Alibek Kuzhbaev earns nasty head kick KO
Watch Kuzhbaev’s wild knockout below.
WHAT. Alibek Kuzhbaev just scored a 20 second spinning wheel kick KO in the NAIZA co-main. The knockouts this weekend have been crazy #NAIZA66 pic.twitter.com/9XKKGzR69Z
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 31, 2024
Kuzhbaev is the latest in a slew of emerging talent from Kazakhstan in recent years. Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is unbeaten in the UFC, is on the verge of a potential welterweight title shot against Belal Muhammad.
Kuzhbaev has won four of his last five fights after an up-and-down start to his professional career. Before Naiza FC 66, he finished Mikhail Tarkhanov with a north-south choke in 2022.
Kuzhbaev’s two-year hiatus from competition was due to injuries and fight cancelations. He is now 7-3-0 inside the cage.
The spinning wheel kick technique has risen to prominence over the last decade, especially with top strikers like Stephen Thompson and Michael ‘Venom’ Page. But, heavyweight fighters have also landed the kick with fruitful results, as evidenced by Chris Barnett at UFC 268.
Kuzhbaev attempted the kick in recent fights against Elvis Martins and Bagdog Olzhabay to no avail. But, this latest attempt worked out in a big way, earning him his first career knockout win.
As for Gharedaghi, he was making his second professional appearance after winning his debut last December.
Naiza FC 66 featured a lightweight title headliner between Ramazan Gasanov and Igor Svirid.
