Missed Fists: Gruesome slam knockout leaves fighter mangled on the mat

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, fight fans had more than their fill of mainstream MMA action with the UFC, Bellator, and the PFL all putting out buzz-worthy offerings (mileage may vary on how UFC Vegas 75 looked on paper, but hey, it didn’t turn out bad!), so we couldn’t squeeze in a Missed Fists, but this week we’re back in full force.

Full force is the perfect choice of words here as that’s exactly how I’d describe this slam in our opening clip.

(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.)

Jimmy Roach vs. Caleb Williams

It’s that time again, everyone. That time on Missed Fists where we remind you that if you’re attempting a submission and your opponent lifts you more than a couple of feet off of the mat, LET F****** GO.

Don’t think about it. Don’t try to be a hero. Just let go. Be like Elsa. Let it go.

I wish I could have warned Caleb Williams about this but I can at least warn you before you watch. From a Synergy FC event in Kansas City, Kan., here’s one of the grossest slam knockouts you’ll see this year.

Jimmy Roach, finger of shame for the completely unnecessary follow-up strike. But still, tip of the cap for the sheer brutality of this finish. There’s really no way that Williams could have thought that hanging on to that armbar was a good idea, but I guess he didn’t expect Roach to do a note-perfect reenactment of Hulk slamming Loki around.

Watch that as many times as you need to, you sickos, and then let’s move on.

Khamall Dunkley vs. Naquan Calderon

Oh, you thought we were moving on to a less-upsetting knockout? Have you meet me???

Mileage may vary here, depending on how bothered you are by poor Naquan Calderon not even managing to get a punch off in his amateur bout with Khamall Dunkley (incredible name) at a Flex Fight event in Patchogue, N.Y.

The official time of the stoppage was indeed five seconds, while the unofficial time of Dunkley’s celebration looked to be about a whole minute.

Sebastian Chrobot vs. Adrian Kucypera

You’re, of course, familiar with Cro Cop. But have you met Chrobot?

That’s Sebastian Chrobot, an amateur bantamweight who improved to 4-0 with that beauty of a spin kick at a Silesian MMA show in Bedzin, Poland. The slow-motion replay really captures what an unlikely knockout this is as you can see Chrobot’s heel juuuuuuust sneak around the defense of a back-pedaling Adrian Kucypera. The strike clips just enough of his face to active his off-switch.

Nikolay Aleksakhin vs. Oberdan Tenorio

You like spin kicks, you say? And you want seconds?

Well, here’s Nikolay Aleksakhin decapitating Oberdan Tenorio at an Open Fighting Championship show in Sheregesh, Russia.

While the impact of Chrobot’s kick may have been tricky to pinpoint at a glance, there’s no mystery here. Aleksakhin catches all of Tenorio’s head with his spinning strike and it’s hard to believe that Tenorio is even remotely conscious afterwards.

Always remember: spinning s***, no can defend.

Open Fighting Championship fights are available for free replay on YouTube.

Adam Assenza vs. Polo Reyes
Jarred Dummond vs. Ruben Aldama
Alex Medellin vs. Alex Gluzman
Manuel Garcia vs. Tim Cronk

This past Saturday’s BTC event in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, brought plenty of highlights, capped off by a wild one between veterans Adam Assenza and Polo Reyes for a vacant lightweight title.

Assenza has been a mainstay of the Ontario MMA scene for some time and Reyes earned a reputation for being a free-swinging, crazy person during his brief stint with the UFC, so this one was destined to be fun. It wasn’t destined for five rounds though as Assenza outlasted Reyes and pounded him out in Round 3.

Jarred Dumond and Ruben Aldama’s fight wasn’t quite as epic as Dumond needed just 28 seconds to pop Aldama with a right and finish him with ground strikes.

Opening the card, Mexican bantamweight prospect Alex Medellin spammed the left, stuck to it, and walked off with the first-round knockout win.

As you know if you’ve ever read Missed Fists, there’s two things we love around here: Big boy knockouts and, well, love!

Manuel Garcia gave us both, first out-slugging Tim Cronk and then nailing the proposal.

Congrats, Manuel!

Travon Eller vs. Foster Eberly

You know, I’m all for pacifism. Big pacifism guy. But if you’re going to get in the cage, you’ve gotta throw a punch, brother!

At Ohio Combat League 25, Travon Eller got all up in Foster Eberly’s face and it looked like Eberly’s fight or flight response went haywire as he neither fought nor flought (that doesn’t sound right) with fists swarming down on him. The undefeated Eller won an amateur light heavyweight title with this knockout, so he can certainly take pride in that even if he probably would have liked his opponent to put up more of a challenge.

Vilson Ndregjoni vs. Wendel Araujo

On the other hand, there’s definitely such a thing as being too aggressive.

At CFFC 120 (available on UFC Fight Pass), bantamweight champion Vilson Ndregjoni stopped a charging Wendel Araujo in his tracks with a blink-and-you-missed-it counter right that landed flush. He probably could have walked this off because there’s no way Araujo was going to stand up straight after that punch.

Deonte Moses Jr. vs. Donte Johnson
Cody Linne vs. Dan Moriarty

Also on UFC Fight Pass, amateur heavyweight Deonte Moses Jr. gave us this beauty of a heavyweight head kick knockout at Anthony Pettis FC 5 in Waukesha, Wis.

That’s textbook setup work there. Kick to the body got his man thinking, then the high kick came up and around the hand. Didn’t even matter that the block was there, it was just out of position enough for the finishing blow to connect.

This next move, there’s not really much you can do when a guy just jumps forward and fires his knee up into your grill.

Flyweight Cody Linne improved to 6-1 and has now won four straight fights, three of those in the first round. He’s only 23, but Linne sounds like a soon-to-be Contender Series contestant.

Tsukasa Mizoguchi vs. Kosuke Eda

From Gladiator 022 in Japan:

As caposa points out, Tsukasa Mizoguchi and Kosuke Eda essentially recreated the famous Holloway-Lamas moment… if that moment had ended with one of them getting laid out flat on the canvas.

Mizoguchi is 3-0 now, while Eda’s record falls to a bizarre 13-14-6. Speaking of bizarre, check out the pic in Eda’s Sherdog profile.

Jhoset Espinosa vs. Angela Ravello

Let’s wrap with a highlight from Inka FC 36, which went down in Lima, Peru, less than 24 hours ago.

If you liked that previous instance of standing and banging, you’ll love watching Jhoset Espinosa and Angela Ravello throw down.

Bite down, throw down, and then hopefully meet up at the bar later and share a drink. That’s what fighting is all about, right?

A free replay of Inka FC 36 is available on YouTube.

And ICYMI and in case you miss Khamzat Chimaev, we’ve got you covered, because the other Khamzat was busy at Brave CF 71 this past Monday. Ladies and gentleman, a round of applause for Khamzat “Borz” Maeev!

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.