Referee Marc Goddard praises Impa Kasanganay for positive attitude following brutal KO loss to Joaquin Buckley

Referee Marc Goddard praised middleweight Impa Kasanganay for his positive attitude following a brutal KO loss to Joaquin Buckley.

Kasanganay was on the wrong end of one of the greatest highlight-reel knockouts in UFC history when Buckley finished him with a spinning back kick in their preliminary card bout at UFC Fight Island 5. Buckley was able to land the kick with his right leg after Kasanganay had caught a kick with his left leg, leading to an incredible, one-of-a-kind KO. The knockout video has gone viral and Buckley was given a $50,000 bonus for his efforts.

Following the event, Kasanganay took to his social media to release a positive statement despite suffering a devastating loss. According to Goddard, one of the top refs in the sport, Kasanganay was an “absolute joy” to be around on Fight Island despite the brutal defeat.

https://twitter.com/marcgoddard_uk/status/1315288041645318149

Even though the result didn’t go his way (and a huge congratulations to Joaquin Buckley for the truly spectacular) I must say @kingimpa attitude, spirit & conduct is an absolute joy to be around. Any man can learn a positive thing or two from you. What a man!

Kasanganay saw what Goddard wrote about him and responded in kind to the comments.

Much respect you sir @marcgoddard_uk ! Thank you I love what I get to do. Came to fight left of my shield. God bless you and I appreciate your message. I hope to see you soon 💪🏿 Definitely Huge congrats on a such game shot @Newmansa94 way to fight. https://t.co/zSHkdrNhXw

— Impa Kasanganay (@kingimpa) October 11, 2020

Much respect you sir @marcgoddard_uk ! Thank you I love what I get to do. Came to fight left of my shield. God bless you and I appreciate your message. I hope to see you soon Definitely Huge congrats on a such game shot @Newmansa94 way to fight.

It’s always interesting to see how fighters react when suffering not only the first defeat of their MMA career but also one in such devastating fashion. While Kasanganay has been nothing but positive since the loss and praised his opponent, some other fighters would have tried to get out of the spotlight or deflect criticism. In the case of Kasanganay, he knows he lost fair and square, and getting some props from Goddard must feel good.

Do you agree with Marc Goddard about how Impa Kasanganay handled his loss?