UFC legend vs legend fight ended with historic ‘Karate Kid’ KO no one saw coming

14 years ago, Lyoto Machida pulled off a knockout no one had ever seen inside the UFC Octagon.

The karate specialist retired former two-weight champion Randy Couture at UFC 129, which took place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on April 30, 2011.

Before Georges St-Pierre edged out Jake Shields in the main event, Lyoto Machida made UFC history.

The man choked out cold by Jon Jones in his next fight earned a light heavyweight title chance by landing a KO shot made famous by the 1984 cult classic film ‘The Karate Kid‘.

READ MORE: UFC legend vs legend rematch of ‘greatest fight ever’ ended in brutal knockout

Photo by Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesWatch Lyoto Machida’s crane kick KOThe crane kick was popularized when the movie’s protagonist, Daniel LaRusso, landed it on his archnemesis, Johnny Lawrence, to win the All-Valley Karate Championships.

27 years after the Hollywood blockbuster first hit cinemas, the UFC was established as the biggest MMA league in the world, but none of its stars had managed to score a KO with the ‘Karate Kid’ kick.

However, that changed when Machida went airborne and detonated the kick on Couture’s chin in the second round of their UFC 129 fight.

‘The Natural’ collapsed to the floor in a heap before Machida tried to land a couple of follow-up punches.

Thankfully, the referee quickly stepped in and saved Couture from taking any more damage after the kick.

Randy Couture names hardest-hitting opponent In 2024, Couture looked back at his legendary career during an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow.

The icon fought Mark Coleman, Tim Sylvia, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Brock Lesnar, James Toney, and many more massive punchers during his 30-fight run in combat sports.

Still, Couture didn’t hesitate to snub Machida and a bunch of other UFC legends when asked to name the hardest-hitting opponent he ever faced.

The 61-year-old fought Chuck Liddell three times, first facing ‘The Iceman’ in 2003. Couture scored a third-round TKO against Liddell at UFC 43 but fell short during their rematch and trilogy bout, with both of them ending in quick KO wins for his rival.

Almost two decades later, Couture claimed Liddell hit him so hard he lost a piece of time

“I’ve only been knocked out one time, that was Chuck Liddell the second time we matched up,” he said.

“I’ve been flashed a couple of times. Brock flashed me. I’ve been knocked on my keister a couple of times where the second you hit the deck, you wake, and you know where you’re at

“That second Chuck fight is the only time where I’ve been knocked unconscious, and you lose that little bit of time.

“It’s a strange experience. One second, you’re there, the next you’re like, ‘What happened? Where did everybody go?’ It was a unique one, for sure.”