Fighter of the Year, wasn’t worried.
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One minute and 45 seconds into their UFC 256 middleweight bout on Dec. 12, Holland found himself by the cage on the mat. Souza, in his guard, started to throw punches from on top but was momentarily stunned by a hammer fist by Holland. After pushing off just enough, Holland had space and landed a right hook to Souza’s jaw from the ground. He followed with more shots before the referee stepped in.
Kevin Holland punches Jacare Souza in their middleweight bout during UFC 256 in December. (Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC)
Knockouts from a standing position happen often. From the bottom like that? Rarely. Holland’s devastating finish punctuated his exceptional year — five wins since April! — with one of the best KOs of the year.
Honorable mention: Garbrandt KOs Assuncao
It doesn’t feel that long ago that Cody Garbrandt was known as the next potential MMA superstar. He dominated longtime bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 at the end of 2016 to become 11-0 as a professional and seemingly had everything needed — skill set, look, bravado — to ascend to that incredibly high status.
But flash forward to early 2020 and Garbrandt was riding a three-fight losing streak — two to TJ Dillashaw, who was later suspended two years for using performance-enhancing drugs. Questions arose whether Garbrandt was even a contender in his own division anymore.
That changed in June. Garbrandt looked as sharp as ever against longtime bantamweight Raphael Assuncao, displaying speed, footwork and precision on his strikes. With seconds left in the second round, he had his back up against the cage. After dodging one punch by Assuncao, Garbrandt landed a right hook that immediately sent his opponent to the ground to end the bout early.
That put him back on the map and has him in position for a potential title shot.
ARE YOU KIDDING!? 😱
Cody Garbrandt (-155) with the walk-off KO at the buzzer❗️pic.twitter.com/pTCTdhjntA
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 7, 2020
(Top photo: Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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