The front-kick. For mere mortals, It's normally a blow to the body to create distance against your opponent unless your the GOAT. In that case, you'll use it to test their chin, and some.
There was plenty of buzz surrounding the clash pitting the two Brazilian strikers at UFC 126 in 2011. Many expected Vitor Belfort to provide a stiff test for Silva by using his lighting hand speed and deadly punch combination.
Though that didn't happen.
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Silva prevailed with a bloody front-kick! And the maneuver was the talk of the sport, not just on the night but in 2011 thanks to his stunning performance. The impact of this particular kick was immediate; fighters quickly added it to their arsenal.
As for the fight...
After an initial period of feeling out, it appeared Silva had sussed out Belfort. Then out of nowhere, Silva popped his rear leg flush on Belfort's chin, collapsing him to the canvas.
Which was followed up with a barrage of punches before referee Mario Yamazaki halted the title bout, as Silva notched up his eighth defense of his middleweight crown.
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The kick caught everyone by surprise especially his foe who had a high guard. But Silva exploited the narrowest of margins by splitting Belfort's hands delivering a left front kick straight down the pipe.
Following the emphatic finish, It became a prevalent move in MMA including Jon Jones' version, not to mention Lyoto Machida taking it to another level by successfully pulling off the Karate Kid style jumping crane-kick KO over Randy Couture at UFC 129.
Check out the highlight-reel KO below:
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Did he learn it from Steven Seagal? Who knows but one things for sure, it was bloody Incredible - Precision at it's finest! Take a bow, Andy.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Anderson Silva, UFC, MMA
