Missed Fists: Bianca Antman debuts with stunning head kick KO, 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.

Head kicks were the order of the week here, so let’s get right into it with this effort from Brave CF 37 in Stockholm, Sweden, this past Saturday.

Bianca Antman vs. Veera Nykanen
Anton Turkalj vs. Athanasios Herkeletzis
Mohamed Zarey vs. Ahouzi Kouame

An amateur International Mixed Martial Arts Federation flyweight champion, Sweden’s Bianca Antman made her pro debut at 115 pounds and did so in impressive fashion with this wicked head kick KO of Veera Nykanen.

You can see Antman teasing a high kick throughout the clip, so when the end comes it’s no surprise to anyone except for Nykanen. With those powerful legs, you get the sense this isn’t the last time we’ll see an Antman head kick featured in Missed Fists.

Light heavyweight prospect Anton Turkalj, 24, improved to 5-0 at Brave CF 37, starting off his fight against Athanasios Herkeletzis with an absurd approach and finishing with some good ol’ fashioned ground-and-pound.

Here’s the wind-up…

And the pitch!

Just a bit high and outside. Still, it didn’t take long for Turkalj to gain a dominant position and land some skull-rattling elbows for the win.

It wasn’t all about KOs though, as we have to give props to Mohamed Zarey for winning his pro debut with pitbull grappling and aggressive submission offense, resulting in a first-round heel hook of Ahouzi Kouame.

Brave CF 37 is available for pay-per-view replay on FITE TV.

Michal Andryszak vs. Ion Grigore

Checking in on a Polish promotion that we’re pretty sure was named by Jed Meshew, Rocky Warriors Cartel 5: Bez Przebaczenia took place in Mragowo last Friday. The heavyweight headliner didn’t last long, but fans definitely got their money’s worth.

A quick Google translate tells us that Bez Przebaczenia means “without forgiveness” in English, which accurately sums up veteran Michal Andryszak’s actions in regards to Ion Grigore. The shin to the head, the walkoff, the nine-second knockout, Andryszak had it all going on here.

Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Jerry Kvarnstrom
Do Gyeom Lee vs. Alexandru Chitoran
Youssef Al Housani vs. Mohamed Arshaq Ali
Anas Siraj Mounir vs. Leandro Martins Oliveira
Bogdan Kirilenko vs. Ahmad Al Darmaki

We take a break from all that head-kicky goodness to zip over to Fight Island Abu Dhabi for UAE Warriors 12 (free replay available on YouTube).

Blue chip lightweight prospect Usman Nurmagomedov continued his reign of terror against over-matched competition, showing no mercy to 30-fight Finnish journeyman Jerry Kvarnstrom.

Everyone and their grandmother knows that it’s only a matter of time until Usman follows cousin Khabib to a bigger stage, whether it’s the UFC or elsewhere. He has quickly outgrown his competition on that side of the world.

Nurmagomedov was actually only the third fight from the top of the card and right after him featherweight champion Do Gyeom Lee authored his first successful defense of his UAE Warriors belt with this TKO of Alexandru Chitoran that was set up by a cricket bat of a knee.

I just realized that we’re several highlights in without a traditional standing punch knockout. Anas Siraj Mounir, can you help us out, pal?

Ah, that’s the stuff. Thank you, Mr. Mounir.

In the odds and ends department, we had two notable moments, including one of the oddest ends of the year.

First, Mohamed Arshaq Ali learned the hard way that you’ve got to check those leg kicks after Youssef Al Housani, now 2-0, sent him on a ride with just two butcher knife swings to the thigh.

Big nope for Arshaq Ali, who was making his pro debut.

Then there was Ahmad Al Darmaki. We already wrote about this joker here, but in case you missed it, Al Darmaki was the talk of the past weekend as he got into it with referee Marc Goddard following what should have been a submission of Bogdan Kirilenko that instead became a DQ loss. Darmaki held on to a choke too long for Goddard’s liking and Darmaki delivered two shoves and grabbed Goddard by the collar, which seems unwise.

A few things:

• This apparently is not the first time we’ve featured Al Darmaki in Missed Fists, as just seven weeks ago he was involved in another post-fight altercation. The phrase “habitual line stepper” comes to mind.
• Al Darmaki kind of tried to apologize to Goddard after, but also kind of didn’t?

• Look at how happy Kirilenko is there. Mock him if you want, but he’s now technically an undefeated pro at 1-0. As a great man once said, “Ask any racer. Any real racer. It doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile; winning’s winning.”
• Al Darmaki fell to 2-6 with this loss.
• UAE Warriors issued a pair of statements indicating that Al Darmaki has been released as a result of his actions. Good riddance.

Aleksandr Khutoryanskiy vs. Volodimir Baklan

Speaking of debuts, Volodimir Baklan wishes his first fight ended like Kirilenko’s. The first-time amateur welterweight wanted to take the fight to Aleksandr Khutoryanskiy, but ended up injuring his face going for takedown. You can see Baklan’s jaw get mashed between the hardest part of Khutoryanskiy’s head and the mat. Nasty stuff.

This lowlight came from a Road to WWFC show on Sunday, which is available for free replay on YouTube.

Yuta Matsuyama vs. Riku Yabusaki

Okay, okay, you animals want to get back to the head kicks, we hear you. From the K-1 Koshien 2020 event in Tokyo, here’s Yuta Matsuyama obliterating Riku Yabusaki:

According to Twitter user @kicktothefuture, this is kind of a big deal:

You can watch the whole fight for yourself for free on YouTube. Matsuyama’s fight begins around the 5:40:00 mark. And make sure to vote in the “Who Kicked It Better?” poll below.

Joseph George vs. Marcos Escudero

As for who had the best boxing KO of the week, there is no dispute. Here’s Joseph George at a Showtime Boxing event in Uncasville, Conn., uppercutting Marcos Escudero and prompting maybe the most unnecessary 10-count ever.

Definitely needed that extra nine seconds to confirm that this one was finished.

Some backstory here, George won a split decision over Escudero in November that was close enough on the cards to merit an immediate rematch. He was actually trailing on two cards in the ninth round of this 10-round fight, so his KO blow was not only a massive highlight, it was timely as well.

Joaquin Buckley vs. Jackie Gosh

We close out with a clip from last Friday’s Legacy Fighting Alliance 87 show in St. Louis, which features not just the return of Joaquin Buckley but also a fond farewell for now. Buckley got the UFC call-up on short notice to fight Kevin Holland on Saturday on the strength of a 10-2 record and some impressive finishes on the regional scene.

Case in point, Buckley fought just twice for the LFA, smoking Chris Harris in his debut last September and then following up with this disdainful knockout of Jackie “Oh My” Gosh (not his actual nickname).

Buckley probably couldn’t wait to get back in the cage after that one and win or lose, expect him to bring the heat to the octagon this weekend.