The Knockout of the Year conversation for 2014 has a late entrant.
Russian lightweight prospect Timofey Nastyukhin announced his presence in the One FC promotion with authority, winning his promotional debut on Friday at One FC 23 with a memorable knockout of veteran Eduard Folayang.
The Vine video comes courtesy of ZombieProphet of FanSided:
VINE - Eduard Folayang vs. Timofey Nastyukhin #OneFC #OneFightNight Flying Knee and 2 Soccer Kicks!!! https://t.co/2LFFmATSuD
— ZombieProphet (@ZProphet_MMA) December 5, 2014
The two men traded heavy combinations early in the bout, though neither man took a clear advantage. That is, not until Nastyukhin launched himself into the air, faked a right knee strike and then slammed his left knee directly on the chin of Folayang.
Folayang hit the ground, and a few soccer kicks to Folayang's head from Nastyukhin (soccer kicks are legal under One FC rules) sealed the deal. The ending came by TKO at 3:31 of the very first round.
It stands to reason that the 25-year-old Nastyukhin will have a higher profile after this performance. It was a bout plenty of people didn't expect him to win. In the opening seconds of the contest, announcers openly spoke of the bout Folayang would earn with champion Shinya Aoki if he got past Nastyukhin.
Now it seems Nastyukhin (8-1) is in a better position for advancement. Folayang, who was fighting in front of his countrymen in the Philippines, falls to 14-5. He has also now lost three of his last five, including to UFC veteran Kamal Shalorus. He started his career 12-1 and was considered a top international prospect, but at 31 years old and seemingly unable to put a real streak together, the bloom may be off that rose.
It is uncertain who Nastyukhin (or Folayang) might face next, though it is probably too early to expect that Nastyukhin would fight for the title next. He would likely have to face at least one more opponent before such a thing would be realistic.
