Fire out the deadliest kicks in MMA and take your game to new extremes.
A kick can end a fight in an instant. It can be launched at rapid speed to crush even the most colossal of warriors. It can catch your opponent off guard and turn the fight in your favor in a matter of seconds.
It can even earn you a legion of fans and fire you to MMA superstardom. For these mixed martial artists, it represents the future of MMA.
So if you want to keep up with the Jon Joneses, then follow suit by learning the ultimate in fight-ending destruction. It’s kick-off time.
THE FRONT KICK
Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort, UFC 126, 2011
Revered by many as the most creative fighter on the planet, Anderson Silva has proved an enigma to even the most formidable opposition. After out-striking Forrest Griffin in indomitable style and securing a come-from-behind triangle choke over Chael Sonnen to retain the middleweight title, it was anyone’s guess what magic ‘The Spider’ would pull out of the bag next.
At UFC 126, he would face fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort. Silva was fired up for the contest, particularly after Belfort had challenged him to fight (thus breaking the unspoken code of honor that a Brazilian should not challenge his countryman). After performing his usual monkey-like movements while throwing short jabs to find his range at the beginning of the first, Silva finally decided it was time to let rip.
And, as the heavy-handed Belfort blinked, Silva’s foot recoiled and The Spider launched a deadly front kick that switched ‘The Phenom’s lights out before he even knew it was thrown. Performed by lifting your lead leg up and chambering, then leaning back and firing the ball of your foot towards your opponent’s chin, if executed properly it can have devastating effects.
Although few can deliver it with the grace and precision of Silva, it can end a fight in an instant.
THE SPINNING BACK-KICK
Dennis Siver vs Paul Kelly, UFC 105, 2009
Executed by twisting the body through 270 degrees of motion and powerfully planting your heel straight into your opponent’s gut or sternum, the spinning back-kick has become a hallmark of UFC lightweight and kickboxing virtuoso Dennis Siver.
The kick generates a velocity of 25 to 30mph, with a staggering 1400lb of force – a figure Paul Kelly will be keen to forget after experiencing the brutal impact of Siver’s right foot at UFC 105.
Both known to favor a stand-up war, as anticipated the pair would opt to keep it on their feet and give the fans a fight to remember.
Yet Siver would take it a step further by engraving an image into the crowd’s heads so brutal, it’d make Wanderlei’s head stomping in Pride seem charitable. As Siver began to take the edge over Kelly midway through the second round, the Russian-born German saw his opening. In one fell swoop Siver spun his body and rapidly drove his foot towards Kelly, sending the Brit flying across the Octagon and promptly flying out of the building on a stretcher, heading straight for hospital.
If watching Kelly’s face contort in sheer agony wasn’t enough to make you cringe, the slow motion replay showing the moment Siver’s foot connected and broke Kelly’s ribs like twigs is sure to.
THE ‘MATRIX’ KICK
Anthony Pettis vs Ben Henderson,
WEC 53, 2010
It would be a crime to leave Anthony Pettis’ Matrix kick out of any respectable top-five fight-moves list. MMA die-hards and noobs alike couldn’t eulogize the kick enough after ‘Showtime’ ran up the cage late in the final round of their epic WEC title clash, delivering a roundhouse kick to Henderson’s jaw and knocking him straight to the deck.
It epitomized the new breed of MMA athlete that was capable of not only putting you to sleep, but doing it in action-movie fashion.
The kick went viral and soon after millions of regular Joes were being treated to their first taste of modern MMA, a far cry from the paunchy meatheads gracing our screens in the early ‘90s.
THE ‘YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE’ ROUND KICK TO THE FACE
Anthony Njokuani vs Chris Horodecki, WEC 45, 2009
It doesn’t take years of training to understand it’s never a good idea to turn your back on your opponent and run away. It was at WEC 45 that lightweight Chris Horodecki would find out the hard way. After tasting some of Muay Thai specialist Anthony Njokuani’s ground ‘n’ pound early in the first round, Horodecki decided to get up and make a run for it.
As he did, Njokuani took chase, going on to blast out a round kick and wrap his foot around Horodecki’s face. Horodecki instantly found himself planted straight back onto the canvas with another onslaught of ground ‘n’ pound soon to follow. The basic high round kick is relatively easy to perform – twist on balls of feet and connect on shin with leg straight – yet doing so while your opponent runs from you is a different story.
To execute, Njoukuani launched himself into the air aiming slightly in front of Horodecki’s face to ensure a sweet connection.
Does it work? Just ask Horodecki, who’s sure to remember the kick to this day… or perhaps not.
THE CARTWHEEL KICK
Brian Ebersole vs Shannon Forrester,
XFC: Return of the Hulk, 2009
As a man who enjoys shaving his chest hair into a large arrow pointing at his chin, you’d be forgiven for assuming UFC welterweight Brian Ebersole would come up with a kick a little off the wall.
At the Australian promotion XFC, he didn’t disappoint. Lined up against Shannon Forrester, it took just seconds for Ebersole to channel his eccentricity into something destructive and dispatch his opponent in devastating fashion. Usually consigned to the schoolyard, Ebersole performed a cartwheel across the ring in the opening round and struck Forrester with his heel, knocking him out.
Although the technical intricacies of performing a cartwheel kick are infinite, Ebersole simply accredits his ability to pull off the kick to his draconian drilling of the move before every fight.
It just goes to show that if you’re willing to put the effort in, boasting an alternative style can pay dividends. Dana White would certainly agree, having awarded Ebersole a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus and a ‘getting those horrifying shorts off TV as soon as possible’ bonus after he made short work of a scantily-clad, baby-blue-brief-wearing Dennis Hallman.
Kick the Habit
UFC middleweight Michael Bisping’s stand-up coach, Darren Morris, to find out what makes the ultimate kick
> Setting up the kick
“A kick starts at the waist and it’s all about twisting the hips. It’s essential to detract from the kick and throw something else first to give your opponent something to look at. Hit them with your hands so their guard’s up high and their body is exposed.
There’s a famous quote that says, ‘When I’m fighting they’re thinking and when they’re thinking I’m hitting them hard.’”
> Generating power
“It’s all about body mechanics. If you throw a round kick you have to pivot on your leading leg, turning the hips, keeping your guard up high and most importantly connecting with your shin.”
> Generating speed
“The better the technique, the faster the kick. If you throw your left hand out, as it comes back there’s a see-saw movement and your right side comes forward. You send all that energy from your foot through your core abdominals and out to your leg, keeping it straight.You turn your shin so your toes are pointing horizontally and your shin becomes like a knife blade… nice and sharp.”
> The most effective kick
“The most effective kick is simply the roundhouse kick. You’ve got a bent-leg roundhouse kick which is very good for delivering to the body or across the arms.
When you throw the kick you allow your leg to bend so when it hits, all the body weight and force carries on traveling. The low kick to the leg with a straight leg is highly recommended. You get a centrifugal bat effect, where the end of the leg travels faster than at the beginning.
“If you bend your leg when throwing mid-level, it disguises the kick so your opponent cannot see it.
If you throw your leg up with it bent, it looks like a knee. You then add the twist and go for the kick, catching your opponent off guard. With a straight roundhouse kick your opponent can see it coming as it has to go ‘round the houses.’”
> The secret weapon
“A great kick if you can pull it off is the jumping spinning back-kick. Mike landed one on me and it nearly split me in half.
The only issue is if you miss you’re susceptible to elbows and knees as you land straight inside their range. It’s risky but highly destructive.”
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