There is a new candidate for knockout of the year courtesy of Daichi Abe.
The RIZIN 37 event brought some fireworks in the form of a ferocious knockout off the hands and foot of former UFC fighter Daichi Abe. Abe let his hands do the talking in his RIZIN 37 bout against Marcos Yoshio de Souza. The bout took place this past Sunday at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The six-year veteran of the sport, Abe, showcased just how dangerous he is in the ring when he laid his opponent out flat in the second round of their fight.
Though one shot was enough to KO his opponent, Abe added a straight kick to the face
Abe landed a perfect right-hand shot to the chin of de Souza that buckled his legs immediately. Despite being laid out on the canvas, he began to set up to make sure that he had in fact won the bout and got in one more ruthless soccer kick to the face before the referee got in to end the bout.
A slow-mo of THAT KO by @daichiabe_jp 🔥
[#RIZIN37]#RIZIN #RIZINFF #MMA pic.twitter.com/LQa9715Zhw
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) July 31, 2022
Wait, aren’t soccer kicks illegal?
In organizations such as UFC, Bellator, and PFL, yes, a straight soccer-style kick of any kind, but especially to the face of an unconscious opponent laying on the ground is illegal, but not in RIZIN Fighting Federation. This style of kick was banned in the unified rules of MMA because of its dangerous nature to a virtually helpless fighter. In this instance, it was legal and utilized perfectly by Abe.
Abe came to RIZIN back in October of 2021 and now has two straight victories with the promotion. After an unfortunate streak of two losses in the UFC back in 2018, Abe has bounced around to a few different organizations but seems to be finding success in RIZIN. This last bout with de Souza was a catchweight of 176 pounds.
Abe is 30 years old and only began fighting professionally in mixed martial arts back in 2016. With finishes like this one over de Souza, he could be a rising star in Japanese MMA and around the world.
