Missed Fists: Fighter spikes opponent with slams to escape buggy choke

20/10/2023 17:00

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.

Combat sports is nothing if not trendy and every couple of years you'll see a new strategy or technique become en vogue before fighters figure out how to adapt and everyone moves on to the next thing. Recently, I swear we've seen an uptick in buggy chokes, which are both fun to watch and fun to say, and also pretty darn effective.

So how to deal with this tricky maneuver? Iranian lightweight Navid Zanganeh had his own distinct, yet classic solution.

(Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the best KOs and submissions, and to @GrabakaHitman for uploading many of the clips you see here. Give them a follow and chip in on Patreon if you can.)

Navid Zanganeh vs. David Briones

David Briones was doing all the right things at Battlefield Fight League 78 (replay available on UFC Fight Pass) up until he wasn't. The one thing he forgot to do? Let go.

Zanganeh lifted Briones up and straight-up piledrived him into the mat, not once, but two times. In both instances, had Briones not tucked his head in, this could have ended a lot worse for him. As it went, it was still bad. We rarely recommend anyone just hulking their way out of a choke, but if you've got the power of Zanganeh, then you do whatever you want apparently.

And before anyone asks, yes, spiking in this scenario is perfectly legal. Take it away, caposa:

Buggy chokes are cool. What's cooler than being cool? Not getting pro wrestling slammed into oblivion.

Patrick Habirora vs. Brunel Badikadila
Rajab-Ali Murodov vs. Serik Nazarbaev

Let's go to a couple of fighters who had considerably better luck with their submission games this past weekend, Patrick Habirora and Rajab-Ali Murodov.

At AEF 4 in Rennes, France, Habirora continued a successful amateur career (keep in mind that pro MMA was banned in France until recently) with this guillotine that put Brunel Badikadila out with the quickness.

Badikadila did a great job staying busy, but never got that neck free. If anything, it looked like his movements only helped Habirora to sink the choke in deeper and deeper.

Over at Amir Temur Fighting Championship in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, Rajab-Ali Murodov scored an equally impressive and dangerous-looking guillotine choke.

Murodov only needed 19 seconds to turn Serik Nazarbaev into a training dummy and score his third first-round finish in as many pro bouts.

Lina Narvaez vs. Eliana Toledo
Jose Correa vs. Carlos Andres Vasquez

Strawweight Lina Narvaez also got to show off some slick submission skills, finishing Eliana Toledo with a nasty armbar at an Empire MMA event in Medellin, Colombia.

This is why you don't mess around in someone's guard. Narvaez completely controlled Toledo from bottom position before rolling her and locking in the sub.

Less graceful, but no less thrilling to watch was Jose Correa's explosive knockout of Carlos Andres Vasquez.

I don't know what Vasquez did to Correa that had him so fired up, but Correa definitely enjoyed that one. Angry young man.

You can watch a free replay of Empire MMA 6 on YouTube.

Roderick Stewart vs. Shea Conley
Erik Spirko vs. Seyed Yaser Hashemi

We go from some lovely submission work to a pair of perfectly timed counter-strike KOs, one of which I think was more intentional than the other.

At Xtreme Fight Night 389 in Tulsa, Okla., Roderick Stewart almost casually threw out a knee that caught Shea Conley firmly around the head area and sent him crashing down.

This happened a few minutes into the fight, which was probably more than enough time for Stewart to pick up Conley's tendencies and get that knee loaded up. It doesn't help that Conley did little to hide his intentions.

Erik Spirko's knockout at GMC 3 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, looked even better, but was it also more accidental?

That looks like an Aljo'ing to me. It's also possible that Spirko is psychic, which is a disturbing thought, but would make the highlight even better. You be the judge.

Darko Stosic vs. Michal Martinek
Sahil Siraj vs. Ahmed Abdulkadirov

Heavyweight Darko Stosic has exclusively been getting or getting got since parting ways with the UFC three years ago and that trend continued in his most recent fight at KSW 87 where he face-planted Michal Martinek.

I don't know if Stosic even wants to return to an American promotion, but there's no better way to get on the radar than by making yourself an all-action fighter.

Perhaps that's the path Sahil Siraj will follow as well as he laid it all on the line against Ahmed Abdulkadirov and came out with a highlight-reel KO.

Paul Hughes vs. Jan Quaeyhaegens
Amru Magomedov vs. Jakhongir Jumaev

Speaking of fighters who could see a change of promotional scenery soon, Cage Warriors' Paul Hughes and UAE Warriors' Amru Magomedov are ready for new opportunities.

Hughes, the reigning Cage Warriors interim champion, made short work of Jan Quaeyhaegens in in a lightweight bout in Dublin this past weekend and all but sealed a UFC call.

Let's just hope they do the right thing here and make him a fair contract offer as opposed to making him do the Contender Series for no reason.

We'll say the same for Amru Magomedov, a 24-year-old lightweight who improved to 7-0 in Abu Dhabi with his fifth first-round finish.

Magomedov is another in the long line of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov students, unsurprisingly, and undefeated Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov told Morning Report maestro Drake Riggs that Magomedov was one of his main training partners for Bellator 300.

Hey major American promotions, sign these guys!

Cage Warriors 161 and UAE Warriors 45 are available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

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.