There are few attacks more brutal in combat sports than a spinning back elbow. Whether it catches you on the jaw, cheek or eye socket, or flush to your nose or forehead, it’s going to mess you up hardcore. And no one is better at landing those spinning elbows than Gaston Bolanos, an experienced muay thai fighter who has been making waves recently in the Lion Fights kickboxing promotion. Every single one of his recent fights has featured a perfectly placed spinning back elbow that has marked the beginning of the end for his opponents.
Here he is knocking Caleb Archer out:
And here’s him hitting Ben Yelle with a spinning back elbow so hard, it splits Yelle’s forehead in two, forcing a stoppage:
Muay thai fighters don’t often get the recognition they deserve, but Bolanos has been forcing people to take notice with his violent finishes. He just won the 2015 Bazzie Award for Rising Star of the Year — that’s Bas Rutten’s annual combat sports award. Opponents take note: If you fight Gaston Bolanos, you know what he’s gonna try and do to you: back you into a corner and then unleash a hellbow that will knock you out. Good luck trying to stop him.