Flying knees are the most spectacular strikes in combat sports, and street fighters keep copying Jorge Masvidal. The move exploded in popularity at UFC 239 in 2019, when Masvidal sprinted across the octagon and knocked out undefeated Ben Askren in just five seconds, the fastest knockout in UFC history. This guy clearly watched one too many highlights before stepping outside. Rooted in Muay Thai and a staple of mixed martial arts striking, the flying knee is explosive, high risk and devastating when timed right. Miss it and you look ridiculous. Land it and you instantly become a viral legend. In 2026 these street fight clips keep proving that some fighters treat Masvidal’s knockout like a ruthless instruction manual. #streetfight #funny #reels #jorgemasvidal
Street fighters around the world keep trying to recreate one of the most famous knockouts in UFC history, with new clips in 2026 showing amateurs attempting Jorge Masvidal's flying knee outside the cage.
The strike became a viral reference point at UFC 239 in 2019, when Masvidal sprinted across the octagon and knocked out the previously undefeated Ben Askren in five seconds, the fastest finish in UFC history. The flying knee is rooted in Muay Thai and has long been a staple of mixed martial arts striking. It is explosive and high risk. Timed right, it ends a fight instantly. Missed, it leaves the thrower looking foolish, which is exactly what many of the street clips show.
The fighters behind the knockout
Masvidal, 41, is from the United States and trains out of American Top Team. His record stands at 35-17-0, and he lands 4.05 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 on April 8, 2023. That defeat followed a unanimous decision loss to Colby Covington in March 2022 and a second-round TKO loss to Kamaru Usman in a title fight in April 2021.
Askren, 42, also from the United States, finished his career at 19-2-0 and fought out of Roufusport. A wrestling-based fighter, he averaged 4.33 takedowns per 15 minutes and landed 3.64 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy. Before UFC 239, he had submitted Robbie Lawler in the first round at UFC 235 in March 2019. After the Masvidal knockout, his most recent recorded fight was a third-round submission loss to Demian Maia in October 2019.
Why it matters
- The Masvidal-Askren finish remains the benchmark for flying knee knockouts, and its influence is still visible seven years later.
- The numbers show how unlikely the finish was: Askren averaged more takedown attempts than Masvidal by a wide margin (4.33 against 1.38 per 15 minutes), yet he never got the fight to the mat.
- The two are almost identical physically, both at five-foot-eleven, with Masvidal holding a one-inch reach edge at 74 inches to Askren's 73.
For fighters in the gym and the street alike, the lesson of 2019 comes with a caveat: the strike works best with a trained fighter's timing, not a highlight reel's inspiration.
