Manny Akpan has delivered a contender for “KO of the Year.”
Akpan did battle with Connor Hitchens at Cage Warriors 136. Akpan was coming off the first loss of his pro MMA career against Keir Harvie back in June 2021. He was looking to rebound against Hitchens and he did so in emphatic fashion.
With just 27 seconds left in the second stanza, Akpan nailed Hitchens with a spinning hook kick. Hitchens dropped to the canvas and the fight was stopped soon after.
"UNBELIEVABLE!!!!"#CW136 pic.twitter.com/XmlXtc51fW
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) April 2, 2022
With the victory, Akpan improves his pro MMA record to 4-1. Hitchens now falls to 6-2.
Cage Warriors 136 was headlined by a middleweight title fight. Djati Melan was putting the gold on the line against Christian Leroy Duncan. Duncan connected with a flying knee in the third round to capture the gold.
The co-main event featured a scrap between Aaron Aby and Gerardo Fanny. It was Aby who scored the third-round submission finish.
Take a look at the full results from the prelims to the main card of Cage Warriors 136:
Main Card
- Christian Leroy Duncan def. Djati Melan (c) via TKO (flying knee) – R3, 0:48 – Cage Warriors middleweight championship
- Aaron Aby def. Gerardo Fanny via submission (rear-naked choke) – R3, 2:25
- Adam Cullen def. El Hadji Ndiaye via TKO – R1, 0:14
- Reece McEwan def. Sam Spencer via submission (rear-naked choke) – R3, 4:33
- Luke Riley def. Jack Elgin via knockout (punches) – R2, 4:54
Preliminary Card
- Mick Stanton def. Alexis Fontes via TKO – R2, 1:28
- Aleksi Mäntykivi def. Jeanderson Castro via knockout – R2, 2:27
- Liam Molloy def. Ben Rees via knockout (Left Hook) – R1, 0:26
- Manny Akpan def. Connor Hitchens via knockout (Wheel Kick) – R2, 4:36
- Dylan Hazan def. Raymison Bruno via TKO (Retirement) – R1, 5:00
- Jan Quaeyhaegens def. Kieran Lister via TKO (Ground and Pound) – R1, 3:08
- Chasen Blair def. Rickie Moore via TKO (Ground and Pound) – R1, 2:47
- Michael Tchamou def. Piotr Chmielecki via knockout (Ground and Pound) – R1, 1:35