Missed Fists: Fantastic front kick knockout folds fighter

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.

As they say in the business, there are levels to this, and it’s always fun to be reminded of that when you see fighters who flirted with the big show fare when they return to smaller events. We have a few former UFC fighters to check on this week, but first let’s take a couple of quick stops in Colombia and France for some of the best and most brutal finishes.

(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.)

Nicolas Bojaca vs. Ronald Vasquez

The fine folks at MMA Fighting recently released another outstanding episode of DAMN! They Were Good dedicated to the incomparable Anderson Silva, which, as you’d expect, involved much discussion of “The Spider’s” famous front kick to the face that felled rival Vitor Belfort.

Why do I bring this up? Oh, no particular reason.

That’s Nicolas Bojaca, a 4-0 fighter who just became the inaugural MatchMaker MMA flyweight champion with this brutal 11-second knockout of Ronald Vasquez (ignore the on-screen graphic error) this past weekend in Bogota, Colombia.

Not only is this more than worthy of being our lead item, it’s also our clear Humpty Dumpty Fall of the Week winner. Follow-up shots really weren’t necessary as the referee should have called this off just based on how Vasquez’s body went full accordion for a second. Vasquez wasn’t too happy with the stoppage, but I’m hoping he had a second opinion about it after he caught a replay. He was done after that kick.

While Bojaca has a long way to go before matching Silva’s accolades, there’s one signature finish they already have in common.

Ghiles Oudelha vs. Emmanuel Dawa
​​Aboubakar Younousov vs. Moustapha Aida
Agy Sardari vs. Osman Minbatirov

Were it not for Bojaca, Ares FC’s Ghiles Oudelha would surely have claimed our Knockout of the Week for this truly destructive combination finish.

I don’t know if Emmanuel Dawa was going to come back from that body shot, but he definitely was NOT coming back from Oudelha driving a knee up into his eye socket.

And now that I’m looking at it again, I realize how badly I’ve undersold ​​Aboubakar Younousov’s Spinning Elbow of Absolute Doom.

That’s a Khamzat-approved highlight right there. A Khamlight, if you will (please don’t).

There’s really not much our past two knockout victims could do to avoid their fates, but the same can’t be said for Osman Minbatirov who did his best to tap out but was still sent to dreamland thanks to an inattentive referee.

Fortunately, Minbatirov didn’t seem to be too much the worse for wear after his brief nap. As for the winner Agy Sardari, he’s been on a solid 11-2 run since 2018, with those two losses being to recent UFC signing Michal Figlak and Cage Warriors champion Joe McColgan.

Ares FC 17 is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

John Allan vs. Tyago Moreira
Jesse Ronson vs. Robert Hale

Now, we promised you former UFC fighters and former UFC fighters you shall have. Coincidentally, the first two we’re spotlighting here, John Allan and Jesse Ronson, both failed to find much—one could say, any—success inside the octagon, going a combined 0-7 with two no-contests before their releases in 2022.

But guess what? Back fighting in their native countries, they’re doing just fine.

Allan scored his third straight finish and is now 3-1 since leaving UFC after authoring a 60-second bludgeoning of Tyago Moreira at a Standout Fighting Tournament show (free replay available on YouTube) in Sao Paulo.

His two losses in the UFC were to Dustin Jacoby and Roman Dolidze, which is nothing to be ashamed of, so don’t be surprised if the 30-year-old Brazilian finds his way back stateside at some point.

It will be a tougher climb back for Ronson, 37, who already had two kicks at the can as well as a brief sting with the PFL. No matter, because he’s crushing it in his native Canada, and he picked up his fifth straight first-round finish at BTC 22 in Burlington, Ontario.

Ronson, who’s first three UFC fights against Michel Prazeres, Francisco Trinaldo, and Kevin Lee all ended in split decision losses, just crushed Robert Hale with a thunder left and is now at 26-12 for his career as he approaches pro fight No. 50.

Shota Takagi vs. Caol Uno
Jo Arai vs. Wataru Yamauchi

Allan and Ronson might not register with most MMA fans, but old school heads will definitely recognize Caol Uno. The Japanese legend returned to action for the first time in two years at the ripe age of 48 to take on 27-year-old Shota Takagi and, well, the nicest thing I can say about this comeback is that Uno went out on his shield as he has so many times in the past.

The spinning backfist. The duck into the knee. The ground-and-pound finishing shot. No to all of this in the future, Mr. Uno, please. You finished your tour of duty long ago, it’s time to lay the gloves down.

Comparatively just embarking on his MMA journey, 25-year-old flyweight Jo Arai (who looks all of 9 years old in his Tapology profile pic) has already achieved champ-champ status by taking out the previously unbeaten Wataru Yamauchi.

With the win, Arai is now Shooto’s champion at 115 and 125 pounds.

It didn’t help Yamauchi that he was willing to stand and bang with Arai to the bitter end, but such is the price of entertainment. We’ll be hearing a lot more from both of these talents for years to come.

Mirafzal Akhtamov vs. Keyth Dawson
Lerryan Douglas vs. Ivan Tena

At LFA 172 (available on UFC Fight Pass) in Phoenix, we had action of the two-fisted variety and by two-fisted I mean, like, left and right fists. You know, that sounded a lot more clever in my head.

Anyway, Mirafzal Akhtamov did the damn thing.

You can see what Keyth Dawson was thinking with the counter there, but his chin was high as a kite there and Akhmatov didn’t miss out on the opportunity to crack it.

If right hooks aren’t your style, enjoy this left hook from Lerryan Douglas that put Ivan Tena flat on his backside.

More like “Left Hand Lerryan,” am I right, Bisping?

Bekzat Almakhan vs. Yan Ferraz

Prospect alert!

Bekzat Almakhan, who turned 26 this past September, made it nine straight wins with this buzzer-beating knockout of Yan Ferraz at Octagon 52 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Not the most technical KO you’ll ever see as he just kind of lowered his head and swung, but you can’t argue with the results. Almakhan is now 17-1 with just two of those wins coming by way of decision. A call from a bigger promotion beckons.

Octagon 52 is available for free replay on YouTube.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Make sure to loosen those belts if you’re planning to stuff yourself with leftovers this weekend:

Until next time.

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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 — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.