Missed Fists: Amazing heavyweight spinning backfist knockout sequence sends opponent and referee tumbling

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 fair to say that everyone expected last weekend’s ONE Championship: One X show to overshadow UFC Columbus, and while ONE more than delivered with a card that had something for everyone and Columbus turned out to be a fun event too, we’re eager to tip the Missed Fists cap to a quartet of notable promotions that delivered some scorching highlights.

Let’s start with Fury FC 59, which featured one of the year’s most visually hilarious knockouts.

(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.)

Avery Wilson vs. Jacob Bradley Williams
Drayke Lopez vs. Isiah Torres
Jordan Plutin vs. Kyle Powell
George Tokkos vs. Ty Flores

AL: With respect to Jacob Bradley Williams who took a hard hit here, I’m still laughing.

From Fury FC 59 in Houston (main card available for replay on UFC Fight Pass, prelims on YouTube), we have heavyweight Avery Wilson landing a legitimately beautiful spinning backfist to set up a TKO win here. The cherry on top is referee Joe Soliz (yes, that Joe Soliz) attempting to stop the fight and making an absolute meal out of it as he slips off of Wilson’s back and takes a spill on the mat.

With apologies to CODA, is it too late to give this scene the Academy Award for Best Picture?

JM: Only if we can also hold off on the Best Actor award as well. Aljamain Sterling is fighting Petr Yan again next weekend…

I kid, I kid.

Anyway, not often do you see a big man get a finish with a spinning attack. It’s like watching an offensive lineman score a touchdown, you’ve got to cherish these small moments.

AL: We go from the distinctly hilarious to the grotesque as we give props to Drayke Lopez for a foot-twisting leglock as well as to his opponent Isiah Torres for not tapping out.

Then again, as we like to say around these parts: TAP!!!!

JM: At first I wanted to say that Torres had atrocious defense there, as he just allowed Lopez to juggle legs, but then after he no-sold the hook I began to think he might just actually be Gumby and impervious to submissions. Turns out that isn’t the case either, alas.

Also, on a separate note, has anyone with the cupping marks ever won a fight in history? I feel like every time I see someone spotted up like a leopard they then lose. Someone should investigate this phenomenon.

AL: It’s good we had a couple of videos to ease into this next clip, because you’re going to want to turn that volume way down lest you blow out your speakers or eardrums.

You turned it down, right?

You’ve been warned.

Alright Jordan Plutin, take it away.

JM: Oof. That did not sound pleasant to be on the receiving end of. Gotta feel for the man there.

Also, tremendous hair from Plutin. Love everything about that. But the celebration irked me. The double flip should have obviously been rolled directly into The Worm. Kids these days.

AL: And we have to mention George Tokkos capturing a vacant Fury FC light heavyweight title with this sweet left hand near the end of Round 1.

JM: That’s the most disdainful left hook I’ve seen in a long time. Tokkos just sort of swats at him and clatters the poor sap.

Also, “Tuco” is a dope nickname, or just a normal name. There are not enough Tucos running around.

AL: That was a nice plop-down by Ty Flores and might have won this clip the Humpty Dumpty Fall of the Week award were it not for what happened at UAE Warriors 27 (also available on UFC Fight Pass) last Friday.

Khaled Jashell Ticha Awa vs. Kevin Munje

I’ve already said my piece about this incredible knockout by Khaled Jashell Ticha Awa and I think everyone would love to hear your thoughts on it.

JM: OH MAN. That’s a legitimate Humpty Dumpty of the Year candidate. The fact that he fails with the spinning back fist immediately before really adds some spice to it. He looks like a spring that you coiled up one way and then it was released and spirals back out the other. A+ stuff.

Nawras Abzakh vs. Mahmoud Atef

AL: It was a big weekend for UAE Warriors as they held three shows in three nights and Sunday saw Nawras Abzakh score one of the year’s best submissions, a 35-second baseball bat choke of Mahmoud Atef.

JM: Baseball bat chokes are damn hard to pull off with a gi for leverage, hitting one in a fight seems borderline impossible to me. But I guess when you have a name like “The Honey Badger,” you aren’t held to the same restrictions as the rest of us normal folk.

Joice Mara vs. Isabela de Padua
Kleberson Sousa vs. Stenio Barbosa
Joaquim Juliano vs. Jorge Marreta

AL: Let me be the one to apologize for not having Joice Mara’s extraordinarily rare gogoplata choke-out of one-time UFC fighter Isabela de Padua so far down our feature here. Sure, we see the occasional gogo on the regional and international scene, but even Brad Imes himself never put someone to sleep with one.

JM: Oh man, that’s a legit Submission of the Year candidate right there. Anytime you’re the first person to do something, that deserves extra shine, and if the great Caposa is saying he can’t remember seeing anyone slept with a gogo, well that’s pretty incredible.

AL: Kleberson Sousa’s 6-3 record might not jump off the Tapology page right away, but the 25-year-old flyweight has won four straight now and his latest victory might be the one that puts him on the map.

On the replay, you can really see how clean that knee was.

JM: You can also see how large his back is. Good lord, that’s a well-built young man right there. Looking like a miniature Gleison Tibau.

AL: I know it’s not, but that feels like an oxymoron.

No less than Patricio Pitbull himself hit up the Twitter machine to show love to Sousa, calling him “The most talented guy I’ve seen walk into the gym.”

Somehow I don’t think he’d say the same thing about Joaquim Juliano and Jorge Marreta, but praise to these boys anyway for leaving it all out there. Juliano just had a little bit more to give and that little bit turned out to be a thudding standing elbow to the face.

JM: I love that this show is basically happening in a gym cage with like four people watching. This is MMA in its truest form.

Brazilian Fighting Series 7 is available for free replay on YouTube.

Marciley da Silva vs. Daniel Siqueira
Itamar Junior vs. Jean Marcos D’Cruz
Wagner Reis vs. Aridriano Oliveira

AL: We go from Rio Grande do Norte to Minas Gerais for our last set of highlights from Jungle Fight 106, which is also available for free on YouTube.

Up first, we have Marciley da Silva just stalking Daniel Siqueira before lighting him up with a disgusting finishing combination.

Nothing about that made me feel good inside.

JM: OH. That was shockingly violent. Honestly, I’m impressed Siqueira wasn’t out cold from that. I mean, don’t get me wrong, no one was home, but he wasn’t full-blown comatose there.

AL: This next highlight is just for you as I know there are few things in MMA that frustrate you more than when a fighter has his opponent hurt and instead of letting them up they dive right into their guard so they can show off their sick jitz.

Well, here’s Itamar Junior with some proper fight IQ!

JM: Bravo! It speaks volumes about this sport that random gentlemen in Jungle Fight regularly showcase better fight IQ than top-10 fighters in the UFC.

AL: On the other side of the spectrum we have Wagner Reis and Aridriano Oliveira acting like a couple of silly geese.

First, Reis caps off an aggressive end to the first round with a full-on shove that would have had Jeremy Stephens going, “Whoa, take it easy there, buddy!”

Then, Oliveira got him back with a clean right hand off of a blatant eye poke, only for Reis to get the win with a sweet spin kick to the body.

MMA!

JM: I have never, nor will I ever understand angrily shoving a guy WHO YOU ARE LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIST FIGHT WITH! Just fight him! You can do that! In fact, you are encouraged to do so in that environment. I mean, I guess he eventually did fight him, what with the spinning back kick and all, but the theatrics are so very dumb to me. A nice win nonetheless.

AL: Way to focus on the positive.

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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 Twitter – @JedKMeshew and @AlexanderKLee – using the hashtag #MissedFists.