The Scrap's 2020 Regional KO of the Year: Alex Pereira's devastating left hook at LFA 95

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The regional scene is perhaps the greatest when it comes to emphatic knockouts in mixed martial arts, with the year 2020 continuing this tradition. From Josh Fremd’s brutal knee at LFA 89 to Nathais Frederick’s wild left hook at Cage Warriors 118, The Scrap was gifted many nominees to choose from. But there can only be one.

Honorable mentions: Mo Miller vs. Regivaldo Carvalho, Mamed Khalidov vs. Scott Askam and Josh Fremd vs. Lamar Gosey.

Two-weight Glory kickboxing champion Alex Pereira is one of the deadliest men on earth – no hyperbole needed. And ever since an old foe by the name of Israel Adesanya made his transition to MMA, Pereira has been teasing a permanent move of his own.

After amassing a professional MMA record of 2-1 between 2015 and 2016, Pereira decided to once more focus entirely on kickboxing. Many believed his days of throwing leather inside the cage were behind him, but in a pleasant surprise, they were very wrong.

In October, news surfaced that he had inked a multi-fight deal with regional promotion Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), who are known primarily for feeding a multitude of athletes to both the UFC and Bellator. His debut would come sooner than predicted, as, on November 20, he stood across eight-fight veteran Thomas Powell in the main event of LFA 95.

It was obvious that Powell lacked any real standup skills in comparison to Pereira, who took the centre of the cage within seconds. Powell was floored less than a minute in, and for him, it would only go downhill from there.

HOLY _____! Pereira's power is unreal!!! #LFA95 pic.twitter.com/0EAoY6z4fA
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) November 21, 2020

The 6 foot 4 Alex Pereira had the underdog where he wanted him, forcing him against the fence through his lengthy limbs and calculated feints. This gameplan was working well for the Brazilian, who acknowledged Powell’s eagerness to mount some offence of his own; as Powell was gaining ground Pereira slammed a headkick in his guard, following it up with his trademark left hook before he could receive a counter. His adversary, now lifeless, collapsed to the canvas.

The violent knockout made its way around the combat sports community within seconds. And The Scrap is proud to announce it as 2020’s Regional KO of the Year.