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Viral Spinning Back Kick KO Punctuates XFC 52 which Boasts an 86% Finishing Rate
Iowa City, March 28, 2025 – Xtream Arena in Iowa City, Iowa was taken over by Xtreme Fighting Championship with the most talked about moment of XFC 52 transpiring in the sophomore contest. Jaron Lathrop notched a headline-generating knockout that drew comparisons to the Joaquin Buckley vs. Impa Kasanganay KO that also went viral years ago.
In the waning seconds of round one, Yevgeni Shinkarevsky took his first loss across three pro MMA bouts with a spectacular spinning back kick after initially catching Lathrop’s leg. Lathrop was a pro MMA debutant here and now has a KO of the Year contender on his hands, or feet, after transitioning from the double digit win streak through his amateur MMA run.
With many positioning this KO as a 1.B for Knockout of the Year near Mauricio Ruffy’s stunning spinning kick finish of King Green with all-time spinning kick, it’s quite the way for Jaron Lathrop to start off a promising career in the sport.
This knockout having so much discourse is impressive considering the lightning quick finish in the lightweight main event of the card. Kenny Cross notched an emphatic TKO victory over Lucas Corbage just 14 seconds into their contest, and as a standout XFC contender, he may now be on the verge of a UFC call-up.
Cross mentioned in the post-fight interview that he desired an octagon outing but also referenced how much he was working the ending sequence of strikes backstage.
Backstage footage, later shared on the XFC Instagram account, validated this, and it seems like the sky’s the limit for the former Bellator and Contender Series veteran who already boasts an impressive record of first-round finishes.
The co-main event clash featured Alex Nicholson, who entered after consecutive striking-based finishes inside the XFC cage. In this fight, however, it would be him getting finished inside the distance by Darion Abbey.
Abbey secured a TKO victory over the former UFC veteran 77 seconds into the fight after connecting with a brutal punch to the eye. Darion Abbey bested a well-travelled individual as Nicholson has more than twice the pro MMA experience of Abbey.
In the feature fight of the night, Emiliano Sordi ended this 218-pound catchweight affair with strikes at the 1:27 mark as Marcos Brigagão fell under a torrent of blows. This was another fight that did not encroach beyond the opening stanza and made for an electric environment at the venue.
For fans of the grappling arts, there was in fact a win by way of a submission at XFC 52 as well. Victor Moreno ended off his professional MMA career with a rear naked choke against Thiago Oliveira. The final chapter in Moreno’s story has unfurled at XFC 52.
‘Superman’ Moreno has close to 70 pro MMA fights on his resume as well as competitive history in Muay Thai and boxing. Moreno has fought names like former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith, former Bellator MMA welterweight champion Jason Jackson, and former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Jeremy Horn, to name a few.
The lone contest of the night that put the cageside judges to work saw Saidyokub Kakhramonov emerge victorious. He collected a W in his 140-pound catchweight contest versus Bruno Santos via unanimous decision.
The opening bout of the event was an amateur light heavyweight contest that saw Erik Johnson dispatch his opponent Austin Climer with strikes 68 seconds into the bout. Erik Johnson improved his ammy record to 2-0 against Austin Climer who falls to 3-8.
Respected analyst Luke Thomas was on hand as part of the XFC broadcast team, where the promotion delivered a clean, well-executed event. Also, XFC board member and former WWE champion Big E can attest to the fact that the XFC faithful could feel the power that permeated throughout Iowa City.