- Manny Akpan knocked his opponent out at Cage Warriors 136 with a highlight-worthy roundhouse kick
- Akpan comments about his performance after the fight
Cage Warriors 136 went down Saturday, April 2, 2022 at BEC Arena in Manchester, England.
Manny Akpan did not just score an impressive win but a “knockout of the year” candidate one at Cage Warriors 136. Out of nowhere, “Black Death” pulled off a spinning wheel kick that landed straight to Connor Hitchen’s face, instantly sending him to the ground.
🔥 🤯 MANNY AKPAN WITH A HIGHLIGHT REEL KO!
A crazy back and forth fight ends in stunning fashion at #CW136. pic.twitter.com/vkVB9pBVKI— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 2, 2022
“I knew I could find his head”
In a post-fight interview with MMA UK, Akpan was quizzed to comment about his stunning capoeira-like kick on Hitchens. Though the knockout win appeared to be a haymaker that happened to land perfectly, Akpan insisted that he knew he was coming for his opponent’s head at one point.
“I just know it,” Akpan said of his spinning wheel kick on Hitchens. “I’ve got a good killer instinct. I’d see that, I could find his head, caught him a couple of times. [So] I knew I could find his head. So I just thought when I get some space, I’m taking his head off and I did that.”
“Dangerous” all the time
Akpan also revealed in the interview that Hitchens wasn’t his original opponent and was just a late replacement. Nevertheless, the Manchester native reiterated that he did not take him lightly and he proved it by imposing danger “all the way through the fight.”
“I don’t take no easy fights. No joke,” he pointed out. “I’m coming here, I’m coming to take your head off. They call me the ‘Black Death’ for a reason, you just seen my (performance). Anytime, I’m dangerous. All the way through the fight, I’m dangerous.”
Akpan is now 4-1 as a professional. His KO win over Hitchens marked his second win under the Cage Warriors banner and his third win via finish across all promotions.