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.
It’s been a year of wonky officiating-even more so than usual in this biz-but there are times when a referee arguably erring on a split-second decision can work out better for fans (and one of the fighters).
Ahead of UFC Paris, check out what happened at Hexagone MMA 33 in Sables d’Olonne, France this past weekend and you tell me if this situation was handled correctly.
(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.)
Stiven Shehu vs. Mohamed Aziz Ouertateni
Pretty standard technical knockout there, right? Nope.
That sequence happened at the end of the first round of a fight where Mohamed Aziz Ouertateni seemingly had Stiven Shehu dead to rights. There’s a bunch of unanswered strikes, a big knockdown, follow-up punches, and the referee steps in aggressively to break up the action. Finito.
Watch again.
That horn comes in juuuuust as Ouertateni starts landing ground-and-pound, so the referee is clearly reacting to that noise, not stepping in to stop the contest. I think.
Regardless, the fight went on for another round and a half as Shehu not only recovered from that scary moment, he actually came back to win by submission.
That’s a textbook comeback if I’ve seen one, folks, and I hope both fighters (now with matching 3-1 records) can laugh about this the future when they’re looking back on their careers.
Jo Maisonneuve vs. Rachel HoferDerek Bergen vs. Dan Baxter
And now a couple of uncontroversial finishes from Battlefield Fight League 84 in Vancouver, Canada,, courtesy of UFC Fight Pass.
Jo Maisonneuve showed off her raw power, landing a right hand just as Rachel Hofer came forward and leaving no doubt this one was done.
Derek Bergen needed a little more time, but after stunning Dan Baxter with an intercept knee, he proceeded to land about 20 unanswered elbows on the ground to make sure there would be no comeback.
Alexander Chavez vs. Tiago Xavier
This past Wednesday at Inka FC 51 in Lima, Peru, undefeated flyweight prospect Alexander Chavez stalked Tiago Xavier before exploding with a jumping knee to improve to 7-0.
He stepped back like James Harden on that one, creating just the right amount of runway to fly and strike with maximum effectiveness.
You can watch free Inka FC fights and events on their Kick page.
Luiz Ramos vs. Stefan StankovicDzhamaludin Aliev vs. Cleverson Silva
Over at Serbian Battle Championship 51, the Odzaci crowd was treated to a sprinkle of that new sensation that’s sweeping the nation, bare-knuckle boxing.
On this day, it was 13-fight MMA veteran Stefan Stankovic (4-9, 1 NC) taking on relative unknown Luiz Ramos, who should gain at least some measure of infamy after this nasty one-punch, walk-off KO.
Just caught him with the tips of his knuckles there and that’s all it took. Serious power from Ramos.
In more traditional MMA action, Dzhamaludin Aliev needed a little more than 30 seconds to find Cleverson Silva’s chin following a brief grappling exchange.
The timing on that strike was just incredible. Aliev was setting his feet as they were separating, giving himself an opening for a clean shot before Silva could get out of range.
Milena Galvao vs. Jaine MarianoLuiz Paes vs. Paulo Silva
Milena Galvao goes by the nickname “Brutinha” and she lived up to that intimidating moniker and then some with an absolute mauling of Jaine Mariano.
That’s a merciful armbar. Credit to Mariano for not immediately taking that way out, though.
Luiz Paes’ knockout of Paulo Silva? Nothing merciful about this.
Silva left that chin way up in the air as he circled way and Paes didn’t hesitate to snatch it. He could have hesitated a little more before clobbering Silva with unnecessary hammerfists, but this is the game they play.
You can watch a free replay of Thunder Fight 50 on YouTube.
Lucia Apdelgarim vs. Karla Torres
What better way to shut this edition down than with a body-shot shutdown KO courtesy of Lucia Apdelgarim. The 21-year-old Argentinian has seen mixed results in her MMA career so far, going just 5-4, but this impressive finish could be the start of a run for her.
Keep in mind, Apdelgarim has been thrown to the wolves since debuting in 2022. Her sixth pro bout was against freaking Seika Izawa. Following a loss to the Japanese star, Apdelgarim has rattled off three consecutive wins and Karla Torres is her most impressive W yet. The future is bright.
You can watch a free replay of this Combate Global event 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 X — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.
