5 most explosive moments from UFC 268: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2

#2. Chris Barnett stuns everyone with the biggest spinning wheel kick in UFC history

Chris Barnett pulled off a genuinely stunning wheel kick to knock out Gian Villante

Based on the shape that both men came into UFC 268 in – more reminiscent of Roy Nelson than Francis Ngannou – expectations on the fight between heavyweights Chris Barnett and Gian Villante were pretty low.

Sure, both men appeared to have the power to stop their opponent, but the likelihood of a truly explosive finish seemed slim. Most fans were expecting a classic heavyweight slop-fest.

Instead, Barnett – whose only other UFC appearance saw him easily defeated by Ben Rothwell – delivered one of the craziest finishes in recent memory, seemingly defying both logic and physics.

After Villante appeared to edge the first round, the second saw Barnett – who stands at 5’9” and yet weighs 265lbs – uncork a crazy spinning wheel kick that knocked his opponent down.

We’ve seen spinning wheel kicks used to knock opponents out in the UFC on numerous occasions now, but this was still crazy. After all, such finishes usually belong in the lighter divisions, and nobody could’ve imaged Barnett was even flexible enough to land such a shot!

Thanks to this knockout, not only does ‘Huggy Bear’ find himself $50k richer today, but he also has a good chance of going viral on the internet, which can only be a good thing for him.

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#1. Marlon Vera ends Frankie Edgar’s night in highlight reel fashion

Marlon Vera pulled off the best finish of his UFC career against Frankie Edgar

While Alex Pereira and Chris Barnett might have an argument to suggest otherwise, the best finish at UFC 268 came from Marlon Vera, who turned the lights out on Frankie Edgar in the final round of their bantamweight clash.

The fight had been a back-and-forth one, with Edgar edging the first round thanks to his takedowns and ground control. Vera used his powerful striking to take the second.

The third round looked to be going the way of ‘Chito’ too, but – evidently knowing the history of Edgar taking close decision wins in the UFC – he decided that he wouldn’t leave anything to chance.

The native of Ecuador closed ‘The Answer’ down, and when he noticed a gap in his guard, he threw up a picture-perfect front kick to the jaw that folded the former UFC lightweight champion.

Edgar was done the moment he hit the ground. While he attempted to protest the stoppage, it was clear that he was in no fit state to continue, as he wobbled around once he did get back to his feet.

This was the best finish of Vera’s UFC career by a mile, and the fact that it came in such a high-profile fight made it all the sweeter. If ‘Chito’ wasn’t considered a contender for the UFC bantamweight title before last night’s fight, he should be now.