Jorge Masvidal knocked Ben Askren unconscious in 5 seconds at UFC 239 with a single flying knee in Muay Thai that became the fastest knockout in UFC history. That wasn't luck. It was perfect setup, perfect timing, and a technique that's been ending fights in Thai boxing for centuries.
This guide breaks down the real mechanics, the setups Kru Bee teaches in his Clinch Wizard Program, the drilling progression to make it automatic, and the mistakes that get people countered when they try this in sparring.
Step 1: Learn the Basic Mechanics First
Most people who attempt a flying knee jump straight up. That's a vertical hop, not a strike. You end up hanging in the air with no forward momentum, no power, and a clear invitation for your opponent to counter you.
The flying knee (called Khao Loi in traditional Muay Thai) is about driving FORWARD, not up.
Start in your fighting stance with your weight slightly on the balls of your feet. The power comes from your back leg. You push off explosively, driving your body toward your opponent, not toward the ceiling.
As you launch, rotate your rear hip forward while pulling your lead hip back. This rotation generates the real force. Your whole body spirals into the strike like a corkscrew.
At the peak of your jump, thrust your knee toward the target. Chin, chest, or solar plexus. Drive the point of your knee INTO the target on contact.
Your arms matter here too. Keep them in a long guard position, hands extended in front of your face. This protects you mid-flight and gives you something to post with if things go sideways.
The landing is just as important as the launch. Come down balanced, feet underneath you, hands up, ready to fight. Whether you connect or miss, a sloppy landing is an invitation to get cracked.
One quick distinction. The Khao Loi (flying knee) drives forward with momentum. The Khao Dot (jumping knee) is more vertical, thrown from closer range. Both leave the ground, but the flying knee covers more distance and commits more of your body to the attack.
Step 2: Set Up the Flying Knee So Your Opponent Never Sees It Coming
A naked flying knee is a gift to your opponent. No setup means they see it coming, step aside, and make you pay for leaving the ground. Every great flying knee KO in history had a setup that made the opponent look the wrong way at the wrong time.
Kru Bee's Ring Edge Setup
This is one of my favorite setups from Kru Bee's Clinch Wizard Program. When your opponent is near the ropes or the edge of the ring, throw a jab fake. One-two. Then push them away with one hand on their chest and the other hand controlling their arm. The second they stumble back from the push, you launch the flying knee right into the space you just created.
As Kru Bee puts it: "1, 2, jab. One hand pushes his chest, the other hand on his arm, push, then jump knee."
That push is the key. It breaks their posture, kills their ability to counter, and gives you the gap to launch.
Beyond Kru Bee's ring edge setup, there are several other proven ways to land this technique.
Low Kick Pattern Setup
Throw three or four jab-cross-low kick combinations. Get your opponent expecting strikes to the legs. They start checking low or shifting their weight down. Then swap the low kick for a flying knee. Their eyes are down, their weight is low, and your knee is coming up through the middle.
Hook Baiting
Throw a series of hooks to get your opponent's hands wide, defending the sides of their head. Once those hands spread apart, you thread the flying knee straight up the center where there's zero guard.
Counter to Takedown Attempts
This is exactly what Masvidal did to Askren. When someone shoots for a takedown, their head drops forward and down, directly into the path of a rising knee. Yoel Romero used the same timing against Chris Weidman. Weidman shot from distance, and Romero launched a flying knee to the temple that earned ESPN's 2016 Knockout of the Year.
Off-Balance Exploitation
When your opponent is wobbly from earlier strikes, that's your window. They can't move their feet fast enough to evade. They can't generate the base to counter. Close the distance and let the knee fly.
Step 3: Drill It Until It's Automatic
Knowing the technique and owning it are two completely different things. You need hundreds of reps before a flying knee becomes something you can throw without thinking.
Shadow Work. Start every round with 10 to 15 flying knee reps. Focus on hip rotation, forward drive, and balanced landings. No power needed here. Just pattern the movement until it feels natural. If you need a refresher on how to structure your shadow boxing rounds, we break that down in a separate guide.
Heavy Bag. Close distance and drive the knee THROUGH the bag, not into it. The bag should swing away from you, not just absorb the hit. This teaches you to commit your body weight to the strike. For more on heavy bag combinations, check out our double end bag training guide.
Pad Work. Have your partner hold Thai pads at head height. This is where you develop timing and accuracy with real-time feedback. Your pad holder can move, angle off, and force you to adjust mid-flight.
Partner Drills. Walk through the technique in slow motion with a training partner. Gradually increase speed over sessions. This builds the comfort of throwing it at a real person without the risk of full contact.
Live Sparring. Use it sparingly. One, maybe two flying knees per round at most. Always from a setup, never naked. If you're throwing flying knees every 30 seconds in sparring, you're training yourself to be predictable.
Do not skip this progression. Throwing flying knees in sparring without putting in the bag and pad work first is how you eat clean counters and lose training partners' trust.
Step 4: Avoid These Common Flying Knee Mistakes
The flying knee is high-reward but high-risk. These mistakes tip the scales the wrong way.
Telegraphing the launch. Dropping your weight or pulling your arms back before you jump is like sending a text message that says "flying knee incoming." Keep your stance normal until the moment you explode.
Jumping up instead of forward. Vertical hops look cool in movies. In a fight, they generate no power and close no distance. Drive forward off your back foot. The power is horizontal, not vertical.
Throwing it from too far. Here's the range check. If you can't touch your opponent with your lead hand, you're too far for a flying knee. Close the gap first with footwork or a jab, then launch.
Overusing it. More than one or two flying knees per sparring round makes you a one-trick problem. Your training partners will time you, and so will any opponent who watches tape.
Neglecting the landing. What happens after the knee matters as much as the knee itself. If you land off-balance with your hands down, you're asking for a counter hook or a takedown. Land with your feet under you and your guard up. Every time.
Skipping fundamentals. If you can't throw a clean roundhouse kick or a solid straight knee, you're not ready for flying knees. Build the foundation first. The flashy stuff comes after the basics are automatic.
Step 5: Know How to Defend Against It Too
If you don't know how to stop a flying knee, you don't truly understand how to throw one. Studying the defense makes your offense sharper because you learn what openings to exploit and what your opponent is looking for.
Lateral movement. Step offline as they launch. A flying knee is committed — if you're not in the path, it misses completely. This is the highest-percentage defense because it removes the target.
Parry and circle. Redirect the knee with your hands while angling off to the side. You take yourself out of the direct line of fire and create an angle for a counter.
Push defense. Extend your arm and stiff-arm your opponent's upper chest as they launch. This kills their forward momentum before the knee reaches full power. Think of it as a wall they run into.
Preemptive teep. If you read the setup, fire a teep to their hip or body BEFORE they launch. Once they're airborne it's too late for this counter, so you need to read it early.
Knowing these defenses helps you throw smarter flying knees. If you know the stiff-arm is coming, you set up with hooks first to move those arms. If you know they'll try to circle, you cut the angle before you launch.
Famous Flying Knee Knockouts That Changed Fights
The flying knee has produced some of the fastest, most devastating finishes in combat sports history. These aren't flukes. Perfect timing meeting perfect technique.
Masvidal vs Askren (UFC 239, 2019). Five seconds. That's all it took. Askren ducked for a takedown right at the opening bell. Masvidal sprinted across the octagon and launched a flying knee that connected before Askren knew what happened. Fastest knockout in UFC history.
Romero vs Weidman (UFC 205, 2016). Fifteen seconds into the third round, Weidman shot for a takedown from distance. Romero countered with a flying knee to the temple that sent the former champion crumpling to the canvas. Ten stitches. ESPN's Knockout of the Year.
Sandhagen vs Edgar (UFC Fight Night, 2021). Sandhagen sidestepped the future Hall of Famer, took flight, and planted his knee on Edgar's jaw. Twenty-eight seconds. Edgar froze on his feet and collapsed. Picture-perfect technique from an angle.
Takaya Suzuki (Shooto, 2024). Four seconds. A flying knee KO in his professional debut in Tokyo. The technique keeps producing highlight-reel finishes at every level of the sport.
If you want to go deeper on knee techniques and clinch setups, Kru Bee breaks it down step-by-step in Muay Thai Masters Collection.