Missed Fists: Fighter stretchered out of cage after vicious knockout

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.

You may have noticed that when we share a highlight in this feature, we make sure to include the names of both fighters (which isn’t always easy when it comes to figuring out who’s who in some of the world’s sketchier promotions). This isn’t just for the sake of completion, but to do something important that our business often neglects: Acknowledge that it takes two to make a memorable MMA moment.

In other words, we always honor the one who falls in the arena.

(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.)

Kodai Sudo vs. Shingo Yakul

Shingo Yakul is a veteran of the Japanese MMA scene, so he’s no stranger to catching an L, but rarely has he (or anyone, for that matter) been taken out in such brutal fashion.

At a Shooto event in Tokyo, 25-year-old flyweight Kodai Sudo caught Yakul flush and left him face-down on the canvas.

In addition to the brutal impact from the winning punch, Yakul’s head and neck also seem to get compressed as he crashes into the fence. That’s scary on so many levels. We then see Yakul being placed on a stretcher and carefully removed from the cage. Again, insanely scare scene.

Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find any updates on Yakul’s health since this bout took place this past Saturday. Let’s hope that he didn’t suffer any serious injuries and is already resting and recovering. Stay safe out there, everyone.

Mirali Huseynov vs. Sinjen Smith

More absurdly heavy leather was being thrown at Urjiah Faber’s A1 Combat 20 in Wheatland, Calif., courtesy of Mirali Huseynov. The hard-hitting welterweight prospect has never needed the judges and that didn’t change in his shot at a vacant belt, which he claimed by flattening Sinjen Smith.

Since you’re probably wondering after watching that first clip, yes, Smith was able to get back to his feet eventually. No stretcher needed here, thank goodness.

That should make it a little easier to mindlessly appreciate Huseynov putting hands on Smith before popping him square on the chin with a left hook.

Check out more fights from A1 Combat 20, available for free on YouTube.

Jakhongir Jumaev vs. Andre Fialho

Andre Fialho was in action for his first time since parting ways with the UFC last September. If you recall, he fought seven times in 20 months, a schedule that was apparently not a formula for success as he lost his last four fights for the promotion before being released.

He fared no better in his return to UAE Warriors in Abu Dhabi.

In three previous appearances for UAE Warriors, Fialho built a reputation for himself as a lightning-fast finisher, racking up back-to-back-to-back first-round knockouts that vaulted him towards a UFC contract. This time, however, it was his turn to get got and it was Jakhongir Jumaev that did the getting.

On name value, this is the biggest win of Jumaev’s career. He has won two straight and four of his past five and looks to be a player in the Middle Eastern promotion.

UAE Warriors 50 is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

Leonardo Rodriguez vs. Sebastian Toriz
Hector Almonacid vs. Gabriel Fernandez
Itamar Junior vs. Marcio Oliveira
Clesio Silva vs. Hilario Gomes

Looks like it’s already time for our speed round, starting with Leonardo Rodriguez putting an 11-second whomping on Sebastian Toriz at a Jasaji Fighting League show in Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico.

Toriz pops Rodriguez with a couple of jabs and that just seems to make Rodriguez super mad. He steps forward, lets his hands go, and drops Toriz with a 1-2 to end it.

Over at Shinka Fight Day in Buenos Aires, Hector Almonacid scored a 10-second knockout against a checked-out Gabriel Fernandez.

I can’t say for certain that Fernandez did not want to be in there, though after Almonacid caught him with that head kick, he very, very, very likely did not want to be in there.

And in other example of the best defense being a good offense (especially when your opponent shows no defense), here’s Itamar Junior running through Marcio Oliveira at a Centurion FC event in Sao Paulo.

Junior has a significant size advantage and he used all of it to reach out and touch Oliveira before the shorter fighter even knew what was happening.

On that same card, Clesio Silva needed 42 seconds (slowpoke!) to send Hilario Gomes flying with a clubbing right.

I doubt Silva will be battling for a world title anytime soon, but after an unimpressive 4-7 start to his career, the Brazilian has rattled off six straight wins all by KO/TKO. It’s never too late to turn things around.

Van Minh vs. Mirko Horn
Lerryan Douglas vs. Nathan Ghareeb

From the less frequently visited “Out On Their Feet” department, we have two entries this week, from Lion Championship 13 (available to watch on Facebook) in Hanoi, Vietnam, and LFA 184 (available on UFC Fight Pass) in Commerce, Calif.

Van Minh put Mirko Horn away in about 90 seconds and not one second longer thanks to an attentive referee. Shout-out to Nguyen Van Tuan, who was right there to check if Horn was still in the fight and correctly assessed that he wasn’t. Watch that clip and you can see him wave it off at almost the exact moment Horn’s hands drop.

Lerryan Douglas also scored a standing knockout, one that saw him ping-pong’ing Nathan Ghareeb back-and-forth along the fence.

There was no barely any time for referee Chris Leben (!) to step in there and stop Ghareeb from taking a couple of extra punches, Douglas was throwing with such incredible force. If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about that, it’s Leben, so he did well to save Ghareeb when he could.

Danila Volkov vs. Matvey Kondratyev

Our submission of the week goes to Danila Volkov, who wrapped up Matvey Kondratyev in as tight a Suloev stretch as you’ll ever see.

From Ural Fighting Championship 7 in Tolyatti, Russia:

Just… pain.

Wang Shaoxiang vs. Wu Ze

Wang Shaoxiang won a Jue Cheng King bantamweight tournament to become champion last July and this past Saturday he entered his second defense of that title.

It’s going pretty good!

Wang scored a perfectly accurate right hand on Wu Ze with little space between them, showing some impressive timing and raw power. Make that seven straight wins now for Wang, who already has his third title defense scheduled as he meets Dulile in a trilogy bout on June 17.

Pedro Pena vs. Victor Nunez

After all that, we end this week’s edition of Missed Fists on a ho-hum jumping knee knockout.

Did I say, “ho-hum?” Sorry, I meant, frigging spectacular jumping knee knockout. That was just so clean.

Ultimate Warrior Challenge 53 from Tijuana, Mexico, is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

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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.