Missed Fists: Bojan Velickovic survives double knockdown, immediately scores submission win

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.

With last week’s UFC 285 event dominating the headlines, we took a brief break at Missed Fists headquarters, but we’re back this week with the wholesome violence you’ve come to expect.

So without further ado, let’s get back to the action, starting with one of MMA’s rarest sights: The double knockdown.

(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.)

Bojan Velickovic vs. Ion Surdu

UFC veteran Bojan Velickovic didn’t have much luck with PFL tournaments, but his Oktagon tournament experience has already been blessed with good fortune. At an event in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Velickovic survived this double knockdown against KSW vet Ion Surdu and somehow had the wherewithal to immediately pounce for a first-round submission.

Surdu had never tapped in a fight before, so it’s only fitting that his first submission loss comes via way of one of the strangest club-and-subs you’ll ever see.

With the win, Velickovic advances to the quarterfinals of Oktagon’s welterweight tournament to face Christian Jungwirth at Oktagon 44 in Oberhausen, Germany. The tourney champ pots a million euros.

Yuito Yanagawa vs. Kazuki Morii

I was hesitant to even include this slam because it’s so nasty, but then I remembered that this is the life we chose. So, with that warning in mind…

Kazuki Morii’s body just got twisted up in the worst way in mid-air as Yuito Yanagawa took him for a ride at a Pancrase event in Tokyo. I suppose it’s partially Morii’s fault for tucking his head in, but if he didn’t this probably would have ended with Yanagawa slamming him on his face. There was really no positive outcome once he was off of his feet like that. Prayers up for Morii.

As for Yanagawa, the 22-year-old featherweight he improves to 3-0 as a pro with all of his wins coming by way of knockout or submission. Seems like a nice enough fellow too:

Jesus Herreras vs. Angel Escobar

When you have a double knockdown and a potentially career-altering slam on the docket, sometimes a potential lead gets buried, and that’s what happened here as Jesus Herreras landed maybe the hardest counter left in human history at Fusion FC 58 in Lima, Peru.

He even loads up the hand cannon after and fires off an extra shot to celebrate. So mean.

Ibrahim Mane vs. Leonardo Damiani
Paulin Begai vs. Carlos Cainan
Aboubakar Younousov vs. Luke Niall

Over in UFC Fight Pass land, we had Ares FC 13 take place in Paris yesterday and the finishes were plentiful.

In the co-main event, Ibrahim Mane made Leonardo Damiani pay for circling in the wrong direction, throwing up a blindingly fast high kick upside Damiani’s head.

Need the slo-mo to fully appreciate that one, just came out of nowhere.

Paulin Begai also showed off his fast feet, though his finish came via body strike as he took advantage of the defensive carelessness of Carlos Cainan.

Cainan was essentially going, “What are you gonna do, kick me?” And then he was kicked very, very hard in the midsection. No idea what was going on with the referee after, but Begai couldn’t have handled the situation better as he followed up with bips and boops to Cainan’s side for the perfunctory stoppage.

Aboubakar Younousov gave us our prettiest submission of the week, needing less than 30 seconds to take Luke Niall down and snag an arm that was just way too ripe for the taking.

The official time of the stoppage was 27 seconds into the first round, but it’s worth checking out this fight from entrance to finish to get a look at Younousov. The 23-year-old bantamweight is confident as hell and he already has a number of first-round finishes throughout his brief amateur and pro career. That’s two submissions in under a round for Younousov in two appearances for Ares FC.

Bernardo Sopai vs. Julien Lopez

One more prospect to keep an eye on is Fight Club Rush’s Bernardo Sopai. The 22-year-old didn’t waste time making a statement in his first defense of the Swedish promotion’s bantamweight title as he crushed challenger Julien Lopez in just 20 seconds.

Sopai improved to 10-2 as a pro and more importantly, wins our Humpty Dumpty Fall of the Week award (yes, this took place over a week ago. Leave me alone).

Genil Francisco vs. Shamil Magomedov

Our “Call An Ambulance, But Not For Me” award goes to Genil Francisco, who scored an awesome comeback submission win at UAE Warriors 36, which took place at Fight Island Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Francisco didn’t panic, taking advantage of an overeager Shamil Magomedov to escape a choke and end up on Magomedov’s back. He then threw on a choke before Magomedov realized what was happening and put the hardy Russian to sleep.

Anytime you submit someone with “-magomedov” somewhere in their name, you get bonus points in my book.

Enoque Oliveira vs. Matheus Lopes

Turn your headphones up.

Or maybe I should have warned you to turn them down.

Enoque Oliveira saw Matheus Lopes’ head kick attempt and raised him a grand with this finishing shot that will echo in my ears throughout March Break. What’s really scary is that you often hear this kind of sound when it’s shin hitting skull, but this was a thunderclap to the chin.

If that sheer horror whet your appetite for more, you can watch the entirety of Lion Fights MMA 10 for free on YouTube.

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.