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Waking up in the referee’s arms is not an ideal outcome for any UFC fighter in the octagon. Like a hurt child that has fallen to the ground, the referee becomes a temporary MMA parent, telling the fighter to be still and whispering that ‘everything is going to be okay.'
Getting knocked out is a horrible way to lose an MMA bout, but getting KO’d in spectacular fashion is something that can haunt a fighter for the rest of their career. The slow motion video replay of lost consciousness spreads across social media, making it difficult to erase from association.
Let’s have a look at three UFC fighters who bounced back from viral knockouts.
3. Joaquin Buckley
After making his name in Bellator and Legacy Fighting Alliance, Joaquin Buckley was signed to the UFC last year. Buckley made his UFC debut against Kevin Holland at UFC Fight Night on August 8, 2020.
Holland caught Buckley flush with a right hand, sending him to the canvas - with Buckley’s mouthpiece flying through the air just before the referee stopped proceedings.
A highlight-reel KO loss is not the best way to start your UFC career, but it didn’t haunt Buckley for too long. Just two months later, Buckley knocked out Impa Kasanganay with a simply incredible spinning back kick considered by some to be the best KO in UFC history.
2. Impa Kasanganay
Before Impa Kasanganay fought Joaquin Buckley, he was undefeated in eight professional MMA fights, which includes back-to-back wins on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Buckley got the stoppage with a spinning back kick in the second round. Kasanganay was still standing when he lost consciousness before falling to the canvas in an almost comical fashion. This sensational knockout was seen by millions worldwide.
To come back from such a show-stopping knockout is not easy, but Kasanganay seems to have already put it behind him. He looked impressive last night against Sasha Palatnikov at UFC Vegas 23, defeating the Hong Kong native via rear-naked choke in round two.
1. Michael Bisping
Now a staple of commentary and analysis in the UFC, Michael Bisping had an incredible career inside the octagon. So good, in fact, that he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019. Yet it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Englishman.
Bisping built up a heated rivalry with Dan Henderson in the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2009 as both fighters were appointed opposing coaches for the show. The pair fought it out at UFC 100, Henderson KO’d Bisping with a highlight-reel overhand right in the second round. Bisping woke up dazed and confused, apparently believing the fight wasn’t happening for another two months.
Not only did Bisping bounce back from this crushing defeat, eventually avenging the loss to Henderson and even beating pound-for-pound legend Anderson Silva, he also won the middleweight championship with a highlight reel KO of his own against Luke Rockhold.
