Chris Barnett landed one of the greatest heavyweight knockouts of all time at UFC 268, knocking Gian Villante senseless with a spinning wheel kick.
Gian Villante stepped into the UFC octagon for the final time at UFC 268 on Saturday.
Villante, a former Ring of Combat heavyweight champion who turned pro in 2019, had jumped to Strikeforce, and later the UFC, spending a full decade between the two powerhouse promotions. Most of that time had been spent at light heavyweight. At 36, however, he was calling it a career on Saturday, in a heavyweight fight against Chris Barnett.
Barnett entered the bout still looking for his first win in the promotion, after coming up short against “Big” Ben Rothwell. Barnett captured his first win in the walkout, as he went viral for his Israel Adesanya-esque dance walkout.
His star turn, however, came later in the fight.
Both men opened up with kicks, shockingly, with Barnett looking to take out the legs of the big man while Villante was blasting kicks to the body and upstairs. Villante had a good front kick up the middle as well, meanwhile, Barnett tried to bridge the gap with leaping hooks inside. The crowd began booing near the end of the round due to lack of activity, and Barnett answered them with a flurry followed by a spinning back kick to the body that landed. Overall, a weird first round.
Barnett came out wild to start round two, throwing another spinning back kick to kick off the round. Barnett was the more active man, as he landed a left hook to leg kick combination multiple times. Barnett’s wild ability worked for him as he got the finish soon after, knocking down Villante with a spinning wheel kick that sent Villante spiraling to the mat. Barnett jumped on with some massive ground and pound and that was it!
OH MY BEAST BOYYYYYYYYY 😤
[ #UFC268 | Early Prelims are LIVE on @UFCFightPass & ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/cRf5Z3ocq6
— UFC (@ufc) November 6, 2021
Barnett even celebrated with a front flip, landing in a seated position. He also paid his respects to the retiring Villante post-fight, getting the crowd fired up once again.
Official Result: Chris Barnett def. Gian Villante by TKO (spinning wheel kick/punches), Round 2, 2:23
