In this list we are taking a look at a beautiful and graceful technique which is the epitome of the proverbial ‘ballet of violence’: the soccer kick.
There has been an ongoing debate within the worldwide community of mixed martial arts in regards to the rule set concerning kicks to the head of a downed opponent (otherwise known as soccer kicks) and the use of elbows. The facts seem to be mutually agreed upon while the institution of one technique (kicks to the head of a downed opponent) rather than the other (the use of elbows as a striking option) seems to be where the disagreement lies.
Elbows, for the most part, lack the ability to render a combatant unconscious, ergo ending the fight, and by and large cause superficial damage resulting in cuts and blood loss. Kicks to the head of a downed opponent on the other hand, although much more violent in appearance, generate sufficient enough force to render an opponent unconscious putting a stop to the bout. The general consensus seems to be to allow one and not the other. Below are five of the most brutal yet beautiful soccer kick knockouts in mma.
5) Ze Wu vs Zhang You Liang
In this bout at One FC 38 we watch as Ze Wu unleashes a barrage of soccer kicks to the head of Liang. None of the kicks were powerful enough to put Liang out indefinitely but this onslaught of kicks causes enough cumulative damage for the referee to finally decide that Liang had enough and call an end to the bout.
4) Mike Kyle vs Brian Olsen
Mike Kyle finds himself on this list solely based on the fact that the soccer kick he executed against Brian Olsen was a thing of beauty; unfortunately for him however; it was against the rules. Putting aside the fact that this was a dirty and cheap shot move at the time it occurred (and he has a storied history of being a dirty fighter; he made that list as well which you can find here…) it is still one of the top soccer kick knockouts mma has seen.
3) Gianni Subba vs Bruce Loh
Hailing from Phuket Top Team and making his professional debut, Gianni Subba entered the One FC cage intent on proving that he belonged…and boy did he ever! After a counter left hook sent his opponent, Loh, to the canvas Subba gets a running start before landing a perfectly executed soccer kick…did I happen to mention that this kid is only 19?
2) Igor Vovchanchyn vs Adilson Lima
Igor Vovchanchyn is a mixed martial arts legend with more than 60 professional bouts under his belt dating back to the early 90s. Known for his devastating power and relentless will he was a force to be reckoned with for nearly two decades. Below we see one of his earlier matches which is was his second fight in a 16-man tournament back in 1995 which employed few rules (notice they are not wearing any gloves) and the winner would ultimately have fought four matches in a single night! Here we watch as Igor does his very best to soccer kick Lima’s head into the nosebleed section of the arena.
1) Filip Pejic vs ZoltanTuri
The most recent entry in our list of top soccer kicks is from October 30, 2015 and took place at FFC 20 in Zagreb, Croatia and takes the coveted numero uno spot on our list. The differentiating factor in this fight is the sheer display of violence and the consistent approach Filip took while soccer kicking Turi to Bolivia. What the entire video reveals is that the two soccer kicks that ended the bout where on the tail end of an astonishing nine, yes Nine, kicks to poor Zoltan’s head.
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