Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
- Joaquin Buckley’s quick-thinking jump spinning back kick knockout win over Impa Kasanganay has seemingly wowed everybody who saw it.
- Moments after Buckley left his middleweight opponent stiff, concussed, and defeated, he turned to the UFC commentators.
- You can see their reactions in the photograph below as they stood on the other side of the fence with mouths open and arms above their head.
- Even the UFC president Dana White was blown away by the performance and told an almost-teary Buckley that his phone has been blowing up because people are telling him to pay the fighter every bonus imaginable.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The photo above perfectly encapsulates how stunning Joaquin Buckley’s second-round knockout over Impa Kasanganay was.
Buckley, a 26-year-old American, showed striking ingenuity during his “Fight Island” match against his middleweight opponent by leaving Kasanganay stiff, concussed, and defeated with a jump spinning back kick — one of only four finishes of its kind in UFC history.
Moments after the awesome, jaw-dropping finish Saturday, Buckley turned to UFC commentators who were Octagonside at the behind-closed-doors Flash Forum venue on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Their reactions tell you everything you need to know.
With mouths open and arms in the air, they couldn’t quite seem to believe what they had just seen. The UFC’s official social media channel called the stoppage “the most unbelievable KO in UFC history.”
And the UFC president Dana White was also blown away as he approached Buckley in the middle of one of the fighters' post-event media obligations.
"Aw, no, you're going to make me cry," said Buckley as he saw White.
The UFC awarded Buckley with a $50,000 performance-related bonus, but White told the striker people were telling him to give him every bonus imaginable.
"I always talk about when you're on a card … how do you stand out?" White told Buckley.
"My phone is blowing up. Everybody is saying, 'Just give him $200,000 tonight. Give him every bonus.'
"Nobody has ever seen anything like that. [the UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby texted me and said, 'Write him a check right now for $50,000 and go give it to him before he gets out.
"Incredible."
Watch the exchange here:
—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 11, 2020
With victory, Buckley advanced his professional MMA record to 11 wins (eight knockouts and three decisions) against three losses.
Read more: