Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists, where we shine a light on fights from around the world that may have gone overlooked in a hectic era where it seems like an MMA show is happening every other day.
UFC 303 came to a close last weekend with a bang, even if the final lineup didn't quite live up to the hype. Such is the chaos of combat sports, with Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz set to face off in a square ring this weekend instead of the octagon. These are turbulent times.
It's been so wild that we've often missed certain oddities, but we're going to rectify that mistake for at least a week. So let's hop in the Missed Fists time machine and go a little further back in time than usual.
(I am always grateful for your help Valera Pierna A weekly list of the best KOs and submissions, and Grabaka Hitman Thanks to everyone who uploaded many of the clips you see here, please follow them and donate on Patreon if you can.
Armored MMA
Thanks to Matysek’s always eye-catching Twitter feed, I finally got to know about Armored MMA Promotions, which recently held a show in Nashville, Tennessee.
If you're wondering what Armored MMA is, all you need to do is take a look at the Battle Royale clip below.
If that piques your interest, you can watch the full fight here:
Pretty strange, right? And I'm sure it's 100% safe.
Frankly, this is more like BattleBots than the MMA we all love, but there's no denying that there's something alluring about car-clashes, in that the vehicles are humans stuffed into semi-functional knight armor.
This multi-knight bout comes from a February show, but Armored MMA's latest event was on June 8, which you can also watch for free on their YouTube channel. And if you live in Nashville or plan on visiting next month, you can grab tickets now for August 24. You've got nothing to lose except your sanity.
Josias Moussa vs. Marven Marnes
Demba Sech vs. Mohamed Abdel Fattah
It’s rare to see medieval men and women brandishing iron swords in this modern day, but even rarer to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo for a bit of MMA. Impact Championship 3 took place at Batiment Hypnose in Lubumbashi, and headliner Josias “The KO Wizard” Musasa did not disappoint.
Moussa took down a staggering Marven Marnes with a flying knee to improve to 7-0, including six knockouts in the first round and one in the second. It's one thing to have a great nickname, but it's another to live up to it.
As you may recall, Msasa appeared in this feature 18 months ago in his second pro fight and has been going strong ever since. We should speculate here as to whether the time has come for Msasa to step up competitively, but it would be hard to resist if he continues to rack up highlight-worthy finishes on his home turf.
And, by the way, thanks to Demba Sec, who took down Mohamed Abdel Fattah with a swinging right hand in just over a minute.
I’m no Eric Nicksick, but if I could give you some advice, Mr. Fatta, it’d be to watch your right side.
Watch a free replay of Impact Championship 3 on YouTube.
Benjamin Hajigian vs. Eli Elias
Benjamin Hadjigian uses tricks and delivers some powerful punches during the All-Stars Fight Night event in Solna, Sweden.
At first I thought it was a basic one-two, but then I watched again and saw that he actually pulled his lead hand back and then landed a quick right, and then he moved from right to left right before scoring the knockout, setting it up — a basic but well-crafted move from a 22-year-old making his pro debut.
Isaac Gabali vs. Dario Monreal
Though the right punch wasn't enough to secure the victory for Isaac Gabali, he made up for it with some truly fearsome ground-and-pound.
From the WAR MMA show in Alicante, Spain:
Dario Monreal defended well enough after being knocked down to justify continuing the fight, but he's probably regretting it after having his head disfigured by Gabali's fists.
Edgar Delgado vs. Jose Quinones
Alexander Bastida vs. Victor Nunez
Finally, we flew to Zacatecas, Mexico for the Lux Fight League main event pitting Edgar Delgado against UFC veteran Jose Quinones. “El Teco” has had mixed results since parting ways with UFC in 2020, but it still ranks as the biggest win of Delgado's 20-fight career.
Especially since it came with a slick heel hook submission in the first round.
There's nothing like it when a fighter targets an opponent's limbs and does everything he can to get the tap. It often doesn't work, but when it does, it's great. Hopefully Quinonez taps out before he loses any ligaments.
But the best finish of the night belonged to Alexander Bastida, who did it seven seconds into the second round.
Pure reaction. Pure reflexes. Pure destruction.
Lux Fight League 43 is available to replay on UFC Fight Pass.
If you know of any recent matches or events that you think we've missed, or any promotions that are worth noting, please let us know by clicking X. Alexander K. Lee —Using the hashtag “#MissedFists.”
