'Unbelievable': MMA fighter ends all-Russian scrap with BRUTAL UPKICK to send stunned opponent face-first onto the canvas (VIDEO)

Lightweight Lom-Ali Nalgiev ended his opponent's night with a shock finish in Russia, lying on the canvas while smashing his foot into standing foe Imanali Gamzathanov's face to secure an ingeniously vicious victory at ACA 111.

There appeared to be little immediate danger to Gamzathanov as he held Nalgiev's left leg in the air while his countryman lay with his back on the canvas.

His decision not to fully defend himself, though, soon seemed fatally foolish during the extraordinary finish that followed.

Hammering out a huge upkick with his unattended leg, prone brawler Nalgiev caught his unsuspecting assailant flush in the face, connecting with another blow as Gamzathanov crashed face-first to the floor.

"He made space, threw the right kick and the heel connected," bellowed the shocked commentary team for the Absolute Championship Akhmat. "Unbelievable knockout."

While some fans called the unorthodox battering an "incredible KO", others argued that the move made "soccer kicks" – the term used to describe a kick used by an upright fighter on an opponent who is prone or not standing – less of a contentious prospect.

"I think soccer kicks are way more dangerous than this," countered one. "It's a forward kick to the face [so] it can also twist the neck severely and is significantly stronger than this. It's a similar reason to why you can't do a proper upkick in MMA."

"If you can kick me then I must be able to return the favor," argued the original critic, while another added: "I won't neccesarily die on the hill with you but I'll put up a real good fight and only leave the hill when I'm brutally injured."

Some viewers were reminded of Gegard Mousasi, the Dutch Bellator fighter who won the inaugural DREAM Middleweight Championship with another improvizational upkick against Ronaldo Souza in 2008.

Two years earlier, Jon Fitch achieved what could be considered the first UFC upkick victory when he used the move to reverse former title challenger Thiago Alves.

UFC welterweight Niko Price won via upkick more recently. 'The Hybrid' knocked out James Vick at UFC Tampa last October, earning the $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus as his reward.