5 UFC stars who made their fights look like video games
The UFC’s old tagline was “as real as it gets,” meaning that, unlike video games or old martial arts movies, flashy moves and low-percentage strikes didn’t tend to work. Over the years, however, that has changed.
The UFC’s best fighters now regularly perform moves that would once have only been seen in video games. Wild combinations, flying strikes and other flashy attacks becoming more commonplace.
Greatest combo of all-time?
@CowboyCerrone #UFCBrooklyn https://t.co/TByPYX0acv
Of course, it goes without saying that pulling off these kind of moves takes a ton of skill from the UFC fighter performing them, as well as the nerve and poise to even attempt them in the first place.
So with this in mind, here are five UFC stars who made their fights look like a video game.
#5. Francis Ngannou vs. Alistair Overeem – UFC 218
Mortal Kombat is arguably the most popular fighting video game series of all time. In its earlier iterations, there were few more satisfying moves than the uppercut.
Sure, boxers had been using the uppercut to great effect for years, but Mortal Kombat’s fighters utilized the move far more effectively. When a fighter on the game hit an opponent with an uppercut, they would be sent flying into the air in devastating fashion, often ending the fight.
The UFC has seen numerous memorable uppercut knockouts over the years, but it always seemed impossible that fans would be treated to one that looked like it’d been lifted directly from Mortal Kombat. However, at UFC 218, Francis Ngannou changed all that.
Already known as the most devastating power puncher in the UFC heavyweight division, Ngannou faced his toughest challenge to date in the form of fearsome veteran Alistair Overeem. Fans expected a striking battle, but nobody could’ve anticipated quite what ‘The Predator’ would pull off.
After a brief feeling out period, the two fighters met in the center of the octagon. After avoiding a shot from Overeem, Ngannou hit him with an uppercut that practically lifted him off his feet, just like in Mortal Kombat.
Three years ago today, @francis_ngannou landed what Alistair Overeem called an "uppercut from hell" 😳 https://t.co/VBa8KweVnG
The fight was naturally over, as ‘The Reem’ was left unconscious in a truly scary scene. Thankfully, unlike in the video games, there was no fatality here, but the knockout cemented Ngannou as the most deadly striker in the UFC.