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.
MMA
Missed Fists: Fighter drops hands mid-brawl and is viciously knocked out
Published
1 month agoon
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.
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MMA
How to watch UFC 331: Start time, live stream & full fight card
Published
3 hours agoon
September 18, 2026
MMA
Alexandre Pantoja fully healed, ready to reclaim UFC title from Joshua Van
Published
4 hours agoon
September 18, 2026
Pantoja claims he's fully recovered from his arm injury and is
raring to return to action in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The former UFC flyweight champion is set to challenge Joshua Van
for the title in a rematch at UFC
331 in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. Pantoja says he has fully
recovered from the injury that occurred in their first meeting,
crediting his mindset during the recovery and rehabilitation
process.
Alexandre Pantoja details recovery ahead of Joshua Van rematch
at UFC 331
Pantoja was a massive favorite going into their first bout in
December last year. However, the fight ended anticlimactically as
the Brazilian suffered an elbow injury while bracing for a fall
after his head-kick was caught by Van. “The Cannibal†recently
revealed that he returned to training just days after suffering the
injury and remained focused on recovery.
“The first 20 minutes after my injury are the worst,†Pantoja said
in a recent interview. “But after that I realized what opportunity
I have. I know in the second after that I need to recover. I don't
have time to lose. Two days after my injury, after my fight, I'm
back to the gym. I'm starting to make a physiotherapy; I start to
lift it with just one arm and this gives me a lot of
motivation.â€
Despite how their first fight ended, Pantoja acknowledges Van as
the champ after the latter defended the belt in emphatic fashion
against Tatsuro
Taira.
“I like to see he got a title defense before we fight because this
makes it more real,†Pantoja added. “He's the champion of the world
now. It's for real.â€
“I want to show everybody I am the
best.”Fully healed from his injury, Alexandre
Pantoja (@Pantojamma) is
ready to reclaim his throne at #CryptoCom
#UFC331More on Pantoja âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/kn9hIOg3HZ pic.twitter.com/MYi6svvioC
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
September 16, 2026
MMA
Alex Pereira trolls Ciryl Gane with ‘champion’ jab following Tom Aspinall exit
Published
5 hours agoon
September 18, 2026
Pereira has taken several shots at Ciryl
Gane.
“Bon Gamin†is expected to be elevated to undisputed champ status
after Tom
Aspinall vacated the
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title. The
Frenchman, who won the interim title at
UFC Freedom 250 by finishing Pereira, is no longer on track for
a title unification bout with Aspinall, whose Octagon return has
been further delayed due to medical complications.
Pereira is gunning for a rematch with Gane and recently took to
social media to poke holes in the champ's record.
Alex Pereira questions Ciryl Gane's UFC résumé as the
heavyweight title picture changes
Pereira shared a post on Instagram of a graphic questioning Gane's
UFC record. He accompanied his post with the caption: “Champion,â€
followed by three laughing emojis.
The post referenced Gane's previous heavyweight title losses
against Francis
Ngannou and Jon Jones, as
well as his controversial victory over Alexander
Volkov in their rematch, which many scored in favor of the
Russian. It also highlighted Pereira's own loss to Gane, wherein
“Poatan†alleges multiple illegal back-of-the-head shots were
landed.
Josh
Hokit has been rumored as the next opponent for Gane. The
unbeaten American has shut down any possibility of Pereira getting
the next title shot. He reacted to a recently taken image of
Pereira, all smiles, with UFC exec Hunter Campbell, claiming the
former two-division champ isn't in the running for a shot at
heavyweight gold.
“That's the ‘You aren't fighting for the title but you are still
getting 10 million' smile,†Hokit wrote on X.
That's the “You aren't fighting for the
title but you are still getting 10 million†smile https://t.co/Zpmol9I066— The Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC)
September 16, 2026
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