When Joaquin Buckley drilled Impa Kasanganay with an unbelievable spinning kick to the face, no one had ever seen such a knockout in MMA history. Seemingly a once-in-a-lifetime feat, Buckley exploded into infamy as the kick went viral.
Friday, pro debutant Jaron Lothrop did the equally unthinkable – as he recreated the knockout in a nearly identical manner at XFC 52 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Lothrop (1-0) had a left kick to the body caught by opponent Yevgeni Shinkarevsky (2-1) in the late stages of Round 1. As Shinkarevsky clutched his heel, Lothrop jumped, spun, and booted the Irsaeli fighter straight in the face.
Shinkarevsky surprisingly was not immediately out, but he was hurt. Lothrop pounced and finished the fight with follow-up punches.
Check out the ridiculous knockout below:
OH MY GOD. Ridiculous KO by Jaron Lathrop against Yevgeni Shinkarevsky. Buckley-Impa style. Kick-catch spin kick to the face #XFC52 pic.twitter.com/Bpppowg1sP
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 29, 2025
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
