UFC 142: Edson Barboza Bounces Terry Etim with Spectacular Head-Kick KO

It's only fitting that mixed martial arts history would be made at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro.

Edson Barboza became the first UFC fighter to execute a spinning wheel kick for a knockout, using the spectacular piece of leg work to fell Terry Etim in the third round of what was otherwise a closely-contested bout.

Etim came out as the aggressor to start the fight, using punches and jabs to put Junior on his heels early in the first round.

The big Brit did his best to get his Brazilian combatant on the mat, but could never quite get Barboza with a clean takedown.

Barboza came back toward the end of the round with a string of combinations, punches and kicks alike, to turn the tables on Etim and take the round on the judges' scorecards.

Barboza continued to batter Etim with kicks in the second round, forcing Etim to close the gap with mixed results. In fact, Barboza battered Etim with big blows just about every time he attempted to come in.

Etim managed to sneak in some shots of his own, along with a big-time takedown, to make things interesting, though Barboza got the action back on foot within 10 seconds before getting Etim with some solid body shots to finish the frame.

Etim attempted to take the upper hand at the outset of the third, but was once again summarily denied by Barboza, who returned the favor with some flying legs of his own. Then, with Etim already somewhat off, Barboza went in with the spinning wheel kick, landing his right heel on Etim's jaw to knock his opponent unconscious at the 2:02 mark.

The loss was Etim's second in his last three bouts, dropping his overall record to 15-4 with a 6-4 mark in the UFC.

As for Barboza, the former kickboxer improved his MMA tally to 10-0, 4-0 at the top level, to edge ever closer to the ranks of those ready to challenge Frankie Edgar for the lightweight division title.

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