Jaron Lathrop got off to a flying start to his professional MMA career on Friday night.
The 25-year-old from Iowa met Israel’s Yevgeni Shinkarevsky in a flyweight bout on the Xtreme Fighting Championship 52 main card.
XFCLanthrop scored perhaps the best KO from an MMA debutant[/caption]
Lanthrop boasts a 13-1 amateur MMA record but was making his maiden appearance as a professional against his previously undefeated 2-0 opponent.
Towards the end of the first round, Lanthrop threw a sweeping kick to the body that Shinkarevsky caught.
As Shinkarevsky latched both hands onto his adversary’s left foot, the debutant uncorked a massive spinning back kick with his right leg that landed perfectly on the button.
The force of the shot sent Shinkarevsky hurtling backwards into the fence, where Lanthrop closed the show with ground and pound.
Stunned by the brutal stoppage, MMA fans flocked to social media in their masses to react.
One supporter posted: “My man hit the pro wrestling enzuigiri.”
Another pondered: “The greatest KO in MMA history?”
A third added: “Absolutely insane knockout.”
A fourth tweeted: “Give this man a UFC contract asap.”
Meanwhile, somebody else commented: “Switched him off.”
Lanthrop’s knockout drew similarities to Joaquin Buckley’s famous ‘Ninja Kick’ against Impa Kasanganay at UFC Fight Night 179.
Buckley’s insane finish scooped the gong for UFC Knockout of the Year in 2020 and launched his career to new heights.
The 30-year-old is currently riding a six-fight winning streak and recently stopped former interim champion Colby Covington to earn a No.6 spot in the UFC welterweight rankings.
Lanthrop will be hoping his viral moment can catapult his career as well.
But he has a lot of work to do before he can get his hands on a UFC contract.
