Missed Fists: Devastating knockout punch sends fighter head-first into canvas

22/12/2023 16:00

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.

With so much MMA (and, regrettably, influencer/freak show boxing) to cover this year, some other combat sports often get the short end of the stick, first and foremost kickboxing. This week, there was no way we couldn't lead with in-ring action as a Rise World Series event in Tokyo gave us a one-punch knockout that might have topped Josh Emmett disintegrating Bryce Mitchell.

See for yourself.

(Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the best KOs and submissions, 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.)

Kan Nakamura vs. Ahmed Akoudad

From a Rise World Series event in Tokyo, we have exhibit No. 390851096 why I'll always lean in favor of early stoppages:

Look, I get it, that first knockdown is pretty standard in kickboxing, so there was no reason to wave it off. The referee did nothing wrong. At the same time, from this short clip you can tell Ahmed Akoudad is badly hurt already and sure enough, seconds later, that happened.

Slow the action down and you can actually see Kan Nakamura place one glove below Akoudad's chin to tee him up for the hellacious haymaker that ends the fight. Wham, face-plant. Almost a head-plant, really, which is super scary.

It looks like Nakamura could have picked any number of ways to end this one and he chose to just rear back with his left hand and hit dude as hard as humanly possible. Not a fighter to be messed with.

Jordan Jones vs. Kieran Baines

It's hard to beat that last visual, but Jordan Jones came close.

From Full Contact Contender 36 (available on UFC Fight Pass) in Liverpool, England:

That's amateur bantamweight Jordan Jones zapping Kieran Baines with an arm-triangle choke that starts with Jones hanging off of his side. We're all familiar with backpack position in grappling, but what would you call that?

The European Carry-All, perhaps?

Manuel Medina vs. Enrique Montalvo

While we're on the topic of choke-outs, they don't come more vicious than Manuel Medina's effort at Cage Warriors 165 (also available on Fight Pass) in San Diego.

Not satisfied with delivering a clubbering, Medina finished Enrique Montalvo off with a rear-naked choke that guaranteed Montalvo would be counting sheep one way or another.

William Kirk vs. Jaquan Butler

And while we're still talking submissions, let's check out another amateur effort, a gorgeous calf slicer by William Kirk at Cagezilla FC 76 in Manassas, Va.

There's levels to grappling and seeing Kirk methodically outwork Butler as they tangle on the ground is a reminder of that.

A replay of Cagezilla FC 76 is available on demand via pay-per-view.

Jake Craig vs. Terrence Jeffers
Shane Campbell vs. Darrell Horcher

Back to Fight Pass, Unified MMA held a event in Enoch, Alberta, Canada, and it featured a light heavyweight bout between Jake "Bronson" Craig and Terrence Jeffers (not to be confused with Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Terrence "Terry" Jeffords).

With that out of the way, check out this absolute whalloping.

That's a heck of a 1-2 sequence for Craig and while I don't approve of the post-KO shenanigans, I can't knock him too much for being a little jacked up after that finish.

Amazingly, that might not have even been the best finish of the card as Shane Campbell took out fellow former UFC fighter Darrell Horcher with a head kick followed by a knee right up the middle as Horcher reactively shot in.

Look how quick Campbell was to stand up and raise his hand in victory. He knew his work was done.

Ji Yong Yang vs. Jae Sung Park
Jung Hyun Lee vs. Gil Soo Lee

At Road FC 67 in Seoul, Ji Yong Yang needed just eight seconds to bully Jae Sung Park and sit him down against the fence.

I don't know if Yang threw a single clean punch in there, but he threw with a lot of heart and that's apparently all that matters.

More technically sound? This head kick from Jung Hyun Lee:

After making excellent use of a Thai clinch, Lee ducks a Gil Soo Lee punch, answers with two of his own, and then lets his leg fly high. The sequence is so fast, Gil Soo can't possibly see it coming and that's bad news for him.

Mateus Araujo vs. Jhon Sodre

Contrast that last finish with this one from Iron Man MMA 27 in Marituba, Brazil, where Jhon Sondre seemed to have Mateus Araujo's kick game scouted.

Nope.

Sodre keeps his left hand high, brings it closer to his head as Araujo fires, but fails to deflect the strike. I actually think he tilted his head at just the wrong angle, which led to the end of Araujo's foot catching him close to the temple. That's a no-no if you're objective is to stay conscious.

Araujo pump fakes, pulls back, and then nails the excited toddler celebration.

Alex Keogh vs. Hugo Leimanis

From the "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" department:

At a Cage Legacy event in Tallaght, Ireland, amateur Alex Keogh had one thing in mind: Head kick.

Didn't land the first time? No problem, head kick.

And then head kick. And then head kick.

Rinse, repeat, revel in a highlight-reel knockout.

Alfonso Leyva vs. Sarek Shields
Jordan Harris vs. Aupuni Pagaoa

The LFA wisely took advantage of the UFC's last pay-per-view of the year, setting up at Pearl Theater in Las Vegas to host an event that featured a handful of devastating finishes.

First and foremost, this flying knee from Alfonso Leyva that sent Sarek Shields out on his shield.

Leyva, 30, made his pro debut in 2020 and has established himself as an exciting prospect at 170 pounds. He's won seven of his first eight fights, all by way of knockout.

One fight prior, flyweight Jordan Harris improved to 4-0 with a front kick right to Aupuni Pagaoa's guts.

You have to wonder if Harris knew that damage he'd do when he flicked that foot out there. Pagaoa goes down immediately and despite his best attempts to recover, his body decides that discretion is the better part of valor.

LFA 173 is available to replay on UFC Fight Pass.

Alibi Idiris vs. Erisson Ferreira
Magomed Bartikhanov vs. Erkebulan Sissenbaev

Speaking of UFC 296, Shavkat Rakhmonov was one of the event's big winners with his second-round decimation of Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. It's no secret that Rakhmonov's native Kazakhstan has been pumping out some of the brightest talents this decade and more continue to be showcased at Naiza FC.

At an event in Almaty, flyweight Alibi Idiris improved to 9-0 with a beautiful display of striking capped off by this spin kick:

I don't know if Erisson Ferreira was going to recover from that, but a precise follow-up punch made sure he didn't.

It wasn't all good news for Kazakh fighters. Let's dip back into the submission well one more time for this classic Ezekiel choke executed from full mount (not in full mount à la Aleksei Oleinik) by Russia's Magomed Bartikhanov.

Look at how Bartikhanov controlled the legs there. Just gave Erkebulan Sissenbaev no leverage to maneuver, turning him into a turtle on its shell.

A free replay of Naiza FC 56 is available on YouTube.

Federico Fasciano vs. Jose De La Cavada

'Tis the season for spinning and winning.

Who am I kidding? It's ALWAYS the season for spinning and winning.

This fast first-round battle between Federico Fasciano and Jose De La Cavada at Way of Warrior FC 11 in Madrid was fairly even until Fasciano decided to let his backfist fly with very, very pleasing results. That was a full-on "I don't know exactly where this strike is going to land, but if it's anywhere near your head, you're in trouble, bro." And he was.

Ramiro Jimenez vs. Mauricio Eguiluz

Surprise! Here's one more head kick you've got to see, from a Combate Global event in Miami.

It's a little difficult to see exactly how that shot landed there, so let's go to the Caposa Cam:

Mauricio Eguiluz picked the exact wrong time to reach for a leg and ended up catching one right across his face instead. The slow motion replay really shows how badly Eguiluz got smacked there.

You ever been flicked in the nose and felt kind of annoyed? Imagine how Eguiluz felt after having his nostrils filled with shinbone.

Happy holidays, everyone.

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 Twitter — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.