Missed Fists: Giovanni Sarran suffers absurdly nasty cut at Combate Global, 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.

I can already hear what you’re saying after glancing at the above image. “That’s it? That cut isn’t so bad. I’ve seen so much worse.”

There’s a reason I chose that exact still of Giovanni Sarran’s facial cut from a Combate Global event last Friday. That’s the least gruesome look at it that there is. Just wait until you see it at its worst.

Just wait until you see it in motion.

Or don’t and just scroll past this first section. You’ll probably be better off for it. But for the rest of you sickos...

Marcus Gamble vs. Giovanni Sarran

(LAST WARNING: Explicit footage of gnarly cut below!)

First and foremost, excellent work by the staff on hand in Miami who were right on top of this situation as it happened. Referee Alan Abeles called for Dr. Luciano Fiszer to examine the cut between the second and third rounds, then subsequently waved the fight off and gave Marcus Gamble the win in a fine showing of common sense and decency.

We’ve seen stranger things happen in Florida (*cough* Belfort-Holyfield *cough*) and there are other commissions that also would have been fine with letting this one slide (*cough cough* Texas *cough cough cough* Nevada *cough cough* I’m dying), so I applaud Abeles and Fiszer for stopping this one. According to an Instagram post from Abeles, Sarran “had a deep cut in an area where there is an important nerve that supplies the sensation of a portion of the face.”

In layman’s terms: Yeeeeikes!

Additional props to Fiszer for his excellent work, which was evident in subsequent images.

Thanks to competent oversight, Sarran will live to fight another day, even if on this occasion it was a wrap for him.

Combate Global’s next event takes place tonight at 10:30 PM ET on Paramount+.

Julio Plaatjies vs. Wade Kerspuy

Now for a slightly less nauseating finish, courtesy of Julio Plaatjies at EFC Worldwide 90 (available for replay on efcworldwide.tv) in Johannesburg, South Africa. No need to avert your eyes here; in fact, if you do, you might miss Plaatjies’ winning performance, which lasted all of 24 seconds.

Bad luck for Wade Kerspuy, who didn’t fall fast enough to avoid the follow-up punches (and poor form on Plaatjies’ part for not easing up on the throttle when it was clear that Kerspuy was finished). Still, an impressive win for Plaatjies, now 2-0 as a pro following an extensive amateur career.

He made Kerspuy go Kersplatt!

Noelle Grandjean vs. Suad Salimova

Over in Amsterdam, woman of many nations Noelle Grandjean (a native of France who has competed in judo for The Netherlands and in wrestling for Thailand) made her MMA debut at Levels Fight League 3 (available for PPV replay on FITE) and predictably steamrolled opponent Suad Salimova.

That is a nasty way to end a fight, just snatching a wrist, trapping it with your legs, and then tightening up until it looks like an arm might snap. Watching it back multiple times, it’s surprising that Salimova didn’t suffer a broken arm before she could submit.

David Onama vs. Brad Robison

Hopping over to UFC Fight Pass, unbeaten David Onama (who has been bouncing between 145 and 155 pounds) captured a featherweight title in the main event of Fighting Alliance Championship 10 in Independence, Mo., with a methodical knockout of Brad Robison.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:12 into Round 1, about two minutes of which Onama spent just waiting for an opening to unleash his offense. Robison played it smart too, chipping away at Onama and not over-committing, but when Onama decided to flip the switch there wasn’t much Robison could do about it.

A native of Uganda currently fighting out of Glory MMA in Missouri, Onama is now 8-0 with all of his wins coming by way of knockout or submission.

Alvaro Torres vs. Osvaldo Chavez
Romario Orozco vs. Alessandro Macedo

Budo Sento Championship has been putting together intriguing shows, so it’s great to see the promotion get a chance to strut its stuff on Fight Pass. In its brief history, the organization has employed a three-pronged approach to holding events, spreading MMA, muay Thai, and grappling events over a span of two or three days.

That’s how you end up with a highlight like this one, wherein Alvaro Torres completely annihilates Osvaldo Chavez in a muay Thai bout with MMA gloves.

And the walk-off! Bravo, Alvaro.

Props to Mexico’s Romario Orozco as well, who improved to 4-0 after landing a blindingly fast two-piece on Alessandro Macedo.

That second shot was an absolute bomb and Macedo stepped right into its path. At 8-2 heading into this contest, Macedo was Orozco’s toughest test yet. This outcome bodes well for the 27-year-old Orozco, who hopefully gets another full year of seasoning before drawing a look from a bigger promotion in 2023.

Bobby Voelker vs. Josh Weston
Jarred Merrick vs. Kyleb Collins

Yup, it’s that Bobby Voelker. He of the Bobby Voelker-Roger Bowling Strikeforce trilogy and the 0-4 UFC record that included a brutal knockout loss to Robbie Lawler. Voelker, 42, is still alive and kicking. Ass, that is.

Josh Weston is hardly the highest level of opponent that Voelker has faced, but sometimes you’ve just got to give the people what they want, in this case a man nicknamed “Vicious” punching another man in the face a lot.

With respect to Voelker, his finish was probably the second best one on Saturday night as pro debutant Jarred Merrick scored a KO out of nowhere during an insane exchange with Kyleb Collins.

I’m fine saying the better man won here, but honestly, run that sequence back 100 times and it’s probably a coin toss as to who ends up flat on the canvas.

Troy Williamson vs. Ted Cheeseman

Now here’s one that was almost definitely missed.

While all eyes were glued to the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder trilogy bout (and UFC Vegas 39, I guess?) in Las Vegas on Saturday night, there was another boxing show that took place earlier in Liverpool, England. That event was capped off by a British super-welterweight title bout between unbeaten Troy Williamson and Ted Cheeseman.

In the 10th, Williamson backed Cheeseman to the ropes and while Cheeseman landed some counters, he got cracked by every single power punch that Williamson sent his way.

There’s no question that Fury and Wilder delivered, but the most exciting finish of the day might have belonged to Williamson. Burrata luck next time, Cheeseman.

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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.