In 2019, MMA fans were treated to a historic event when Jorge Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren with a spectacular flying knee at UFC 239. The knockout was an instant classic. Masvidal’s reputation reached new heights as a result of this viral event, and he quickly became a household figure in the world of combat sports.
Many fighters who are looking to make a statement with their performances have pointed to the flying knee knockout that Jorge Masvidal executed as a source of inspiration. One recent example of this impact may be seen in the debut performance of mixed martial arts athlete Iury Silva.
At an Acesso MMA event held in Fortaleza, Brazil, a light heavyweight fight between Silva, who was making his professional debut, and Xiko Loko took place. Silva, eager to make an impression, began a sprint towards his opponent and attempted a flying attack that was similar to Masvidal’s strategy. Unfortunately for Silva, Loko saw the move coming and countered it with a thudding strike that brought Silva tumbling down to the canvas in a couple of seconds.
As Silva’s head made rough contact with the mat, it was clear that the blow’s force had a significant impact on the fight. Loko followed up with additional strikes while Silva lay helpless, which ultimately resulted in Silva being knocked out cold.
Watch the video that I’ve embedded below:
In the meantime, Jorge Masvidal etched his name into the annals of UFC history by knocking out Ben Askren in the quickest knockout in the promotion’s history. At UFC 239, Masvidal knocked out Askren with a flying knee that was perfectly timed and executed in less than five seconds.
Dana White once claimed that the flying knee changed Jorge Masvidal’s life
After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 via unanimous decision, Jorge Masvidal announced his retirement from the sport earlier this year. In spite of the fact that he had been competing professionally for almost twenty years, it wasn’t until 2019 that he actually garnered enormous prominence after scoring knockout victory against Darren Till and Ben Askren in consecutive bouts.
The legendary flying knee KO that he scored over Askren in the first five seconds propelled him to the forefront of mainstream recognition and led to a pay-per-view headlining fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 244. Despite the fact that that was his final victory, he went on to headline three more UFC pay-per-view events, demonstrating a level of financial savvy that will allow him to provide a secure retirement for his family.
During the post-fight interview for UFC 288, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about Jorge Masvidal’s popularity, and he responded as follows:
“That flying knee really turned his life around. It was when he threw that flying knee that his entire life was turned upside down… He has amassed a significant fortune. Tonight was a really profitable one for him financially. He has things going on outside of the octagon as well, just like Conor [McGregor] and some of these other guys, and I believe that he has demonstrated all that he needed to demonstrate to himself at this point. He made significant improvements to the way his family lived, and why not?
