DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Impa Kasanganay went viral early in his fighting career, but not for the right reasons.
Three years ago, in just his second fight in the UFC, Kasanganay (14-3) was on the receiving end of one of the wildest and most brutal knockouts in UFC history. Heavy hitter Joaquin Buckley broke the internet when Kasanganay caught one of his leg kicks, and then spun midair to land a knockout blow with the opposite leg.
“When I got knocked out by Buckley, I don’t remember what happened,” Kasanganay told MMA Junkie on Wednesday at a media day. “I was just like, ‘What happened? What happened?’ But once I got in the ambulance, my dad was like, ‘Go look at your phone.’ I watched it, and I was like, ‘Ok, good shot.’ But I came into MMA to become a champion. If that’s the route for me to become a champion, then that’s it.
“I didn’t know then why that happened. I didn’t pray for that to happen, trust me, I didn’t. I was like, ‘OK, cool. How do I rise from this?’ My dad always told me, ‘In order to know your glory, they first need to understand your story.’ … When people ask me about it, I say play that highlight as much as you want. It’s great, credit to him. But the day that I’m champion, play that highlight too. On November 24, I get to do that.”
Not long after getting knocked out badly, Kasanganay was released from the UFC and then lost in his first fight outside of the organization at an Eagle FC event. From the outside looking in, his career looked to be in a grim situation.
However, Kasanganay went on to put together five consecutive wins, with three of those being in the PFL’s 2023 light heavyweight season. He’s now one win away from winning $1 million, as he takes on Josh Silveira in the season finale. The bout goes down at the 2023 PFL Championships on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington.
It’s a drastic turn of events for Kasanganay, who now looking back, is thankful for the hiccups that led to his release from the UFC.
“I remember being at the Budlight room in Atlanta and I look at my coach and said, ‘Thank God UFC cut me,’” Kasanganay said. “I was just so happy. Man, what a situation. It was challenging to get fights there, all my friends were doing well there, great. All the people in the people who I knew in the organization, I love people there too, so nothing against them. I’m just happy for me because who knows when I would’ve gotten that $1 million fight or more or less or close to it.
“It’s also (good) too because you get to share that with your coaches and your team and the people who helped you get there and who knows what kind of percentage I get to share with them, so it’s the overall bigger picture. Man, I’m very, very happy. I enjoyed my time there, and it helped me get better. … I’m very, very happy I’m not there anymore. Nothing against them, but I’m just glad I’m at PFL.”
