Knockout of the Day: Justin Buchholz Snoozes Steve Lopez Via Front-Kick
(Props: SuperiorCageCombat)
Two Saturdays ago at Superior Cage Combat 1 in Las Vegas, lightweight UFC veteran Justin Buchholz became the third person since February to score a front-kick knockout in an MMA fight, which came in the closing minute of his headlining bout against Steve Lopez. In a bizarre and tragic coincidence, Lopez happens to be a member of the Xtreme Couture camp, just like Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort, who previously fell victim to the suddenly-hip technique in the UFC. Damn, those guys have to be spooked right now.
2011: Year of the Front Kick. Don’t try to fight it.
The Year of the Front Kick
Front-kick knockouts were the hottest finish in MMA in 2011. Anderson Silva started the trend by knocking out Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the face at UFC 126 in February, and Lyoto Machida ended Randy Couture‘s career with a jumping front kick at UFC 129 in April. Fighters at every level soon added the technique to their arsenal.