Chances are you’re not familiar with Tadashi Sawamura, so let me clue you in on this legendary kickboxer.

Tadashi Sawamura (whose real name is Hideki Shiraha) is truly a pioneer in kickboxing history. He has competed in 241 kickboxing bouts (!), winning a whopping 232 of them. That, alone, is amazing. On top of that, Sawamura was a knockout machine as well. Indeed, his knockout percentage stands at a mind-blowing 94.6%.

Simply put, Sawamura was a one-of-a-kind fighter.

Sawamura was known as a ferocious fighter, and instantly became a fan-favorite as he rose to prominence. The number of bouts he won is astonishing, but what was the most striking thing about him is HOW he was winning them.

The following footage shows a Sawamura fight dating all the way back to 1973. Sawamura, in red shorts, is landing, but gets tagged as well; the round is fairly disputed. That is, until Sawamura gets a hold of his opponent’s neck…

The Japanese fighter gets his foe in a Thai-style plum clinch and immediately lands two hard knees to the body. He then pushes his opponents against the ropes, literally soars into the air and lands a MONSTROUS flying knee to his foe’s jaw, who falls unconscious on the canvas.

That knockout has to be one the finest ones that ever happened in kickboxing history, and it was insanely well-executed. It resulted from a combination of technical prowess and brutality that only a few fighters have ever been able to display in such beautiful manner. Sawamura was an amazing, exciting kickboxing fighter, and a true pioneer of the sport.

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About the author: Reda is an MMA and soccer nerd who spends way too much time watching fights, TV series and anime. He is also a self-declared chef and kind of a procrastination connoisseur.

You can stalk him on Twitter @RedaAtoui. Keep it to cats videos, please.