WhatCulture UFC Awards: Best Of 2019
3. Knockout Of The Year - Jorge Masvidal Vs. Ben Askren
Five seconds. That's all it took for Jorge Masvidal to shock the world and become a household name after 16 years of competing as an MMA fighter. Sure, the hardcore fans knew that the 35-year old Cuban-American fighter was one of the most violent fighters in the UFC, but this knockout let everyone know that Masvidal was a true force to be reckoned with.
Despite months and months of trash talk from Ben Askren, Masvidal managed to keep himself relatively cool and collected, promising to let his hands do the talking in the cage. This is only partially true, as instead of using his hands to beat the brakes off of Askren, he landed a devastating flying knee that knocked the then undefeated wrestler out cold.
To the uninitiated, it might look like a wild man dashed across the cage, improvised and landed the most vicious strike he could think of. However, this was a calculated manoeuvre that was planned to perfection. Masvidal and his team noticed that Askren always leans to one side when shooting for a takedown. By creating an angle and forcing him to position himself in line with Masvidal's switch knee, the 35-year old was able to rush him and make him shoot a takedown.
The power of Masvidal's flying knee, plus Askren's momentum meant that it was night-night for the former Bellator and One Championship champion before he could even land a takedown.