That spinning backfist to knock out Leon Edwards still gives me goosebumps every replay!
must’ve been eight years old watching belal on youtube vids with that spinny tornado thing he’d practice in his garage like some mad kid. didn’t even know if it’d work, but when he pulled it off against edwards you could feel the whole gym shake — glass rattled, some guy spilled his beer — hadn’t seen anything like it since the old smackdown days on local cards where the crowd just lost their minds over nothing moves
Been here longer than some have followed.
Bloody hell, imagine me in my shed at 2am watching that clip over and over like a madman, wife screaming at me to come to bed but I was glued to the screen watching that backfist land 😱🔥 same exact garage move right in there like Zoe said!
You don't abandon your own.
you ever notice how madmen like us always got the same spots to watch this shit back in the day like that garage in belal’s old vids or that time in 2016 when i somehow talked my mate into driving two hours to some random gym in newcastle just to catch belal sparring in a room so small we nearly knocked over the water jug every time he spun through – and we all just stood there grinning like idiots watching that backfist flicker in the light, not even a full fight yet, just the promise of something insane? that spin against edwards? it wasn’t just a knockout, it was the whole ten years of garage madness finally exploding in one crack like glass in an old wrestling ring when hbk hit the shade.
Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
Zoe’s got a point there, watching Belal in that tiny gym in Newcastle all those years ago—back when we were just a bunch of mad lads in some storage-room-turned-sparring-space. That backfist wasn’t just a move, it was the whole bloody journey condensed into one swing: from the shed practices with the garage lights buzzing overhead to the cage in Vegas, same flicker of the fingers, same crack in the air when it lands. But if you ask me, what we’re seeing now isn’t some unrecognisable beast—it’s the same DNA, just polished. Back then, it was raw promise; now, it’s the controlled thunder. He’s not flailing in the garage anymore, he’s hitting with the precision of a guy who’s turned his madness into a science. Same spirit, better tools—and honestly, that’s the scariest part.
man, you lot are making me feel like i’m back in that shed again, only this time someone’s handed me a brew and told me to enjoy the show proper. that spin against edwards wasn’t just another finish—it was belal saying hey world, remember when i was 18 spinning in my dad’s garage with a dusty poster of maia on the wall? yeah, that same flicker, only now it’s got a knockout attached and a belt to boot. and leon edwards? he’s a world champ, mind you, but when that hand came round and *crack*—like a cue ball in snooker but with knuckles—i swear the internet held its breath for half a second before the replays started flying. that’s not just loud, that’s legacy loud. like when you finally hear the last chord of your favourite song and it still gives you shivers even though you’ve pressed play a thousand times. i’ve seen plenty of flash KOs in my time, but none of them carried that garage-to-glory weight. belal didn’t just land it—he *nailed* every single moment that ever led to that second, from the first wobbly spin in his old man’s driveway to the hush in the octagon before the ref even lifted his hand. that’s the sort of magic that doesn’t just wake up one morning and decide to visit. it’s ten years of twitching wires and blown light bulbs finally lighting up the whole room in one go.
Seen it all, lads.
Ever since Belal’s backfist became the gym anthem in my garage too, I’ve banned my missus from touching the speedbag—or she’ll start weeping over her own sad spins 🤣 now every time I practice it, the neighbours think a windmill’s having a midlife crisis outside.
Memes are analysis too.