Video: The soccer kick KO you didn’t see from Bellator Japan

The UFC may have taken an unusually long break over the Christmas holidays, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the MMA world sleeps. Things are just getting started in Japan where Bellator 237 went down and RIZIN 20 is set to welcome in the new decade.

With international mixed martial arts comes international rulesets that allow for kicks to a downed opponent. Nestled into that subset of typically forbidden attacks is the dreaded soccer kick. And on Saturday night during Bellator’s Saitama Super Arena event, Yusuke Yachi landed a perfectly flush shin to the face of Hiroto Uesako.

If you don’t remember seeing that after watching the card, it’s because it happened during ‘postliminary’ fights held after the main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Quinton Jackson, fights that weren’t available to watch outside of Japan. Fortunately, the internet!

The kick came 4:36 into the third round and snapped a three fight losing streak for Yachi, improving his record to 21-9. Uesako drops to 18-9 but is apparently okay, which is always a bit surprising after taking a monster KO like this.