Something dangerous unfolded recently at the Syndicate Mixed Martial Arts gym in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC’s No. 10–ranked women’s bantamweight Jacqueline Cavalcanti was working with a male training partner when things took an unexpected turn. A clip shared by Full Send MMA captured the moment when she landed a perfectly timed left knee to his face, sending him crashing down, turning a routine session into a viral moment.

The clip showed Cavalcanti firing off a combination before her sparring partner shot for a single leg takedown. But he was caught off guard when Cavalcanti countered with a sharp left knee that landed square on his face.

The impact sent him falling backward onto the canvas as the 28-year-old immediately moved in to check on him. Despite the brutal-looking shot, he didn’t appear to be knocked out cold; just dazed by the unexpected strike. The Portuguese-Brazilian star was wearing knee pads, which softened the blow, but the thud of the strike landing could be clearly heard in the clip.

Someone around could be heard asking, “Was that real?” The UFC star replied, “Real.” The sparring partner shook it off with laughter, but it was evident that the knee landed hard, even though he was wearing protective gear.

Cavalcanti joined the UFC in September 2023, debuting against Zarah Fairn after winning an LFA title. Since then, ‘The Nightmare’ has put together an impressive 5-0 record. At 28, she’s the youngest fighter in the women’s bantamweight top-10 and is widely seen as one of the division’s most promising prospects.

The division is currently led by champion Kayla Harrison, who is set to defend her title against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324. Still, despite Cavalcanti’s rising stock, fans weren’t exactly impressed with the viral sparring clip.

Fans accuse Jacqueline Cavalcanti of ego-training

Unlike reactions after usual knockouts, Jacqueline Cavalcanti’s knockout received a lukewarm welcome. One user downplayed her skills. “The right shot with enough power to the chin can KO anyone,” the user wrote. Unfortunately for the 28-year-old, she hasn’t been able to score a knockout in the Octagon yet. Her 5-0 UFC run shows two split decisions and three unanimous decision wins.

All in all, she has recorded 30 per cent KO wins in her entire MMA career.

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After watching the clip, a user defended the male sparring partner. “For anyone questioning dude’s chin, when it’s perfectly placed, there’s literally nothing you can do. [The] system just gets overridden, doesn’t matter how good your chin is,” the user commented. From the looks of the clip, the sparring partner went low to grab her leg and was caught with a perfectly timed knee.

Meanwhile, a user blamed Cavalcanti for overdoing it in sparring. “Ego training, why are you throwing a full power knee without pulling it in sparring?”

But it didn’t look intentional, to be fair.

Another user decided to poke fun at the Brazilian-Portuguese fighter. “So [Jacqueline Cavalcanti] is only capable of finishing someone in the gym?” the user asked sarcastically.

The user seemed to be referring to the fact that she won only through unanimous and split decision wins in the UFC. However, she has scored knockouts in the past, but it was during her stint in other promotions. She recorded three KO/TKO wins in her career.

Someone else took things a little further, accusing Cavalcanti of staging the entire thing. “Worst part is he was the only one wearing headgear.. Probably staged,” the user commented.

Having said that, it appears Jacqueline Cavalcanti will have to replicate that knockout in the Octagon to get in the good graces of the fans. But what did you make of the KO?