Missed Fists: Fighter scores wild hammerfist knockout with foe trapped in triangle choke

Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists, where we shine a light on fights across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like there’s an MMA show every other day.

Often when putting together these features, we face the dilemma of whether to start off the festivities with a rollicking knockout or an anatomy-defying submission. It’s a problem.

Fortunately for us, one fighter saved us from that dilemma by giving us two great tastes that taste great together.

(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.)

Stephen Owens vs. Trey Slaton

At Live MMA at BJCC Birmingham (Alabama, not England), brought to you by Made Men Promotions (try saying all that 10 times fast… heck, try it once), flyweights Stephen Owens and Trey Slaton made their pro debuts. It was Owens who got the win, securing a triangle choke and throwing in some heavy hammerfists for good measure.

We can’t be sure whether Slaton was about to tap before being robbed of his consciousness, but in all likelihood the ending of this fight was a combination of the blunt force trauma to the side of his head and the lack of blood flowing to his brain. It might seem harsh, but credit has to be given to Owens for continuing to strike and not just going into cruise control once the hold was locked in. Leave no stone unturned — or no strike un-struck — as they say.

Masakazu Imanari vs. Kazumasa Majima
Daichi Abe vs. Kota Shirakawa
Hiroaki Suzuki vs. Takahiro Ashida

While one young man was picking up his first submission win on the other side of the world, one not-so-young man was reminding us all why he’s one of the all-time great ground fighters at a RIZIN show in Saga, Japan.

Facing an opponent 16 years his junior, 48-year-old Japanese MMA legend Masakazu Imanari threw up an absolutely beautiful armbar to fend off a swarming Kazumasa Majima and score the 29th submission win of his illustrious career.

Imanari’s imprint can be seen all over modern MMA, and his name was recently dropped during the UFC 298 broadcast when it was noted that he’d worked with the undefeated Rinya Nakamura. Nakamura scored a one-sided unanimous decision win over Carlos Vera on that show, but his old teacher showed that he also has victories left to claim.

Daichi Abe’s brief UFC and ONE stints were nothing to write home about, but he’s been solid since returning to Japan, winning seven of his past 10 fights, including this nasty knockout of Kota Shirakawa.

Poor Shirakawa got knocked out three times: Once by the punch, once by his tailbone smashing into the ground, and then one more time when his head did the same.

In the very next fight, Hiroaki Suzuki also scored a no-doubt finish, going full berserker mode on veteran Takahiro Ashida.

Message for both Suzuki and the referee: Bro, I think he’s had enough.

Zelim Zubairaev vs. Mika Kallio
Simon Ekback vs. Max Hakansson

This week’s Call An Ambulance, But Not For Me Award goes to Zelim Zubairaev, who went from having his kick caught to immediately catching his opponent with a one-shot KO punch.

Fights can turn around in an instant. One second it’s “got your leg,” the next it’s “got your ass!”

We talked about Owens’ combo attack at the top, so we have to tip our caps to amateur lightweight Simon Ekback as well. Tapology lists bulldog choke as the method of victory, but I’m guessing that Max Hakansson’s elbow pointing the wrong way had just as much influence on the tapout there.

Fight Club Rush 19 from Stockholm is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

Matas Stebuliauskas vs. Arturs Leisans

Do you ever just sit around and think about how you haven’t seen a Peruvian Necktie in a while? Here’s a Peruvian Necktie.

From Unique & Talented Martial Artists 7 in Kaunas, Lithuania:

Feels good.

Yusup Udiev vs. Myrat Owulyakulyyev
Beytullah Keskin vs. Behnam Mehrani Pour

Speaking of sights we don’t see enough, the Turkey MMA scene needs more love so let’s take a look at a couple of awesome finishes from a Khan Fight Selection show (free replay available on YouTube) in Bursa.

Yusup Udiev was controlling Myrat Owulyakulyyev on the ground, patiently waiting for an opening to do something spectacular, and he found it when Owulyakulyyev tried to power his way up from the mat.

Watch how Udiev immediately secures one leg while reaching around to snag the other, then transitions their bodies into the Suloev Stretch. That was textbook, assuming there’s a textbook somewhere that shows you exactly how to execute a Suloev Stretch.

Turkish MMA also brings us our Humpty Dumpty Fall of the Week as Beytullah Keskin rocked Behnam Mehrani Pour mid-punch, causing Pour to twist 180 degrees and then slam his own forehead into the mat.

Thankfully, the referee immediately recognized that Pour was out of it.

Ze Machado vs. Makula Kingani

Your Humpty Dumpty runner-up? Here’s Ze Machado swangin’ and bangin’ his way to a highlight-reel knockout at a Fighter Combat League show in Montijo, Portugal.

That first punch doesn’t come close to landing, then the second just annihilates Makula Kingani.

This was Machado’s pro debut after a five-year amateur career and it looks like all that preparation paid off.

Samuil Shelest vs. Igor Svirid

At a Russian Cagefighting Championship show in Tyumen, Samuil Shelest showed great poise and strategy here, taking control of Igor Svirid’s head to slow his charge and then just exploding with a combination as they separated.

Watching it again, you can see Svirid make the mistake of not getting his hands up to protect himself and Shelest capitalized in the most definitive way possible.

Luis Elias vs. Francisco Ramirez

Logging back into UFC Fight Pass for an Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico event in Tijuana, we have flyweight prospect Luis Elias putting on a show against Francisco Ramirez.

Elias destroyed Ramirez’s body with a perfectly timed kick to improve to 7-0, all by finish. At age 31, Elias may be on the older side for a lighter weight class fighter, but the Entram Gym product only made his pro debut in 2022 so there’s plenty of room to grow. Look for him to get that Contender Series or UFC call soon though.

Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Dhouglas Ribeiro

Let’s end with some good old-fashioned savagery.

From Naiza FC 57 (full fights available on YouTube) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, young welterweight Taiyilake Nueraji lived up to his nickname, going full “Super Saiyan” to finish off Dhouglas Ribeiro.

Now 9-1 and just 23 years old, Nueraji has the makeup of a fighter who is going to be putting on crowd-pleasing striking performances for a long time.

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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 X — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.