Watch: Absolutely Insane 'Tornado Kick' Leads to Sudden Knockout
Dean Martin once sang, “Like the fella once said, ‘Ain’t that a kick in the head?'”
And while Martin was singing about love, a far more literal interpretation of that lyric was on display in Romania on Friday night.
Eduard Gafencu, an up-and-coming kickboxer, faced off against Thomas Doeve at the Colosseum championship in Bucharest and, in the very first round of the fight, knocked out Doeve with a tornado kick.
Angular momentum can generate some impressive force, as anyone who’s ever seen a kid spinning a toy on a string through the air then smack himself in the face with it knows.
Here’s the kick from another angle, and it’s easier to see how the force behind it was generated and how Gafencu was able to put his foot on target without hitting the guard of Doeve.
TORNADO KICK KO by Eduard Gafencu at Colosseum IX in Bucharest. Wow. #ColosseumIX pic.twitter.com/2B8u5TsGtS
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 29, 2019
Watch as Gafencu lifts his kicking leg slightly on the first half-twist, like he’s going to deliver a standard roundhouse kick.
Doeve brings his hands up at that point, but when the expected strike does not come, he lowers his hands slightly to see what is happening in front of him.
By the time he realizes what is underway and gets his hands back up, it’s too late, and Gafencu sticks his heel right into Doeve’s temple, knocking him senseless and leading the referee to stop the fight.
Gafencu is now 3-0 with two knockouts in Colosseum competition and 9-0 with seven knockouts overall.
Will Gafencu’s talent for Muay Thai-style kickboxing eventually lead him down the path that could land him in the big-money fights of the UFC? Or will he stick to Colosseum-style tournaments where he doesn’t have to worry about learning a grappling or ground-and-pound game?
The still shot of the point of impact, captured in this tweet, shows just how effective Gafencu’s initial fake was at throwing off the defensive timing of Doeve.
Kickboxing Highlight Video: Eduard Gafencu Knocks Thomas Doeve Out Cold with Tornado Kick – Mixed Martial Arts News – https://t.co/WgypVZQVgp pic.twitter.com/YDQbWLaY8r
— Boxing News Now (@Boxing_NewsNow) March 29, 2019
You can see where Doeve’s hands were at the precise point of impact; they were back up protecting the front of his face, but they were out of position for where the heel hit his skull.
There is nothing so deliciously brutal as a good combat-sports knockout, and tell me quick, ain’t that a kick in the head?
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