Missed Fists: KSW’s Sofia Bagishvili points out opponent arm injury to referee

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.

As we’ve seen recently with the controversial Calgary conundrum, the heat of battle can produce some ugly moments between fighters and the results are often confusing and unsatisfying. However, it’s nice to know that occasionally a fighter can still find the composure to not only win their fight, but consider their opponent’s well-being at the same time.

Case in point: Sofia Bagishvili, this is your moment.

(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.)

Sofia Bagishvili vs. Anita Bekus

KSW’s Sofia Bagishvili has a penchant for snagging arms and she scored another submission this past weekend, catching Anita Bekus with a nasty scarfhold armlock. But even though she had Bekus dead to rights, the Polish strawweight refused to tap, so Bagishvili had to help both her and the referee realize that the fight was over.

You can see in the clip that Bekus’ arm was bent in a bad way and fortunately for Bagishvili, she was so in control that she could take focus away from her finishing hold to point out to the referee that her opponent appeared to be injured. Bekus still didn’t tap, but once the referee got a better view of what was happening, he made the wise decision to stop the fight.

Fighters are typically told to fight to the bell or until there’s any sort of referee intervention and we’ve seen fighters who don’t follow that line of thinking get themselves into trouble in the past. Mayra Bueno Silva’s armbar of Stephanie Egger this past August led to an unseen tap that was only recognized after a rare polling of the judges. Just this past weekend at UFC 279, it looked as though Macy Chiasson hinted at a tap-out as Irene Aldana attacked with an armbar, which could have affected Aldana’s concentration (though this led to Aldana scoring the first finish by upkick-to-the-body in UFC history, so all is forgiven).

In this instance, Bagishvili took matters into her own hands and justice was unquestionably served. She later addressed the fight-ending sequence on Instagram:

“The referee was late and I couldn’t let go of hand without him stopping,” Bagishvili wrote. “It’s a cruel sport, but we chose it!”

If you want to see more of Bagishvili taking arms, check out that time she took advantage of the slip-and-slide conditions at an event in Kazbegi, Georgia, to score an 18-second submission.

Yelaman Sayassatov vs. Rysbek Maksatbek Uulu

We could have used Bagishvili’s keen eye at Mergen Fighting Championship 3 in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, as Yelaman Sayassatov had his opponent in deep trouble and the referee took his sweet time picking up on it.

Gorgeous anaconda choke by Sayassatov and again, you can’t blame him for not letting go on his own because that’s rarely of any benefit to the attacking fighter. Sportsmanship is great, but in this business you’ve got to look out for No. 1.

That said, seeing poor Rysbek Maksatbek Uulu trembling in bewilderment as he returned to consciousness? Bad times.

You can watch a free replay of MFC 3 via their official YouTube channel.

Jorge Gonzalez vs. Walter Luna

We’re not done with the stomach-churning submissions as we have Jorge Gonzalez winning a Budo Sento Championship light heavyweight title with this nasty-as-heck Americana of Walter Luna.

Everyone knew that one was over, though it’s a little scary that it took the referee an extra second to catch Luna’s tap. That arm was about to complete a 360 degree rotation against its will.

Budo Sento Championship 10 is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

Ben Royle vs. Raymond Muganga

Let’s close out this opening cavalcade of highlight-reel submissions with Ben Royle’s methodical triangle choke set-up of Raymond Muganga from a Fairtex Fight show in Bangkok (free replay available on YouTube).

I’m not all that familiar with either fighter, but from this brief clip I can sense that there is a gap in grappling acumen between the two. Royle smoothly advances position and immediately throws his legs up once Muganga tries to scramble. That triangle ain’t getting broken, and when Royle snagged a leg, it only got worse.

Daniel Konrad vs. Tayron Chavarro

Let’s head back on over to Fight Pass for Cage Fight Series 12 in Graz, Austria, where Daniel Konrad landed a blistering counter left on a charging Tayron Chavarro that immediately caused Chavarro’s essence to leave the venue.

Brutal and tough to watch, but that’s our Humpty Dumpty Fall of the Week. We don’t make the rules (yes, we do).

Justus Faaiu vs. Chris Cisneros

Konrad landed some unnecessary follow-up shots, but that wasn’t an issue for Justus “Mr. Poetic” (amazing nickname) Faaiu at a Destiny MMA show in Honolulu.

Faaiu absolutely clapped Chris Cisneros with a high kick upside the head and he had plenty of time to dish out additional punishment with the referee a mile away. Instead, he held his fist back, saving his opponent from further damage and striking what turned out to be a pretty cool win pose. Big time props to Faaiu for this stylish finish.

Armando Gjetja vs. Daniel Bastidas

At a Ring of Combat event in Atlantic City, N.J., Armando Gjetja never really had the chance to halt his onslaught as opponent Daniel Bastidas was held up by the cage after being rocked. So he did the next best thing: Throw out every possible strike known to man.

By my tally, that was a step-in elbow followed by a quick left to open the flurry, then Gjetja landed a clean left uppercut, a jab right down the pipe, a straight left on the money, and then took his time squaring Bastidas up for a knee that still didn’t put Bastidas down but was at least enough to prompt some much-needed referee intervention.

That’s one of the most brutal standing knockout sequences you’ll ever see.

Byron Wells vs. Shawn Tillman
Joshua Aleman vs. Preston Collins

Closing out this week’s show are Byron Wells and Josh Aleman, who both got the chance to walk it off after landing no-doubt one-hitter quitters.

Wells smoked Shawn Tillman with a right hand bomb to the side of the dome, while Aleman connected with a YOLO flying knee that sent opponent Preston Collins flying out of frame.

Support amateur MMA by checking out the Fury Amateur Series 40 for free on YouTube.

And until next time, remember: Don’t just protect yourself at all times, protect yourself in all areas.

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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 – @AlexanderKLee – using the hashtag #MissedFists.