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In MMA, the most devastating losses come via knockouts. Whether it's due to a kick, punch, elbow or knee, fighters everywhere dread being on the receiving end of a strike that can separate them from their consciousness. However, not every strike in MMA is thrown with the intention of scoring a classic knockout.
Body shots, for example, are often regarded as setups to create openings for blows to the head. Even still, they can score finishes via body-shot TKOs. Low kicks, however, are different. They're low-risk strikes that're easy to land but often have the lowest level of impact out of any strike.
It isn't every day that a fighter's low kicks are pivotal towards scoring a win like Dustin Poirier's calf kicks against Conor McGregor at UFC 257. This list, however, goes a step further by looking at five times that an MMA fighter lost due to a leg kick TKO.
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#5. Shayna Baszler, UFC Fight Night 62
While Shayna Baszler is more well-known for her exploits as a professional wrestler with WWE, she was once an MMA fighter and staple of women's MMA, which led to her forming a friendship with the legendary Ronda Rousey. Unfortunately, 'The Queen of Spades' never reached her friend's career heights.
By 2015, Braszler was on her way out. At the time, she had 15 wins and 9 losses on her record. Worse still, she had the misfortune of facing future women's MMA GOAT Amanda Nunes in her penultimate fight. 'The Lioness' staggered her with countless low kicks before 'The Queen of Spades' could take no more.
Just one minute and 56 seconds into the pair's first round, Braszler collapsed from an outside low kick that buckled her knee and awarded Nunes a TKO win.
#4. Jussier Formiga, UFC 250
Like Shayna Baszler, Jussier Formiga has had the misfortune of losing due to a low kick in his second-last fight as of this writing. The only difference between the pair is that the Brazilian flyweight managed to endure his ordeal with low kicks for a few minutes longer than 'The Queen of Spades'.
At UFC 250, he faced Alex Perez in the early preliminaries of the evening. From the onset of the bout, it was clear that Perez's gameplan involved stinging his opponent with low kicks. While Formiga did his best to avoid them, he ultimately succumbed to Perez's spree of low kicks within four minutes.
Perez dropped his foe with a low kick but quickly ushered him back to his feet as he sought to keep the fight standing. Seconds later, he scored another low kick. That one, however, caused his opponent to fall flat on his back, clutching his left leg in agony, which led to referee Keith Peterson calling an end to the bout.
#3. Carlos Condit, UFC 171
One of the most bizarre wins on former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley's record came against Carlos Condit. The power-punching 170'er faced 'The Natural Born Killer' in a co-main event bout at UFC 171. While anticipation for the bout was high, it ended in anticlimactic fashion.
After awkwardly landing on Condit's knee due to a takedown, Woodley was largely inactive on the ground, forcing the referee to call both fighters into a standing position. Upon the fight's resumption, 'The Chosen One' threw a low kick that landed on Condit's left leg.
However, the kick's momentum and power was such that it caused some rotation on 'The Natural Born Killer's' back-leg: his right leg. Condit immediately collapsed, clutching his right knee in pain to award Woodley the TKO win due to a partially torn ACL and meniscus.
#2. Anderson Silva, UFC 237
The pressure to win when fighting on home soil is always significant for any MMA fighter. The situation was no different for Anderson Silva at UFC 237. Fortunately, 'The Spider' has ample experience as a former middleweight champion across various MMA promotions.
But the sad truth is that by the time of UFC 237, he was on a career downswing. At the time, he had just one win in seven fights, with five of them being losses and one being a no-contest. Thus, the task of overcoming a dangerous knockout artist like Jared Cannonier was a daunting one, even for 'The Spider'.
Four minutes into the first round, Silva was on the receiving end of a brutal inside low kick from 'The Killa Gorilla'. He immediately folded due to the pain, landing on the canvas in agony to mark the second time that the Brazilian has lost due to a leg-related phenomenon in the UFC.
#1. Marlon Moraes, PFL 1: First MMA season of 2023
The PFL, like many MMA promotions, is known for welcoming fighters who have found themselves with no place to call home after being booted from the UFC. This was the case for former UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Moraes, who left the promotion after losing six of his last seven fights.
Worse still, his lengthy losing streak saw him suffer five consecutive KO/TKO losses. This prompted 'Magic' to announce a brief retirement from MMA. Unfortunately, he returned at PFL 1, the promotion's first seasonal event in 2023. He faced Brendan Loughnane in his return bout to MMA.
While he hoped for a change in fortune, it was not to be. Moraes absorbed countless low kicks before finally succumbing to them within a minute of the second round. He slumped forward after absorbing a hard low kick, wincing in anguish before referee Keith Peterson called an end to the bout.
