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.
Quite simply, this past week saw some of the gnarliest finishes of the year play out, so let’s get right to business starting with the unfortunate and building to the divine.
(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.)
Jose Gonzales vs. Lyon Torres
Man, even for those of us card-carrying members of Team Always Cheat… this was a bit much.
At an FFC show in Piura, Peru, Jose Gonzales landed a clear knee below the belt that unsurprisingly left opponent Lyon Torres pretty discombobulated. In the above clip, you can see Gonzales knows he did something wrong as he stops and waits for the referee to step in. And waits. And waits.
With no official intervention, Gonzales didn’t have any choice but to continue the offensive, landing punches on the stunned Torres, who was still focused on protecting his little Lyons at that point. Good on Gonzales for throwing at a little over half speed, not so good on the referee who finally woke up long enough to step in for the stoppage.
Anyway, that’s score another one for the bad guys! (Kidding, Mr. Gonzales)
OK, now to the “viewer discretion is advised” portion of our programming.
Juan Pablo Arcila vs. Fabian Rodriguez
We go from Piura to Lima for Inka 56 (replay available on UFC Fight Pass), where an amateur bout between Juan Pablo Arcila and Fabian Rodriguez ended in just 16 seconds.
Not much to say about this. Caught him with a 1-2 and that’s that. The basics still work!
Silvestre Sanchez vs. Irving Cardona
Also on Fight Pass and almost as fast, Silvestre Sanchez clocked in at 18 seconds at a Lux Fight League event in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Irving Cardona’s hands are nowhere near being in defensive position so when Sanchez rears back and clocks him, he connects with full force. Serious whiplash on that KO.
Emre Han Hekimoglu vs. Kallum Parker
And yet somehow, Emre Han Hekimoglu beat both of those finishes, not with his fists, but with a timely use of the gentle art.
Your eyes do not deceive you, that’s a finish via ankle lock in a mere 14 seconds. Hekimoglu also won his last fight with an ankle lock, though it took him 1:20, a relative eternity. He’s rapidly improving his time, like one of those crazy Rubik’s Cube kids except that the Rubik’s Cube is his opponent’s body.
Eternal MMA 105 is also available on UFC Fight Pass.
Enrique Aranda vs. Alberto Arce
Stay logged in for this amateur tilt from Budo Sento Championship 34, where Enrique Aranda threw a crazy haymaker that somehow landed, resulting in an even crazier fall to the canvas.
Alberto Arce went down in such comical fashion that if this were a martial arts movie and I was the director, I’d tell the actors to re-shoot the scene because the KO was too over the top.
Kevin Arreola vs. Alex Sanchez
From Guadalajara to Mexico City, we check in on Mexico Fight League 4 (free replay available on YouTube), where Kevin Arreola scored an impressive upset of Alex Sanchez with this left hand down the pipe.
Arreola was just 4-3 heading into this contest and he fought like a man with nothing to lose, charging right at Sanchez to connect with a bomb that ended the fight in 47 seconds.
Guilherme Silva vs. Henerson Duarte
Rafael Silva vs. Abraao Silva
Over at Jungle Fight 149 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, we had two more stunning KOs to admire, including another scintillating left hand courtesy of Guilherme Silva, and Rafael Silva just swatting Abraao Silva (look, there were a lot of Silvas) down to the mat.
The night was so action-packed that it didn’t stop even after the main event ended, with Matheus Araujo inciting a brawl after he refused to let go of a rear-naked choke. ICYMI, read all about the incident here.
Rakhman Esedullaev vs. Aman Wuerliewu
Nothing says “I want to KO someone NOW” like just throwing your whole body at a MFer.
Rakhman Esedullaev punched through Aman Wuerliewu and then tackled him to the ground to land a few more deeply unnecessary punches. Fearsome.
You can watch Jue Cheng King Fight Night 118 free on YouTube.
Mavlud Tupiev vs. Seyhun Asadli
That’s enough punchouts for this week, let’s now focus on a trio of lethal legs.
At Mangu Professional League 2 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Mavlud Tupiev raised a knee and let Seyhun Asadli duck and dive right into it.
It looked like Tupiev caught Asadli with his entire shin, which I guess explains why Asadli felt the need to have a peaceful lie-down after.
Erasyl Sapar vs. Amir Kadamov
At Octagon 86 (free replay available on YouTube), Erasyl Sapar caught Amir Kadamov with a beautiful kick after separating from a grappling exchange.
Would have been better off just getting taken down.
Eduard Markarian vs. Akim Bartenev
Eduard Markarian, send us home.
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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