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Impa Kasanganay Praised By Joe Rogan For Handling Of Joaquin Buckley Knockout Defeat

Kasanganay Only Had Kind Words For Buckley Despite Being On The Receiving End Of One Of The Most Viral Knockouts In History

Written by Abhinav Kini

Last updated on October 13th, 2020

UFC commentator Joe Rogan has praised Impa Kasanganay for his handling of his defeat to Joaquin Buckley.

Buckley would knock Kasanganay out cold with an impressive spinning back kick in their middleweight bout at UFC Fight Island 5 this past weekend. It went viral right away with many hailing it as arguably the greatest knockout in mixed martial arts history.

And despite being on the receiving end of one of the most viral knockouts ever, Kasanganay would only have kind words for Buckley, whose life has significantly changed thanks to that kick.

“@newmansa94 God bless you. It was an honor to step in the Octagon with you and to do what I love. Safe travels to you and your team Beautiful shot. Way to fight.”

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@newmansa94 God bless you. It was an honor to step in the Octagon with you and to do what I love. Safe travels to you and your team Beautiful shot. Way to fight. I will improve. To the @ufc and all staff members thank you for making fight Island a possibility . You are a top notch organization. I know the best is yet to come. God is great and He has never failed me. Never will. He’s so faithful. I look forward to to the opportunity to getting back into the Octagon. Back to work. God bless you. Thank you to my Dad such a blessing to have you in my corner , @nanucosta , and @bryan_barberena for cornering you had me prepared. Thank you so to my @gymotribe for working with me. You all have a special place in my heart. The best is yet to come. • • “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ • • – Love Tshilobo 🐃🇺🇸❤️🇨🇩🐃 #ufcfightisland5

A post shared by Impa Kasanganay (@impak5) on Oct 10, 2020 at 6:04pm PDT

Rogan: A Fighter’s Character Shines After Defeat

Rogan came across Kasanganay’s words and could only appreciate him for his handling of the defeat as well as setting an example for many others.

“What a graceful and respectful way to take a loss. One of the more beautiful things about MMA is watching a fighter’s character shine during the most difficult moments. @impak5, you are a great man, and an excellent example for other athletes. RESPECT!”

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A post shared by Joe Rogan (@joerogan)

Hopefully, Kasanganay is able to bounce back from what was his first-ever professional defeat. The 26-year-old was previously undefeated with an 8-0 record.