Joaquin Buckley will forever be known for his incredible head kick “Knockout of the Year” in 2020. However, at UFC on ABC 1, it was Alessio Di Chirico’s turn.
Italy’s Di Chirico (12-5 MMA, 3-5 UFC) flipped the script early when he finished Buckley (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) with a head kick of his own at 2:12 of Round 1.
The middleweight bout was part of the UFC on ABC 1 main card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It aired on ABC and streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.
With the win, Di Chirico snaps a three-fight losing skid, which dated back to June 2019. The Italian middleweight fighter now advances to 3-3 in his most recent six fights. The TKO win was his first since December 2017.
As for Buckley, the loss snaps a two-fight winning streak, which included knockouts over Impa Kasanganay and Jordan Wright. UFC on ABC 1 was the third time Buckley has lost by TKO in his professional career.
Check out Di Chirico’s knockout in the video below:
WHO SAW THAT ONE COMING?! @ManzoDiChirico knocked Joaquin Buckley out cold with a head kick 🤯 #UFCFightIsland7 pic.twitter.com/9X0DHz1q2S
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 16, 2021
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 1 results include:
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- Alessi Di Chirico def. Joaquin Buckley via TKO (head kick) – Round 1, 2:12
- Punahele Soriano def. Dusko Todorovic via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:48
- Joselyne Edwards def. Wu Yanan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Carlos Felipe def. Justin Tafa via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ramazan Emeev def. David Zawada via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Vanessa Melo def. Sarah Moras via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Austin Lingo def. Jacob Kilburn via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
