Edson Barboza posts ‘KO of the Year’ finish of Terry Etim at UFC 142

Edson Barboza was cruising towards a solid victory, but that wasn't enough. The Brazilian decided to try a spectacular spinning heel kick (some called it a wheel kick) and Terry Etim's face was the unfortunate recipient.

Etim went down in a heap, his right arm stuck in the air. The Brazilian scored the third-round finish at the 2:02 mark to record his fourth victory in the UFC in the opener of the pay-per-view portion of UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro.

What a way to kick off the PPV show at HSBC in Barboza's homeland. The fight was actually starting to get a little stale. Barboza used his low kicks to settle into a good scoring groove, but he didn't look like he was going to try for the kill.

The kick was perfectly executed and Etim never saw it coming. UFC analyst Joe Rogan said it was the first spinning heel kick knockout in the history of the UFC.

"When you fight in Brazil, it's unlike fighting in any other place in the world. In a fight, you try things and hope they work. Tonight, it (the kick) worked. It's something I've practiced a lot and I finally was able to land it hard," Barboza said.

Barboza (10-0) is a perfect 4-0 in the UFC while Etim (15-4, 6-4 UFC) has lost 2-of-3.

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