Missed Fists: Flying attack ends in disastrous 4-second knockout

17/11/2023 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.

There's a fundamental saying in basketball, that if you have the ball and you jump, you better know what you're doing when you leave your feet (this probably applied more before the modern era's infusion of athletes who can pretty much levitate while 40 inches above the court, but bear with me). Perhaps we should consider applying that rule to MMA too, because we have seen some calamitous hops (Fedor vs. Arlovski, anyone?) and for every Jorge Masvidal knee we get three times as much fail video fodder.

With that in mind, let's check out the fantastically named Xiko Loko's aerial counter.

(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.)

Xiko Loko vs. Iury Silva

From an Acesso MMA in Fortaleza, Brazil:

I'm still not entirely sure what Iury Silva was attempting to do here. If it's what it looks like at first glance, he went for a low-reward, high-risk flying body kick that led to his immediate demise. Perhaps he was aiming higher and looking to land a head kick or flying knee, but Loko's dodge and counter punch cut him off?

Either way, Silva got clipped and came down hard. The next question I have to ask is what exactly put him out? Was it just the punch, because that looked like a solid shot. Was it his body splattering against the mat, because that had to be painful as hell. Or was it the pinpoint follow-up punch? Likely, a combination of all three and thus, in summation: Ow.

Look before you leap, kids.

Bogdan Grad vs. Breno Marinho

Here's a great example of that courtesy of Bogdan Grad at a Cage Fight Series show in Graz, Austria.

He set that bad boy up. I've heard of two for flinching, but how about one flying knee up the middle into your face for flinching? Much more effective and a little mean, given the results. Poor Breno Marinho's body locked up in a squatting position, given Grad a free shot sent him further into unconsciousness if that's even possible.

Cameron Smotherman vs. Mando Gutierrez

Fury Challenger FC bantamweight champion Cameron Smotherman also showed off the finer points of a jumping knee this weekend as he whomped recent The Ultimate Fighter 31 contestant Mando Gutierrez with one in the Fury Challenger Series 10 main event.

Not only did Smotherman show great timing, he also showed urgency as he was likely on his way to dropping his belt via decision. Just ask the man himself how important it was to not leave it to the judges:

A free replay of Fury Challenger Series 10 is available on YouTube.

Joe Giannetti vs. Pat Casey

We had even more airborne frivolity at Cage Titans 62 in Plymouth, Mass., where Joe Giannetti continued his fine run with the promotion by dropping Pat Casey with this flying head kick.

Boom, right in the face.

Giannetti's fantastic KO earned him his second Cage Titans welterweight title. He's been the promotion's 155- and 170-pound champion and at just 28, still has a chance to make it back to the UFC. Especially if he keeps rattling off highlights like this.

Khatanbaatar Khuukhenkhuu vs. Phillip Hazelwood

We interrupt our run of knockout programming to bring you one of my personal favorite submissions, the always terrifying calf slicer.

Beautifully executed by Khatanbaatar Khuukhenkhuu at Elite Fight Night 21 in Merrillville, Ind., I'm not sure if Phillip Hazelwood even realized how much danger he was in until it was too late. That's one of the worst things about the calf slicer. One moment you're just trying to get your leg free, the next you're out a ligament.

Taner Trembley vs. Hayden Frym

Alright, back to the KOs, and… whoops, this one is already over.

Taner Trembley didn't linger in the cage at Mecca 20 in Bloomington, Minn., needing just six friggin' seconds to dust Hayden Frym. Watch that one back a few times. Trembley's right hand snakes around Frym's jab and lands square on the side of his chin. Call it skill, call it a little bit of luck, but either way call it a lightning-fast finish for the undefeated amateur lightweight.

Desmond Manabat vs. Alim Muhammed
Jose Matuz vs. Alfrego Ruelas
Giannis Bachar vs. Omiel Brown

On to UFC Fight Pass for a trio of knockout highlights, starting with Desmond Manabat detonating Alim Muhammed with a head kick at Tuff-N-Uff 134 in Las Vegas.

That slight stutter step seemed to give Muhammed pause for one fateful half second and by the time he was moving his hand into position to block, Manabat's foot was slicing across his jaw.

At Budo Sento Championship 18 in Mexico City, Jose Matuz and Alfrego Ruelas were involved in a 25-second scrap that had both men throwing until one just couldn't anymore.

Deeply satisfying.

And at Cage Warriors 163, a new welterweight champion was crowned as Giannis Bachar connected with a left hand on Omiel Brown that would make Manny Pacquiao blush.

With Brown putting on the pressure, Bachar waited for an opening and rifled a hook right through it that immediately switched Brown off. Here's another angle:

Sounded like he whacked him with a shovel.

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.