Missed Fists: Jose Johnson rings in LFA return with nastiest KO of the year, more

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 week, we’re catching up with a few former UFC fighters, and the results are mixed, to say the least.

Humberto Bandenay vs. Bruno Conti
Luis Pajuelo vs. Manuelo Morales

AL: If it feels like Humberto Bandenay was just in the UFC yesterday, well, it’s because he kind of was. The 25-year-old Peruvian was released after suffering his third straight loss in August and he’s headed home to compete for the Fusion FC promotion (matches available on YouTube). Looks like a good decision so far as he won in impressive and aggressive fashion against Bruno Conti in Lima last Wednesday:

JM: Bandenay is a curious case. He came into the UFC like a house on fire with a 26-second head kick KO, but could never follow it up. As we see here, the kid definitely still has some chops.

Maybe sticking around Fusion FC will do him some good. He won an interim belt in the promotion last time so maybe he’ll get fast-tracked to a title and can refine a few things before trying to make the leap again.

AL: Agreed, sounds like another young man chopped up and spit out by the machine.

The good news is that youth is often served at these lower-level promotions, as was the case with Luis Pajuelo.

Probably an early stoppage, but a fun way for Pajuelo to win his first pro bout. I’m never going to take issue with a fighter swinging for the fences and connecting.

JM: Talk about a way to make your pro debut!

Look, there’s a lot you can nitpick about Pajuelo—most notably the fact that he looks to be about two donuts short of being a welterweight—but it’s hard to argue with his results. He went 6-1 as an amateur, with his only loss being a split decision. And that right hand, while perhaps unrefined, is certainly powerful. If he starts getting serious and drops to 145—and can retain his power while doing so—this kid might just have the makings of a real prospect.

AL: Before we move on to discuss another UFC veteran, let’s puts some shine on Alejandro Chavez, who scored a fast finish of 17-fight veteran Hector Huamani.

Nothing too spectacular here, but Chavez is now 4-0 with four first-round finishes. Check back in with him a year or two from now.

Davy Gallon vs. Ross Pearson

AL: This one has already gone viral, but I don’t think the MMA world will fully be satisfied until we get the thoughts of one Jed Meshew on what Davy Gallon did to longtime UFC stalwart Ross Pearson at an MTK MMA show in London.

JM: HE GOT ROLLING THUNDERED IN THE DAMN FACE, THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED.

ROSS PEARSON, FORMER TOP-10 LIGHTWEIGHT ROSS PEARSON WHO AS RECENTLY AS MARCH WAS MIXING IT UP IN THE UFC, GOT KNOCKED THE F*CK OUT WITH A ROLLING THUNDER BY A GUY WHOSE NAME SOUNDS LIKE A DISNEY PIRATE CAPTAIN.

AL: And so our work here is done.

JM: IT’S THE KO OF THE YEAR AND MAYBE THE KO OF MY LIFETIME.

Ilia Topuria vs. Steven Goncalves
Luana Pinheiro vs. Helen Harper
Guram Kutateladze vs. Felipe Silva
Dumar Roa vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
Azamat Murzakanov vs. Mohammad Fakhreddine

AL: I wish I could say this is where things cool down, but there are actually more quick hits coming. Brave CF 29 (available on FITE TV PPV) took place in Bahrain last Friday and it was just packed with finishes, including Ilia Topuria running through Steven Goncalves.

Topuria, representing Georgia and Spain, is now 8-0 with wins in Brave and Cage Warriors.

JM: Odd. You’d think a man with a caduceus tattooed down his spine would be more considerate of the health of his fellow man. Instead Topuria inflicted great bodily injury upon Goncalves. So much for The Hippocratic Oath.

Instead, that KO will probably get Topuria a call from some bigger organizations, or at least a title shot. The kid has been running through everyone.

AL: Topuria definitely looks ready and discounting a layup in his last fight, three of his last four wins have come against opponents with a combined 21-4 record.

Also likely to get a call-up soon is Luana Pinheiro, seen here whomping Ultimate Fighter and Bellator veteran Helen Harper.

JM: Daaaaaaamn. You don’t see a lot of strawweights bring real KO power to the game like that. Sure, Pinheiro was winning the fight beforehand but that’s some real heat she can throw.

She probably will get picked up soon, but I’d like to see a couple more fights from her first. Her competition has been... middling to put it generously. She needs at least one real test before getting thrown into the deep end.

AL: Up next, another bad one for a UFC veteran, this time Felipe Silva.

However, I don’t think he should feel too bad as this was a wildly entertaining 60 seconds and it looks like he was being booked as a stepping stone for Guram Kutateladze, a legitimate lightweight prospect who has now won eight straight fights.

JM: It was not a good week to be a former UFC fighter.

Poor Silva. He was actually doing well against Kutateladze and that left hook he dug to the body was very nice but man, fortunes can change in a blink in this sport. Also, props to Kutateladze who, despite being a bit wobbled from a right hook, found it in him to throw a head kick in the middle of a phone-booth range exchange. There’s a special place in heaven for that kind of crazy.

AL: And now, making his second regrettable Missed Fists appearance, it’s Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady.

Last time we checked in with Al-Selwady, he was eating a powerful back elbow from Luan Santiago. This time, he was on the receiving end of the dreaded “head kick oops I mean knee” KO from Dumar Roa. I’m thinking he’s going to want to start skipping this feature if it ever pops up in his feed.

JM: Usually if you’re showing up multiple times on Missed Fists, it means you’re about to get the call-up from a major organization, but sadly for Al-Selwady, that does not seem likely. Unless Bellator decides that getting knocked out in stunning and cinematic fashion is itself a skill, in which case Al-Sewady should pack his bags.

Anyway, it’s been an ignominious 2019 for the former Desert Force champion. He was 10-1 coming into the year and now he’s 10-3 after suffering back-to-back highlight-reel KO losses.

AL: Lastly from Brave CF, we had a great show of sportsmanship from heavyweight Azamat Murzakanov, as he gave Mohammad Fakhreddine plenty of time to recover when it looked like Fakhreddine tweaked his foot after landing a body kick.

That was nice. Then Murzakanov proceeded to uppercut him to holy hell.

JM: That may be my favorite clip of the week. It’s hard to call it karma because Fakhreddine did nothing wrong, but Murzakanov getting immediately rewarded by the MMA gods for his bit of mercy is just a beautiful sight. Poor old Fakhreddine should’ve taken the TKO (injury) loss instead.

Jose Johnson vs. Rafael Costa

AL: We apologize for burying the lede deep down here, but we wanted to go out on a high note as the Legacy Fighting Alliance is back on your screens, people!

The longtime UFC feeder league made its Fight Pass debut last Friday from Belton, Texas, and in addition to showcasing prospects like Adrian Yanez, and married martial artists JP and Cheyanne Buys, we also got one of the show’s trademark highlights. Though I’ll admit, it wasn’t a finish that left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Look at this.

I didn’t like this.

JM: I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a KO like that. Sure, I’ve seen people KO’d while holding onto a single-leg, and we even have a whole bit in Missed Fists about “He Fell Funny,” but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone’s body give out in this manner and then watch his head flop about from side to side like a horror movie bobblehead.

After watching the replay several times, the best I can figure is Costa got hit with the elbow at the same time as he was about to let go of the single and re-shoot, so his whole body just kind of collapsed when the lights were turned off. That’s a legitimately terrifying KO though and I hope the man is doing okay.

AL: This is the opposite of a He Fell Funny, this was a He Fell Scary, and as you said, best wishes to Rafael Costa.

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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 – @JedKMeshew and @AlexanderKLee – using the hashtag #MissedFists.