This style vs. style fight has some unique action! It’s Capoeira vs. kickboxing, under MMA rules.
The night is April 4th, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Tom Rank Martial Arts Inc. Is putting on its 24th North American Challenge”, an event of live MMA, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. The crowd is filing in, unbeknownst to the fact that they are about to witness one of the most devastating knockouts in MMA history.
Capoeira vs kickboxing under MMA rules – doesn’t last long
Keegan The Marshall” Marshall is set to square off against Marcus Lelo Aurelio. Marshall is 1-0, coming in off a first round TKO victory. Aurelio is 1-1 at this point, also having finished his last opponent, albeit almost three and a half years prior.
Aurelio is a Capoeira practitioner, a Brazilian martial art that combines strikes and rhythm to produce what appears to be more of a dance than a fighting style.
Capoeira is not traditionally very effective in MMA because of its uneconomical movements and emphasis on theatrics.
The bell rings and Aurelio begins jumping around, throwing aerial and spinning kicks, and whiffing on a wild, looping left hook. This is beginning to look like the setup for a NOS Energy Drink No Nonsense commercial as the Marshall appears to be patiently hanging back, waiting for his opportunity. Then comes the meia lua de compasso…
Meia lua de compasso is a round kick of sorts and is actually considered one of Capoeira’s more efficient strikes. The kick is performed by putting both hands on the ground for balance, pivoting on the stationary leg, and swinging the heel of the other foot, through the air. Aurelio’s Meia lua de compasso is beautifully executed but misses. Aurelio then throws the exact same strike while Marshall puts his hands down, thinking it was coming lower.
The kick connects with such a thunderous force,sounding like someone is snapping sticks of bamboo, but that was no doubt the crack of Marshall’s facial bones.
Aurelio went on to fight several more times in his career, amassing a record of 6 -2, even fighting once for Bellator. Unsurprisingly, Marshall has not fought since that night.
