UFC middleweight Joaquin Buckley stole the show at UFC Fight Island 5. He earned what the MMA community sees as the consensus ‘KO of the Year’. Not to mention several fans, fighters and MMA pundits consider his spinning back kick to be the best KO in company history. ‘New Mansa’s spinning attack knocked Impa Kasanganaya into oblivion and secured him a performance bonus.
Twitter reacts to highlight-reel sensation in Joaquin Buckley
Buckley’s sensational win floored former two-division UFC champion, Daniel Cormier. Moreover, ‘DC’ immediately lauded the KO as perhaps the craziest he’s ever seen.
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I mean I’ve seen some shit in mma, but that may be the craziest knockout ever!!!! Dude got some bonus money coming his way!!!!
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) October 10, 2020
Stockton’s second son Nate Diaz usually isn’t one to chime in on Twitter come fight night; however, Diaz couldn’t resist Joaquin’s KO.
💯
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) October 10, 2020
Middleweight king Israel Adesanya was quick to call-out Joaquin Buckley’s performance of being ‘bonus worthy’ Additionally, there was chatter online that his finish win was worthy of all four performance bonuses.
That move.
That’s 50 G’s!— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) October 10, 2020
Famed ESPN reporters Ariel Helwani and Marc Raimondi couldn’t help but laud Joaquin Buckley’s impressive KO. Furthermore, there’s no doubt that the finish has made him an overnight star in the company.
Ok. Wrap it up. This is the KO of the year. HOLY SMOKES. pic.twitter.com/8nzxfCMLEm
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 10, 2020
I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before in MMA. Take a bow, Joaquin Buckley. KO of the Year candidate. #UFCFightIsland5
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) October 10, 2020
‘New Mansa’ likened his KO to a ‘Wakanda Style’ finish in his post-fight interview. However, Francis Ngannou believed it came under a different category altogether.
Some crazy NINJA sh*t 😳.
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) October 10, 2020
‘The Highlight’ himself, Justin Gaethje gave Buckley’s win massive credit as he exalted it to be the best KO of the year. What’s more, this is high praise coming from someone like Gaethje who’s a master of putting on a show.
Wow we just witnessed the best KO of 2020 @ufc
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) October 10, 2020
Several notable fighters and personalities came out to give the middleweight his due after putting on a show-stopping finish.
That shit is 55 Gs not 50 there’s levels in fashion
— Chito Vera (@chitoveraUFC) October 10, 2020
That may be better than the showtime kick
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) October 10, 2020
Hang time head kick? #UFCFightIsland5
— Niko Price (@Nikohybridprice) October 10, 2020
INSANE!!#Repost @ufc with @Rep0stApp
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SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE 🤯 Is this the greatest KO in UFC history!? #UFCFightIsland5 https://t.co/XCNaBCiWkm— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) October 11, 2020
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What’s more, Buckley’s opponent, Impa Kasanganay took to Instagram and provided an update to fans about his well-being after the fight. He suffered a brutal KO loss, but he was all class and wished his opponent well.
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The night of fights at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs Sandhagen will stick out for several reasons, none more so than Joaquin’s KO. With 2020 almost in the books, the consensus is that the spinning back kick KO will go unbeaten. Do you agree with this?