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.
We’ve got a ton of globetrotting to do this week, so without further ado, we begin with a cautionary tale from Rio de Janeiro.
Edilceu Alves vs. Daniel Lacerda
Diego Domingos vs. Pedro Henrique Finger
AL: This edition of “When Spinning S*it Goes Wrong” comes from a Shoot Brasil 90 event in Rio de Janeiro last Friday.
dislocated shoulder from throwing spinning shit :(
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) March 16, 2019
SFlW Shooto Brasil Title Fight - Edilceu Alves def. Daniel Lacerda by 1R TKO pic.twitter.com/pJ49p3u2fz
Remember that recent stretch of main events with odd endings that we experienced last month? This would have fit right in. Edilceu Alves won a vacant flyweight title in just 40 seconds after opponent Daniel Lacerda went for what looked like pretty standard spinning kick that somehow ended in a TKO-loss via injury.
JM: I’ve watched this clip about 50 times and I still can’t figure out how he dislocated his shoulder. And you’re talking to a man who has dislocated his shoulder literally hundreds of times. But the shoulder that I would assume is the one he would dislocate is fine! it’s the tucked arm that pops out! His shoulder must’ve been completely nerfed heading into this fight. Imagine if he had thrown an overhand or something.
AL: I bet Lacerda could also throw that kick 50 times and not replicate that accident.
JM: Also, shoutout to Alves for looking at a completely helpless fighter cradling his own arm and he throws... a teep to the shin. Elite.
AL: Unreal killer instinct.
From that same show, featherweight Diego Domingos was much more successful with his striking, landing an almost Machida-esque pinpoint strike to the body to shut Pedro Henrique Finger down.
body punch
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) March 16, 2019
Diogo Domingos TKO'd Pedro Finger (Shooto Brazil) pic.twitter.com/lY40jrco9X
It was almost like someone poking the Pillsbury Doughboy if the Pillsbury Doughboy then immediately died afterwards.
JM: That’s just perfectly placed. When you tag the liver spot on, it doesn’t take much. Dim Mak Death Touch and all that. Finger probably is still feeling that one.
AL: I know I’m feeling Domingos’s little dance after.
Ma Tianyu vs. Rungphichit
JM: Since we were talking about spinning ish before, here is Chinese Muay Thai fighter Ma Tianyu showing how you do a spinning backfist for real.
spinning back fist KO by Ma Tianyu (Superchamp) pic.twitter.com/QvW3FZytw3
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) March 17, 2019
That is one of the scariest knockouts you’ll see all year. Rungphichit has the corpse stare. I hope he’s okay after that.
AL: So, so scary. Do not want any of that, no sir.
But if any of our readers do, they can catch the rest of Sunday’s Muay Thai Super Champ Show from Bangkok, Thailand, on YouTube.
Cesar Vazquez vs. David Bento
Best way to start a card. Cesar Vazquez slam KO's David Benton. #LUXFightLeague pic.twitter.com/949fVJQqkT
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 15, 2019
JM: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should always hook the leg when you’re going for an armbar.
AL: From Lux Fight League 4 (available on the promotion’s YouTube) last Friday, we have Cesar Vazquez making an absolute mess of David Bento in a bantamweight bout.
JM: Balling yourself up like that is great, until a super strong dude goes full Donkey Kong on your skull. Having never been in that position before, I’m honestly surprised more people don’t let go in midair. I feel like that would be my reaction if I was lifted up for a powerbomb: “BAIL, BAIL, BAIL”.
AL: We see fighters attempt to slam their way out of triangle chokes all the time only to end up in deeper trouble, but this is definitely one situation where Vazquez’s blind aggression paid off.
Amazingly, from that clip it looks like Bento may actually have been fine after. Hard to blame the referee for waving this one off given how deafeningly loud that slam was. It reminded me of when Anthony Johnson landed a thunderclap head kick on Charlie Brenneman and the bout was stopped because it sounded like Brenneman’s head had actually been removed from his shoulders.
Rolando Dy vs. Mehmosh Reza
Harold Banario vs. Ariel Oliveros
Stephen Loman vs. Elias Boudegzdame
AL: Former UFC featherweight Rolando Dy had one of the best finishes of the weekend at Brave CF 22 in Pasay, Phillipines, taking out Mehmosh Reza in under a minute with a mouthpiece-launching 1-2 combination, followed by him all but ordering the ref to call off the match, and then nailing an excellent billy strut.
Rolando Dy with a brutal right against Mehmosh Reza at the 59-second mark of the first round!
— ESPN5 (@Sports5PH) March 15, 2019
***
Watch the free TV coverage tomorrow, March 16 at 10:00 PM on ESPN5! #Brave22 #BraveCFonESPN5 pic.twitter.com/TuUyxKeLzr
JM: I’m gonna be a contrarian here and say that the ref should’ve let that go on. I know, I know, that’s a wild opinion since homie’s mouthpiece got launched into the cheap seats but the way Reza popped back up, I feel like he could’ve used a killshot or two.
AL: I wouldn’t exactly call falling into a failed downward dog position “popping up”.
JM: He does! Sort of. Maybe I just need more violence in my life, okay?! Heck of a right hand by Dy though. He had a rough run of things in the UFC but good to see him get things back on track on the regional circuit.
Wow. Gorgeous kneebar by "The Artist" Harold Banario. Submits Ariel Oliveros in only 41 seconds. #BraveCF22 pic.twitter.com/F7i0q6Eivd
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 15, 2019
Also at Brave, Harold Banario does a thing that I hate to see from fighters, but it totally works out proving, once again, that I am an idiot.
After getting the early takedown, Banario completely abandons the old adage of “position before submission” and instead opts to just jump a knee bar — far side actually which is fun. But rules are made to be broken as are knees apparently, because Ariel Oliveros never had a chance.
AL: I’ll never question a fighter hitting a slam and then going after his opponent’s leg like a rottweiler.
The Brave CF main event saw Filipino fighter Stephen Loman defend his bantamweight title against Elias Boudegzdame and it was a corker through four rounds until a ground-and-pound resulted in a Loman victory.
Stephen “The Sniper” Loman put one helluva show at @bravemmaf 22: Storm of Warriors where he scored a Round 4 TKO victory against Elias Boudegzdame!
— ESPN5 (@Sports5PH) March 16, 2019
***
Catch the action-packed fight card of #Brave22 tonight at 10:00 PM on 5! #BraveCFonESPN5 pic.twitter.com/gFkdJg40K2
JM: Ooof. I’m not in love with this stoppage either. Boudegzdame is clearly hurt but he’s also trying to work an underhook and roll up. Maybe I’m just put off by the fact that Loman is looking to the ref to stop it when he’s not really putting Boudegzdame away.
AL: Loman was really starting to assert himself in round four, but it does feel like this one could have gone on a little longer. Pure gamesmanship from the champ. “Look at me, look how I’m hitting this guy, it’s over, right? How could I be looking at you like this if my opponent isn’t finished?”
A free replay is available on Brave TV, so catch that while you can and decide for yourself.
Gilbert Burns vs. Gleison Tibau
AL: And now, two fighters who you may not have heard of… *checks notes* … Gilbert Burns and Gleison Tibau?!?
Do not adjust your sets, we simply wanted to discuss a non-MMA contest between two veterans that took place at Titan FC 53 last Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. This was the first-ever combat grappling match on a Titan FC card and they got things off on the right foot here.
Durinho gave him a couple slaps then sunk in the choke #TitanFC53 pic.twitter.com/cNFJSrWRRK
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 16, 2019
Burns got the better of Tibau in an intriguing, if unspectacular outing. This card aired on UFC Fight Pass, so it’s just cool to see established fighters being given a platform like that to show off their specialties.
JM: Do y’all remember when the creators of EA UFC 3 gave Conor McGregor a higher grappling rating than Burns? Man, fun times.
But seriously, Tibau is a very legit BJJ black belt and he gets hustled. Burns is a world champion BJJ player and, as the saying goes, there are levels to this ish.
Pierre Botha vs. Roedie Roets
EFC 77 Roets vs Botha KOKO of the year contender already at Saturday's #EFC77! Pierre Botha has some SCARY POWER!
Posted by EFC on Monday, March 18, 2019
JM: Oh god. I didn’t realize I would be witnessing a murder today.
That was an absolutely savage KO by Pierre Botha. I had to rewatch it five times to see the punch it came so quickly and Roedie Roets dropped so harshly. I really wish he hadn’t gone so aggro afterwards because it takes away from was a sensational bit of punching power.
AL: Agreed. Didn’t love the extracurricular activity, but that is some serious pop. He catches Roets right at the end of that hook and it’s lights out.
That finish came from the EFC Worldwide 77 preliminary card in Pretoria, South Africa, on Saturday, which can be viewed for free on Facebook. The full card can be watched with a subscription to DAZN.
Yoshinori Horie vs. Hiroshige Tanaka
AL: We end with a definite bang from Sunday’s Pancrase 303 in Tokyo, as Yoshinori Horie makes Hiroshige Tanaka pay for stepping to him:
Yoshinori Horie (@yossy05101) strikes again, starching Hiroshige Tanaka in round one! The former Neo Blood MVP has scored five of his last six wins by knockout, four in the opening frame. Keep an eye on this top Japanese prospect, now 8-1 in his young career. #Pancrase303 pic.twitter.com/SLgnjBIszA
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) March 17, 2019
JM: That was awesome. I love the way that Tanaka basically dies into Horie’s arms. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen someone get KO’ed into perfect rear-naked choke position before but that’s why we love this sport.
Also, don’t look now but Horie is 8-1 as a pro and only 23 years old. This kid is definitely someone to keep an eye on going forward.
Pancrase events are available to watch on UFC Fight Pass.
AL: I don’t know about you, but I need to wind down after all that travel. So let us leave off with a couple of soothing choke-outs from DEEP Tokyo Impact 2019:
dream sweet brother
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) March 16, 2019
DEEP fighters don't tap pic.twitter.com/Eumdc0Juvw
Ai Takei sended Emi Konishi to the dream land
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) March 16, 2019
there is no tap at DEEP pic.twitter.com/0xnJHKX0l0
Good night, sweet princes and princesses.
Poll
What was the most memorable Missed Fists moment this week?
This poll is closed
-
8%
Daniel Lacerda’s spinning kick goes wrong
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19%
Ma Tianyu ends Rungphichit
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19%
Cezar Vazquez’s thunderous slam
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8%
Rolando Dy styles on Mehmosh Reza
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30%
Pierre Botha loses it on Roedie Roets
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13%
Yoshinori Horie lets Hiroshige Tanaka die in his arms
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.