Missed Fists: Fighter recovers from being knocked out of ring, immediately gets flattened

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.

You know, I’m sure one goal that every fighter has when they get into this crazy business is to go undefeated. That’s a dream that unravels for most fairly quickly and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially if you also have the goal of becoming a world champion or at least making a decent living as pro. You learn more from your losses, as they say.

That’s why one of the most underrated traits you can have in combat sports is knowing when you’re licked because discretion, truly, is the better part of valor as one unfortunate soul was reminded of this week.

(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.)

Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Samuel Blasco

If you’re wondering how guys like Samuel Blasco, he of the now 10-11 pro record, continue to be booked, just check out the guts and gusto that the Spaniard shows off in this loss to Lithuania’s Zygimantas Ramaska at Blade Fights 2.

Head movement on point, or at least it looked cool. Actual effectiveness questionable, especially when Blasco backs himself up to the ropes and allows Ramaska to clinch knee him into oblivion sending him crashing through the ropes like Rampage.

Unlike Rampage’s loss to Wanderlei Silva though, this wasn’t the end but the beginning of the end for Blasco as he was strangely allowed to continue. One composed combination from Ramaska later and this fight was officially done.

I would really have liked the referee to have stopped the fight after a dazed Blasco made an unceremonious exit from the ring, because the end result looked so bad. But Blasco wanted to go out on his shield and was obliged.

You can catch a replay of Blade Fights 2 on FITE pay-per-view.

Ayan Tursyn vs. Elmira Botirova

Ayan Tursyn’s extensive amateur career made her a Missed Fists regular (check out this wicked spinning backfist KO) and she hasn’t slowed down since turning pro with three finishes in her first four fights.

The strawweight’s latest win saw her improve to 4-0 with her first submission finish and it’s one that neither her nor her opponent Elmira Botirova will be forgetting anytime soon.

That’s the kind of under-the-chin choke they warn you about when you first start learning submissions. Botirova was so out of it, I think at one point she was punching herself. Yee-ikes.

A full replay of Octagon 45, which took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is available for free on YouTube.

Sora Rakhmonova vs. Valeria Karygina

Also in Almaty, Naiza FC featured an intriguing 24-year-old prospect whose name may ring a bell.

That’s Sora Rakhmonova and, yes, she’s the younger sister of UFC welterweight boogeyman Shavkat Rakhmonov. As you can see, a propensity for brutality runs in the family. Sora is now 4-1 with three wins by knockout or submission.

Unsurprisingly, Shavkat approves.

And to answer your other question, yes, Naiza FC’s Batyr Ball experiment is alive and well.

Peep that sweet behind-the-back dime for the bucket. Nikola Jokic up in this cage.

You can watch a replay of Naiza FC 51 for free on YouTube.

Gracjan Wyroslak vs. Kamil Mosgalik
Damian Rzepecki vs. Krzysztof Dobrzynski
Jakub Szymanowski vs. Maciej Brzezinski
Marko Bojkovic vs. Mauro Paixao

KSW’s massive Colosseum 2 event takes place this Saturday, which isn’t to be missed, but this past weekend also saw amazing action from another Polish promotion, Fight Exclusive Night.

If you thought Tursyn leaving Botirova twitching was tough to watch, you may want to skip this next clip of Gracjan Wyroslak catching an unsuspecting Kamil Mosgalik with a Von Flue choke.

It looks like Mosgalik was thinking arm-triangle defense, which left him open to a beautiful and subtle transition from Wyroslak. Once that Von Flue was in position, it didn’t take long for Mosgalik to pass out.

Damian Rzepecki might not have left Krzysztof Dobrzynski counting sheep, but this Japanese necktie is still pretty sweet.

Remember what I said up top about Blasco being too tough for his own good? That goes double for Jakub Szymanowski, though it actually worked out for him as he just marched forward and ate right hands until his opponent ducked right into a head kick.

Then there was Marko Bojkovic, who rocked Mauro Paixao with a right hand that probably had Paixao out on his feet. However, instead of falling down, he instead just stood there defenseless as Bojkovic sent him to the shadow realm with a follow-up knee.

David Martinez vs. Jose Zarauz

Combat Global bantamweight champion David Martinez is a star and he stayed shining in his title defense this past weekend with a stunning wheel kick knockout of Jose Zarauz.

Slowed down, you can see how Martinez did his homework to set up that finish. Watch Zarauz instinctively flinch to protect his body, leaving his head wide open.

Martinez is now 9-1 with six straight wins, five of those by knockout. You can bet there are plenty of other promotions looking to poach him after this latest highlight.

Collin Godbout vs. Jacob Romano

Closing us out is Collin Godbout, who gives us our Humpty Dumpty Fall of the Week after landing a square-to-the jaw knee on Jacob Romano.

This is slowed down, but I imagine even in real time it must have felt like it took Romano a full five seconds to fall stiff to the mat.

That knockout was brought to you by Conflict MMA 57, which is available for replay with a subscription to combatlabs.tv.

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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.