PHOENIX – Chris Gonzalez works high kicks in practice, but he didn’t really plan on unleashing one against Saad Awad.
But the first strike Gonzalez (7-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) threw against Awad (24-14 MMA, 12-11 BMMA) in their fight on the Bellator 273 preliminary card at Footprint Center in Phoenix was a left high kick. It landed, and after Awad hit the canvas, a few punches later Gonzalez had a 36-second win.
“I had a million scenarios played out in my head, and that was probably not one of them,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been working on that high kick tirelessly. I work on it daily. I see it from my training partners. I throw it in practice. I’m landing it. Just to see it pay off and be able to put that on tape, and put that performance on in the cage, it means a lot.”
Gonzalez’s win was crucial since he needed to rebound from the first loss of his pro career.
Check out Gonzalez’s full interview in the video above.
Chris Gonzalez’s head kick KO wasn’t in the ‘million scenarios’ he imagined for Bellator 273
