Knockout of the Week: Marcus ‘Lelo’ Aurelio’s Flying Switch Kick

(Props: TheBattlefieldFight via MiddleEasy)

And here we have Marcus ‘Lelo’ Aurelio scissor-kicking Jose Cornejo’s head in mid-air like he was trying to score the winning goal for Brazil. The stoppage came just 43 seconds into their meeting at Saturday’s Battlefield Fight League event in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. Fun fact: Lelo is the very same dude who pulled off that insane capoeira kick knockout against Keegan Marshall in 2009. Good lord, get this guy on TUF already.

Capoeira’s Highlight Reel

Marcus “Lelo” Aurelio was already famous among fight fans for an earlier capoeira-style knockout, and this flying switch kick confirmed he was more than a one-hit wonder. His style, built on spinning, acrobatic strikes, showed that capoeira’s movements could work in real MMA fights when timed correctly.

Later fighters with capoeira backgrounds, including UFC contender Thiago “Marreta” Santos, brought those techniques to the sport’s biggest stages.