something to aspire to

I think "Knockout of the Year" is an exaggeration, but this is nevertheless one of the most beautiful knockouts I've seen. The video below is short; watch the whole thing for the buildup and payoff. As with many of the other knockouts I've watched on YouTube, this one is done with a type of spinning kick*—the very thing they tell you never to employ in a street situation (in fact, most experts advise not kicking at all, which is why taekwondo is generally scorned as a plausible means of self-defense). I suppose one explanation for why the kick works in this video is that kickboxing is a rule-governed sport, not a street situation. Another reason is that, if you're going to deliver a kick, do it when your opponent is tired, and in the video, the tall guy is obviously flagging: he loses his balance and falls at the 15- or 16-second mark after attempting a knee strike. I'm pretty sure this isn't Round 1,** and if the tall guy is that tired at this point, and the shorter guy is just biding his time, then it's understandable as to why the shorter guy executes that kick at the end. (Note, too, that the kick was high enough to slip over the tall guy's guard—another indication that the tall guy was tiring.)

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*Technically, it's what's called a volley kick, possibly based on a similar move seen in soccer.

**I just went back and reread the video description. This was Round 5.