Michael Schiavello Discusses the Ten Best Kicks

Tuesday, 21 December 2010 19:31

Written by Dave Walsh

Our good friend and combat sports veteran announcer Michael Schiavello also happens to be one of the better combat sports writers out there when he wants to be, which should make a lot of people take notice. Schiavello does this in his free time, in between jetsetting all over the world and calling nearly every awesome combat sports show not under the Zuffa banner in the world. What I am saying is, take note, MMA writers.

Schiavello take a look at ten of the best kicks outside of MMA, which he rightfully so, has labeled the "Showtime Kick" by Anthony Pettis at WEC's finale event as the best MMA kick. He runs the gambit, from Muay Thai strikers like Enriko Kehl and Saenchai to kickboxing legends like Andy Hug and Remy Bonjasky, Schiavello covers it all.

One of my favorites that he covers is Andy Hug's Tornado kick to the leg of Mike Bernardo in 1996.

What makes Hug’s variation so special is that he threw the kick to Bernardo’s thigh, rather than delivering, as is usual, to the opponent’s midsection. No sooner had the kick been thrown did it become an international sensation and everyone in the world began attempting spinning back kicks to the thigh (just as we’ll no doubt see many Pettis “Showtime Kick” clones).  To this day, however, in my many years of watching and commentating combat sports, I have never seen another fighter execute a spinning back kick to the thigh for a knockout. Take into consideration that Hug performed this technique against the more highly-fancied Bernardo in the final of the biggest martial arts competition on Earth and you can appreciate the complete spectacle of this technique.

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