An MMA fighter has thrilled the sport with a fantastic “Superman punch” in mid-air that felled his opponent and ended their fight at an Eagle FC event in Moscow.
Mehdi Dakaev took on Makkasharip Zaynukov on Friday night in the headline bout at EFC 43 in the Russian capital.
The promotion run by Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the Chechen served up exactly the kind of highlight-reel clip that will help the ex-UFC lightweight champion in his plans to make the company expand.
Approaching 0:42 in the second round, Dakaev, also a lightweight, first missed with a big left hook.
That was unbelievable. DIVING mid-air left hook from Mehdi Dakaev #EFC43 pic.twitter.com/rCJvbzZt0q
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 10, 2021
As his opponent thought he was slipping away from danger, however, and making his way across the octagon, Dakaev noticed Zaynukov wasn’t protecting his chin and threw himself into the air.
Connecting with another huge left, he knocked Zaynukov out cold which caused the referee to dive in and stop Dakaev from reigning down hammer blows on top of him.
Fans reacted on social media as footage of the incident spread, calling the “Superman punch” things such as “unbelievable” and claiming it to have been a first in MMA history.
Mehdi Dakaev has entered the chatroom for KO of the Year. That is some Patrick Mahomes stuff
— Jason Hagholm (@JHagholm1) December 10, 2021
Literally a super man hook. I’ve never seen anything like this
— Dom yates (@domyates123) December 10, 2021
“Mehdi Dakaev has entered the chatroom for KO of the Year. That is some Patrick Mahomes stuff,” commented one, in reference to the way the NFL quarterback often pulls off mid-air throws when all seems lost on a play.
“Never seen anything like that. Gonna be a tough one to beat,” agreed someone else, and there were also comparisons to the legendary basketballer Michael “Air” Jordan.
Now that’s a Superman punch
— Abe Ruvalcaba (@TheManAbraham) December 10, 2021
every fighter who tries to fall forward into a jab as their lead leg gets low kicked is mad rn
— Hektic_One (@hektic_one) December 10, 2021
“Every fighter who tries to fall forward into a jab as their lead leg gets low kicked is mad right now,” was another observation.
“This is how I fight in dreams but the other person laughs at me instead,” it was also admitted elsewhere.
“Insane accuracy and commitment,” a separate enthusiast remarked.