Missed Fists: Comedian channels Michael Jackson in hilarious MMA training video

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.

While some would argue that UFC 289 isn’t exactly a Thriller, I’d say that that’s a Bad attitude to have when it comes to watching combat sports and, frankly, you can just Beat It if you’re going to be like that. Putting together a pay-per-view card isn’t always as simple as Black or White, though I know we all Remember the Time when UFC events were less frequent and fans were Off the Wall any time they could tune in to watch some octagon action. It’s Human Nature to have your interest wane when you get too much of a good thing.

Listen, You Are Not Alone in feeling this way and if the steady stream of UFC content isn’t your Jam, perhaps all you need to do is take a look at the Man in the Mirror and reassess your priorities.

Or just enjoy this ridiculous and bizarre video of a man implementing Michael Jackson moves into MMA training.

Billie Jean.

(Man, Michael Jackson had a lot of hits.)

(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.)

The talented fellow in the video above is Akamz, though it doesn’t sound like I need to be telling anybody this given that he has 24 million followers on TikTok and another 2.2 million on Instagram. I’m apparently late to the party on this one, but what else is new?

Evoking M.J. is a regular bit for the comedian too, as he has also done hilarious videos envisioning what it would look like if the “King of Pop” brought his prodigious talents to tennis, basketball, and soccer.

What’s the best part? I’m torn between the hands-down head movement and the Moonwalker leaning to avoid the speed bag. It’s all money. So big shoutout to Akamz and his coach Pascal for committing to this silliness and giving fight fans something to smile about.

(now let’s just hope no actual fighter out there tries this and gets themselves f****** killed)

Ateba Gautier vs. Vuk Lekic

Then again, maybe Vuk Lekic could have used some of Akamz’s evasive moves as he did not come close to getting out of the way of this Ateba Gautier head kick at Titan FC 82 this past weekend in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Gautier, a middleweight prospect from Cameroon, is 4-1 now with his past three wins coming by way of first-round knockout. He hasn’t faced any legitimate competition yet (his first knockout win came against the one and only Jan Lysak), so let’s keep an eye on Gautier’s progression when he steps up to the next level.

That was the second-best knockout of the night as UFC veteran Alex Oliveira scored an insane judo throw knockout in the co-main event that you have to check out if you haven’t already.

You can watch a full replay of Titan FC 82 on UFC Fight Pass.

Kyle Driscoll vs. James Lynch
David Lopez vs. Connor Wilson

Also on Fight Pass, Cage Warriors held an event in San Diego that was capped off by a Kyle Driscoll drubbing of James Lynch.

Love the finishing instinct shown by Driscoll as he immediately pounced on a wobbly Lynch to seal the deal.

Bonus points, I guess, for dipping from the cage after to show some love to Steve-O (who was on commentary) and then mime smoking the weeds in celebration. Does Steve-O have that much social currency with people, these days? Apparently so.

Driscoll is about as close as you can get to fighting in the UFC without having actually done it. He won a decision on the Contender Series in 2020 but wasn’t signed, he lost a Cage Warriors main event fight against Chris Hardwick last July and Hardwick is now pegged for his own Contender Series tryout (why Hardwick wasn’t just signed outright is a whole other conversation), and you have to think he’s back on the UFC’s radar after this win.

Topping that highlight was flyweight David Lopez, who shook off a rough start against Connor Wilson to snag a second-round rear-naked choke submission.

It didn’t look good for Lopez early on as Wilson bloodied him on the feet.

But they’re mixing the martial arts out there and Lopez went all out for a backtake and secured the choke that appeared to leave Wilson unconscious for a second or two, which was quickly noticed by referee Herb Dean.

A round of applause for the victorious Lopez and to Wilson, who addressed the loss on Instagram and is already looking to bounce back.

Sahil Siraj vs. Patrik Pietila

Our last stop in Fight Pass land takes us to Fight Club Rush 16 in Vasteras, Sweden, where Sahil Siraj put two-time Bellator competitor Patrik Pietila away with chilling efficiency.

That’s one where you’d like to see it called off standing. Siraj was landing so cleanly, that wasn’t going to get any better for Pietila.

Matheus Alves vs. Ricardo Maciel
Alan Silva vs. Lucas Silva

We have a tie for this week’s Humpty Dumpty Fall of the Week as two competitors at Lajeado Fight 2 in Brazil ended up slumped against the cage.

In this first clip (apologies for the lack of embed, function isn’t working for some reason, THANKS ELON), you just knew someone was getting got the way Matheus Alves and Ricardo Maciel were standing in front of each other and swinging. This time, the coin toss landed in Alves’ favor.

As for the second clip, we hate to see Silva on Silva crime, but Alan Silva’s knockout of Lucas Silva was too nasty to pass up.

Just a reminder, we doubt many fight fans missed the highlights from KSW’s spectacular Colosseum 2 event, but if by some chance you did, make sure to catch up on the best moments from one of the biggest shows of the year.

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.