Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists where we shine a light on fights from across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like there’s an MMA show every other day.
This past weekend was all about Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira battling for the “BMF” belt at UFC 326, but you know what? Sometimes the baddest MFer is the third man in the cage.
(Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the best KOs, and to @Grabaka_Hitman for uploading many of the clips you see here. Give them a follow and chip in on Patreon if you can.)
Mariusz Skrzypa vs. Kamil Gajewski
Last week, we saw one referee have a close call after getting caught by a headbutt in the middle of a flurry. This week, referee Daniel Matuszek arguably got it worse.
Matuszek oversaw a modified kickboxing bout between Mariusz Skrzypa and Kamil Gajewski at a First Step Championship event in Koluszki, Poland, and found himself having to break up the action as a round came to a close. These boys were throwing so Matuszek knew what he was getting into, but even he couldn’t have predicted he’d be battered by a couple of hard shots.
Matuszek steps between the fighters and gets blasted by a Gajewski left hook. The follow-up right that straight clubbed him in the back of the head probably didn’t feel great either!
Afterwards, Matuszek looked pretty pissed about the situation. I don’t blame him. Anyway, Skrzypa went on to win the decision, so hopefully that made Matuszek feel a little better.
Romero dos Reis vs. Leopold Goi
Speaking of BMF, perhaps in an ode to the title’s inaugural winner Jorge Masvidal, Romero dos Rais delivered an eight-second flying knee knockout at Hexagone MMA 40 in Aix-en-Provence, France.
Like Masvidal, dos Reis has put in that work, fighting 30 times (over a considerably shorter span than Masvidal) before taking on Leopold Goi for a vacant flyweight belt. He didn’t waste the opportunity, going airborne with a beautiful strike to catch an advancing Goi. Love the stoppage, too, because even though it looks like Goi was recovering, that’s only because the referee jumped in quick to save his head from being hammered into the canvas.
Nicolas Bojaca vs. Cesar Vasquez
Zaid Varela vs. Cesar Bourjac
This week’s winner of the “Call An Ambulance, But Not For Me” award goes to Nicolas Bojaca for this lovely comeback against Cesar Vasquez in the main event of Lux Fight League 59 in Mexico City.
Vasquez had Bojaca on the defensive and smelled blood, but Bojaca caught him with a winging overhand right and then just wailed on him to get the stoppage. There’s no arguing that one, other than to maybe call it a little late given that Vasquez was stuck in a bad way as Bojaca drilled him with undefended ground-and-pound.
Earlier on the show, 18-year-old flyweight Zaid Varela showed beautiful submission instincts as he rushed Cesar Bourjac down and tapped him with an armbar in 23 seconds.
That’s just complete disdain for your opponent’s abilities.
Lux Fight League 59 is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.
Ignacio Trapiella vs. Ales Suarez
In an amateur bout at Hook FC MMA in Asturias, Spain, Ales Suarez threw a completely blind overhand right hoping for the best… and got the worst.
Slow that one down and you can see Suarez turn his face right into Ignacio Trapiella’s incoming head kick. You can understand why Suarez just kind of slumps down and gently rolls onto his back now.
Check out a free replay of Hook FC MMA 1 on YouTube.
Dylan Ravenscroft vs. Aidan Lennen
Nathan Golding vs. Luke Cuthbert
And if you’re feeling really wacky, why not dive into the strange world of Total Kombat?
Employing a fight pit similar to Karate Combat (not coincidentally, I imagine), Total Kombat emphasizes style vs. style clashes and the results often lead to fun knockouts, as evidenced here…
Dylan Ravenscroft (great name) gets the nod for style points here, though it would have been cooler without the chin-cracking follow-up shot. Ah, well.
If you know of a recent fight or event that you think may have been overlooked, or a promotion that could use some attention, please let us know on X — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.
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