One of the memorable highlights of Saturday’s UFC 274 card was Michael Chandler’s sensational knockout win over Tony Ferguson. The former Bellator champion ended the fight via a front kick to the chin, knocking “El Cucuy” out cold in the second round.
Whether you saw it live or during the broadcast, that image of Ferguson’s head whiplashing from the impact and falling face down to the canvas is likely fresh in your mind to this day. But this other angle taken by UFC bantamweight Randy Costa highlighted the brutality of the kick, and how this sport can get, sometimes.
This angle is grosssss pic.twitter.com/6Ja5ENeUW3
— Randy Costa (@RandyCosta135) May 9, 2022
Chandler, who isn’t exactly known for throwing such kicks, later admitted later that it wasn’t something he practiced during training sessions.
“Sometimes it works and sometimes you throw something you never, ever thought you would land, never mind knock someone out with,” he said after the fight. “It’s not something we train.
“I have the best kickboxing coach on the planet in Henri Hooft but we don’t train front kicks. The main reason is it hurts my toes so my right foot is a little sore and I’m a big baby when it comes to my feet getting hurt.”
The 36-year-old Chandler (23-7) is now back on the winning track after two straight losses at the hands of reigning champion Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, respectively.
As for the 38-year-old Ferguson (25-7), he is now on a four-fight losing streak. However, UFC president Dana White expects him to fight on since “he looked damn good” in the first round against Chandler.
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