Marc Diakiese injured Teemu Packalen's knee with a sidekick to the kneecap - likely requires surgery

[HerpDerp]

Hurts just looking at it.

It always looks more painful when the target leg is straightened out and buckles. It's crazy, but seeing one of those kicks is harder for me to watch than jaw-crushing KO's like Hunt vs Struve. Makes me flinch like no other striking technique. It's not rational by any means, but instincts often aren't.

 

[Jin Akutsu]

Keep them. Learn better footwork. That is all. This Teemu guy plodded in and paid for it.

 

[Xtal]

You sure the injury was from that kick, and not the horrible way his leg bent when he got stiffened up from the KO? Look at his right leg when he starts to fall during the KO; the leg twists and snaps out as he falls. That's how literally every knee injury, MCL or ACL, I've ever seen happens; the twisting of the leg, not a blunt shot to the front.

 

[HerpDerp]

You sure the injury was from that kick, and not the horrible way his leg bent when he got stiffened up from the KO? Look at his right leg when he starts to fall during the KO; the leg twists and snaps out as he falls. That's how literally every knee injury, MCL or ACL, I've ever seen happens; the twisting of the leg, not a blunt shot to the front.

It was from the kick.

Packalen himself described it in a post-fight interview, highlighting a moment when he felt a sharp kind of pain in his knee after that sequence in the OP's gif. He even said that the pain made him panic somewhat and made him go forward so aggressively. He thought he had to finish the fight immediately after that kick by getting close up and getting a clinch takedown.

 

[Xtal]

It was from the kick.

Packalen himself described it in a post-fight interview, highlighting a moment when he felt a sharp kind of pain in his knee after that sequence in the OP's gif. He even said that the pain made him panic somewhat and made him go forward so aggressively. He thought he had to finish the fight immediately after that kick by getting close up and getting a clinch takedown.

Where's this interview? I'd be curious to see this. Honestly, he can say what he wants, but even if the kick did hurt him, it doesn't mean it tore his MCL. The fall looks much worse than the impact of that kick. In the midst of a fight and then getting completely KOed stiff, I'm not going to just take his word on it. Overeem thought Stipe tapped after getting KOed, so let's be honest that a KOed dude doesn't have the best memory.

 

[JT RIPPER]

I put that in the same category as "small joint manipulation" in BJJ

if I'm not mistaken...it's illegal to kick the knee in any way in Muay Thai

 

[stav]

This past weekend Marc Diakiese impressed everyone with a thorough first round domination of Teemu "Pacu" Packalen, ultimately ending with a highlight reel one punch KO:

In retrospect, the fight also has another point of interest: Marc Diakiese landed a flush sidekick to Packalen's knee while the latter was coming forward, likely causing the first verifiable knee injury involving the technique in the UFC. I made a Gif of the sidekick and Teemu's subsequent limping:



Packalen got his knee MRI'd right after the fight and the results indicate a torn MCL, and according to his doctor, it will likely require surgery. (Source from Finnish Media.)

Since the technique has been seen as highly controversial on Sherdog ever since Jones started doing them, I feel like this marks a good moment to bring up the debate once more: should kicks to the knee be illegal, or should this injury be considered just like any other that takes place during a fight? Discuss.

Fedor used the oblique kick technique in Pride before Jones but never received any hate. It's funny how that works.

 

[filthynumber1]

well this is the ultimate FIGHTING
championship... these guys arent doing accounting for taxes.
shit happens

still feel for the guy though
hope he can come back better then ever

 

[HerpDerp]

Where's this interview? I'd be curious to see this. Honestly, he can say what he wants, but even if the kick did hurt him, it doesn't mean it tore his MCL. The fall looks much worse than the impact of that kick. In the midst of a fight and then getting completely KOed stiff, I'm not going to just take his word on it. Overeem thought Stipe tapped after getting KOed, so let's be honest that a KOed dude doesn't have the best memory.

Here's the interview I was referring to. It's in Finnish though, but he describes the kick and the pain thereafter quite clearly, and seeing as we have footage of the fight and of the kick happening, I think it's safe to conclude that the kick was what injured him. Don't you see him stumble trying to find his footing after the kick?

The fact that Packalen was moving forward with the brunt of his weight on his front leg caused the kick to be all the more devastating, and it actually did cause a lateral twist in his knee aswell if you look at it.

 

[Barge]

Great self defence technique, but I hate it in MMA.

 

[Inertia Creeps]

Sidestep, switch stances, check the kick, counter the guy before he can throw it, learn any kind of defensive footwork and stop plodding forward mindlessly, etc. This shouldn't even be a debate, stop making it one. If you wanna fight for a living then learn to fight and properly defend your body and its appendages, or reap the consequences. No one in kickboxing has ever complained about this strike and no one ever complained about it in MMA until Jones won championships with it in his arsenal. Funny how that works.

 

[edirp]

Fedor used the oblique kick technique in Pride before Jones but never received any hate. It's funny how that works.

Proof? I bet you just made that up.

 

[stav]

Proof? I bet you just made that up.

He did it against Big nog. Bas Rutten at the time described it as a "savat" kick during the commentary.

Are you experiencing a conflict of emotions? You hate Jones and sight his oblique kicks as one of the reasons for hating him but you love Fedor?

Would suck if that was true.



Hope the link works

 

[ClosetVitorFan]

If it was partial tear they dont require surgery. Full tears do. Sucks.

 

[AkuraIchiban]

I'm a little on the fence about this one. It has the potential to (quickly) injure an opponent but can be defended against. Obviously it's a dick move to pull when sparring.

 

[Prince Nephilim]

It's part of the game. Where do we stop? Should we ban leg locks as well, which can do just as much if not more damage?