The beautiful art of Capoeira, while not the most useful set of skills for a mixed martial arts competition, has been behind some of the most unbelievable and spectacular knockouts the world has ever seen.

While the exact origin of capoeira is unknown, it is believed that it was developed in Brazil beginning as early as the 16th century by residents of West African descent who applied native Brazilian influences to the martial art. The style of fighting is characterized by many high risk/high reward maneuvers consisting of a variety of powerful spinning kicks.

The following video comes to us from parts unknown, but appears to have been promoted by Gionco International, a combat sports promotion run by retired boxer Gerry Gionco.

The fight begins with the fighters touching gloves in the center of the ring. It immediately becomes apparent which man is the capoeira fighter, as one fighter leaps into the air and spins. There’s no strike or faked strike, he simply jumps and spins as if to say, I’m the capoeira guy!

While he may not have attempted a strike with his first spinning leap, he was sure to attempt a few more in the following few seconds. First he kept his feet planted and went for a spinning back kick that failed to land flush. This is followed by a jumping head kick that misses by a foot. Next comes a cartwheel kick that misses.

Using the momentum from the first cartwheel kick, he turns over into another spinning kick that finds its mark and sends his opponent crashing to the mat. A stern reminder that while capoeira’s flashy kicks may sometimes miss by a mile, they sure are effective when they hit the bull’s eye.

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Jeff Warsaw is the former executive editor of Long Island MMA Magazine, professional combat sports public address announcer for several NY/NJ MMA and kickboxing promotions, and a proud one-stripe white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the famed Joe D’Arce. He is currently a musician, coffee enthusiast and host of the Stranger In A Strange Land podcast on YouTube.