[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] will forever be known for his incredible head kick “Knockout of the Year” in 2020. However, at UFC on ABC 1, it was [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag]’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 1Â 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)