Yadier del Valle spoiled Darren Elkins' retirement at UFC Vegas 120 on Saturday after connecting with a brutal left hand that ended their fight just 35 seconds into the opening round.

After fending off a kick but coming up short on a takedown, Elkins was already dealing with immense pressure from del Valle. The end came just seconds later when del Valle uncorked a hellacious left hand that sent Elkins crashing to the canvas in a heap.

A few more strikes were landed on the ground but the referee quickly rushed in to rescue Elkins from further harm with del Valle getting the first-round finish.

“Please for everyone a round of applause for Darren Elkins,†del Valle said after his win. “This was one of the hardest camps I've had. This is the first thing. So I was ready for this.â€

While certainly not the ending he wanted, Elkins already vowed that Saturday night would be the final fight of his career — win, lose or draw.

Throughout his career, Elkins displayed heart and durability like few ever have in the sport and his willingness to step through the fire in every single fight absolutely defined his career.

“Gratitude,†Elkins said about how he was feeling after laying his gloves down in the octagon. “I didn't love how this ended but that's life. I'm going to keep going. I can't lose in life. I'm happy.

“This has been a journey. Almost 17 years. I never thought I'd still be doing it at 42 years old. I always left in the cage. Sometimes it didn't go my way but keep going.â€

Elkins retires with a 29-13 record including a record for the most bouts in UFC featherweight history with 29 including four post-fight bonuses and the second most wins in the history of the 145-pound division with 18.

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 often been said that the best defense is a good offense, and that's served many a fighter well. But what about the worst defense? Oh, exactly what you'd expect.

(Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the best KOs, 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.)

Jan Cieplowski vs. Reimison Saraiva

What are you going to do? Punch me?

Listen, your guess is as good as mine as to what Reimison Saraiva was thinking here. In the middle of an exchange with Jan Cieplowski, Saraiva just drops his hands and invites Cieplowski to tee off on him.

There's a slight hint of head movement, so maybe Saraiva was thinking to goad Cieplowski into making a mistake? I also wonder if one of those earlier shots rattled Saraiva, and that's what caused him to lose all sense of self-preservation. Or maybe he's watched Rocky one too many times and thought he could just “Italian Stallion†his way to victory. No clue.

Regardless, the end result was Cieplowski landing six unanswered haymakers square on Saraiva's jaw and sending him plummeting to the canvas. Legitimately one of the most brutal knockouts I've seen this year.

Every angle, it just looks worse.

Digging a little deeper, you'll be shocked to know Saraiva has 10 losses all by knockout or submission in the first round and of his 14 career victories, Tapology has flagged five of them. All above board, folks.

DWM 10 is available for free replay on YouTube.

Deyan Galinov vs. Alexander Mikael

Our runner-up for most brutal knockout of the week comes from Brave CF 107 in Burgas, Bulgaria, where Deyan Galinov connected with a left hook that sent Alexander Mikael on an all expenses paid trip to The Shadow Realm.

Look at his eyes. He's not here anymore.

Makhmud Muradov def. Will Fleury
Ivan Klevets vs. Kevin Enz

At Oktagon 92, the co-main event was rife with crazy chaos and controversy as former UFC fighter Makhmud Muradov pulled off an insane comeback to beat Will Fleury and claim the light heavyweight title.

Check out the action yourself.

Fleury appeared to knock Muradov out at the end of the first round, though the exclamation point blow clearly came after the buzzer. A rattled Muradov came out for the second round and less than 20 seconds later, he dropped Fleury with an overhand right and went in for the kill. Muradov landed some heavy shots and referee Piotr Jarosz stepped in to stop the fight, though it did look like Fleury was starting to fight back.

In the end, we probably ended up with the right winner, but I wouldn't blame any Fleury fans if they were upset with the result. Don't expect to hear any complaining from Fleury himself, though.

Earlier on the card, Ivan Klevets stole the show with an absolutely disgusting spin kick knockout.

Seyedmostafa Salehizadeh vs. Roggers Souza

Hopping on over to UFC Fight Pass real quick (and I do mean quick), here's Seyedmostafa Salehizadeh successfully defending his Samourai MMA heavyweight title in nine seconds.

Not even kidding, given the current state of heavyweight MMA, the UFC should just sign Salehizadeh now. You're telling me he wouldn't be a pick'em against Allen Frye?

Marllon Santos vs. Rogerio Alves

Heavyweight Marllon Santos got creative in his pro debut, breaking out an elbow technique I haven't seen land with such gusto in a while.

It doesn't even look like that upward elbow made it all the way through the defense, but it was more than enough to cause Rogerio Alves to cover up until the referee saved him. Might have bopped him right on the nose or something.

R1 Fighting Series 7 is available for free replay on YouTube.

Hyun Shin Chang vs. Ung Kim Seong

This next clip comes to us from Seoul's Black Combat promotion, which is appropriate because only the darkest of hearts could enjoy this:

That's right, this stomp and hammerfist knockout is for all you sickos out there.

Oton Jasse vs. Joao Dantas
Weslley Alec vs. Guilherme Lazzarini

Over at Jungle Fight 153 in Sao Paulo, Oton Jasse created just enough space to rifle off a head kick that landed on the money and completely shut down Joao Dantas.

One of those knockouts where the landing looks just as bad as the initial impact.

We've had so many nasty finishes this week, let's go out on some good vibes at Jungle Fight 154, with Weslley Alec front kicking his way to victory and then celebrating his little heart out.

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.

Did you miss the Meta Apex? Because it's back!

Would you believe it's been six weeks since fighters last stepped into the Apex's hallowed hallways? Following trips to Oklahoma City, Abu Dhabi, and a historic Belgrade stop, the show is back in Las Vegas with UFC Vegas 120 headlined by grizzled lightweight veteran Mateusz Gamrot and one of the division's brightest prospects Quillan Salkilld. The phrase “litmus test†is one of combat sports' most worn-out clichés, but it perfectly applies here.

We don't know exactly what we have with Salkilld, just 26 years old and heading into his 14th pro bout. He's 5-0 in the UFC so far and his past three opponents didn't make it out of the first round, including longtime contender Beneil Dariush. If Salkilld's finishing power and consistency are real, we could see another name muscle its way to the top of the always crowded 155-pound division.

Gamrot will have a lot to say about it. He's been in wars Salkilld hasn't come close to experiencing, and almost always forces his opponents to find another gear after the first five minutes. He's tailor-made to derail the Salkilld hype train.

Win or lose, we're going to learn a lot about Salkilld's championship potential Saturday.

Where: Meta Apex in Las Vegas

When: Saturday, Aug. 8. The seven-fight preliminary card begins at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a five-fight main card at 8 p.m. ET. The entire event streams live on Paramount+.

(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings)

Mateusz Gamrot (11) vs. Quillan Salkilld (13)

I truly believe Quillan Salkilld will fight for a UFC title someday. But it won't be soon and it won't be off the back of Mateusz Gamrot.

Listen, I know I had a similar read with last week's Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling encounter in which I picked Blachowicz to stifle the younger Stirling (spoiler: he did not stifle the younger Stirling), but my logic was sound: Gamrot is a significant step up in competition and Salkilld is still approaching his prime. We haven't seen the best version of Salkilld yet and it's that hypothetical version I'd pick to beat Gamrot. Now? There's a lot of work to do.

Chiefly, Salkilld's takedown defense. He's a good grappler and he knows how to work his way out of trouble. Can he avoid getting in trouble in the first place, though? Gamrot has excellent top control and even with Salkilld's athletic gifts, he can only scramble out of danger so many times before his energy starts to wane. And remember, this is a five-rounder. Gamrot has survived a few of those, Salkilld has only gone three rounds once in the UFC.

I'm expecting 25 minutes of grueling grappling from Gamrot, not enough to completely discourage Salkilld, but enough to make sure he does his homework before his next fight. Unless Salkilld can find a way to get it going on the feet, I have Gamrot by decision.

Diego Ferreira vs. Billy Quarantillo

Take two older dudes who love to chuck ‘em and toss ‘em in a cage and let God sort ‘em out. This is the kind of old school matchmaking I can get behind.

Diego Ferreira and Billy Quarantillo both like to come forward throwing knockout punches and aren't afraid to mix in a little grappling, too. They're both on two-fight losing streaks and, frankly, likely see this as their last chance to prove they can still compete at the UFC level. That could lead to some caution, but given Ferreira and Quarantillo's histories, I doubt it.

More likely these two will stand and bang it out, with Ferreira being the first to take this to the ground if he sees an opening. I love that Quarantillo is doing his body a favor and moving up to lightweight, but he is giving up some strength here and Ferreira will exploit that. If he decides to turn this into a grappling match, he'll outwork Quarantillo and find a submission in the second round.

Darren Elkins vs. Yadier del Valle

Yadier del Valle has had a strange UFC career so far with the whole Isaac Dulgarian debacle and then a disappointing performance against Jordan Leavitt, so it's only fitting he'd randomly be chosen to be Darren Elkins' final fight.

The younger del Valle should rag-doll Elkins and put him away easily because as much as we praise Elkins for his toughness, he has been finished on multiple occasions and it feels like whatever is left of his famed durability has finally left him. Even he knows it's time to hang it up, which doesn't bode well for his chances. Don't get me wrong, Elkins will go for broke and squeeze every last ounce of MMA out of his battle-torn body, but it won't be enough.

It would be awesome to see Elkins author one of his classic third-round surges and it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility given del Valle's inexperience. But fairy tale endings are few and far between in this business, so it's far more likely del Valle does what he's supposed to do and pounds Elkins out within the opening five minutes.

Amanda Lemos (7) vs. Alexia Thainara (12)

I'm an unabashed Alexia Thainara stan, so I'm calling it now: Thainara dominates this matchup and places herself squarely in the contender conversation, with a title shot waiting for her in 2027.

How does Thainara get it done? Grappling, grappling, and more grappling. That's been Thainara's calling card so far and while it would be nice to see her mix it up some, especially if she has championship aspirations, right now if it ain't broke, don't break it. Amanda Lemos might be in a slump, but she's still one of the harder hitters in the 115-pound division. If Thainara gets cute in the standup, Lemos will put her on her backside.

Play it smart, “Burguesinha.†Shoot for takedowns early and often, wear Lemos down, and maybe even leave the Apex with another submission win on your record. A top 10 spot awaits.

Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you your Squash Match of the Week!

With respect to Billy Ray Goff, there's a reason he's being dusted off for the first time in over a year to take on Ty Miller. Goff cares not for defense. He's giving up size in this matchup. And he hasn't won a fight since August 2023. His punching power and aggression make him dangerous, but he's going to have Miller in his face the entire fight so he should at least try to keep his hands up.

The expected outcome is Miller walks Goff down, throws punches in bunches, and overwhelms him en route to a first-round knockout win. Who am I to argue?

Steven Asplund def. Guilherme Pat

Diyar Nurgozhay def. Bruno Lopes

Louie Sutherland def. Jose Montanha da Silva

Richie Miranda def. Manoel Sousa

Miles Johns def. Gianni Vazquez

Juliana Miller def. Ravena Oliveira

GiGi Canuto def. Carol Foro