Missed Fists: Buzzer-beating spinning backfist knockout face-plants fighter

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.

Last week, we led off with a knockout that took place just two seconds into the fight. This week, we’re all about that buzzer beater action, and it doesn’t get much closer than what went down at Hazard Fight Night 2 in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine this past Saturday.

(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.)

Oleksiy Bondarenko vs. Andrey Sapa

(highlight around 3:05:00 mark)

The opening round of Oleksiy Bondarenko and Andrey Sapa’s featherweight contest was primarily a grappling affair that featured some fun submission attempts on the ground. So it’s only fitting that it ended with a wild superb spinning strike against the fence that landed right as the clock struck 0.

Watch that hit again, it’s either exactly at the buzzer or even slightly after (though I’m assuming that the on-screen clock has a slight lag). Regardless, it was spot-on and absolutely devastating.

Sapa went OUT out. It took several minutes for him to sit up, but thankfully it appears that he was able to exit the cage with assistance. It was a tough night for Sapa, who saw a five-fight win streak snapped.

As for Bondarenko, he’s shown to have a flair for the dramatic, as according to his record this is the second straight fight that he’s ended in the final 15 seconds of Round 1. He defeated Stepan Litvinenko via armbar submission at 4:47 in his previous fight, which actually took place in June 2021, and if you look further down his résumé he also scored a first-round head kick KO with eight seconds remaining.

Advice for his next opponent: Proceed with extreme caution once that clock hits 4:45.

Marsel Nurlanbek vs. Ahmed Elfarazy
Shermurat Kalilov vs. Ahmed El Gharib
Doston Bozorov vs. Werlleson Almeida

At Octagon 49 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, prospects Marsel Nurlanbek and Shermurat Kalilov showed out in a big way.

Nurlanbek, a 26-year-old featherweight, showed little regard for his opponent’s talents as he rushed in for a leg and snatched a kneebar to earn a tap-out in nine seconds.

I don’t know if Nurlanbek is ready for prime time (a dozen fights into his pro career he’s yet to face an opponent with a record better than 3-1), but that kind of gusto is bound to get him a look from a bigger promotion if his team wants it.

The same could be said for 25-year-old featherweight Shermurat Kalilov, who improved to 7-0 with this awesome catch-and-punch KO that had opponent Ahmed El Gharib seeing the same ghosts that Brendan Schaub saw when he got flattened by Ben Rothwell.

Kalilov has faced better competition than Nurlanbek, so expect him to get a look from other organizations too.

Doston Bozorov has won nine straight since debuting in 2020 and this head kick KO of Werlleson Almeida could be the moment that introduces him to a wider audience.

This is the definition of a technical knockout. Almeida might not have been knocked out cold, but his will to fight was knocked all the way out of his body. That wasn’t a head kick, that was a face kick. Nasty stuff.

A free replay of Octagon League’s latest event is available on YouTube.

Juan Alvarez vs. Christopher Wingate

If we’re mentioning Nurlanbek’s fast submission, then we can’t overlook Juan Alvarez’s 13-second heel hook finish of Christopher Wingate at last Friday’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA event.

This submission took a touch longer to find as Alvarez and Wingate had a moment to embrace the bare-knuckle of it all, but Alvarez turned it into a ground fight with a leg kick that tripped up an off-balance Wingate. Their legs tangled up and Alvarez knew immediately that there was gold to be found in the form of a wicked heel hook.

Anna Wrzecionkova vs. Marketa Urbanova

From the “amateur MMA in name only” department, here’s bantamweight Anna Wrzecionkova destroying Marketa Urbanova with a head kick.

It just goes to show that you can make MMA as safe as humanly possible and it’s still one of the most dangerous things that a human being can do.

Jun Hwan Lee vs. Jun Ho Shin

One-shot finishes are great, but we can all appreciate a good combo KO as well. At Ring FC 3 in Seoul, Jun Hwan Lee blitzed Jun Ho Shin en route to a spectacular ending.

Not sure how you’re all scoring that one at home, but starting with the front kick, I’m crediting Lee with a nine-hit combo (don’t think that last punch connected, fortunately for Shin). Lee threw every strike under the sun at Shin and it’s scary how pretty much everything landed with maximum impact.

You can watch a free replay of Ring FC 3 on YouTube.

Roberto Hernandez vs. Toby Misech

Speaking of delayed gratification, we saw a fine example of it at a Cage Warriors event in San Diego.

Featherweight Roberto Hernandez won his eighth straight fight with this beautiful body shot knockout of Toby Misech, that was easy to miss at a glance. Hernandez rifled in a counter left hand that even on replay didn’t look like it was thrown with much velocity, but the placement is perfect and moments later Misech was reduced to a puddle.

The last three wins for Hernandez all came by decision, so he probably didn’t mind waiting an extra couple of seconds to secure his latest finish.

Cage Warriors 159 is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

Karshyga Dautbek vs. Diego Brandao
Rustem Kudaybergenov vs. Nizamuddin Ramazanov

Diego Brandao continues to chug along since we last saw him in the UFC seven years ago as he’s popped up in a number of notable promotions. The Ultimate Fighter 14 winner was actually on a three-fight win streak before running into Karshyga Dautbek at an Alash Pride event in Astana, Kazakhstan. There, Dautbek made Brandao his 11th knockout in 13 pro wins.

This was pro fight No. 49 for Brandao and I don’t know if he’s holding out for a neat 5-0, but let’s hope that he steps away from the game before he takes too much damage.

A couple of fights earlier, Rustem Kudaybergenov captured a lightweight belt with a powerful right hand that caught Nizamuddin Ramazanov stepping in at the worst time.

Alash Pride 89 is available for free replay on YouTube.

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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.