Missed Fists: Fighter busts out awesome walkout with military veterans, nails twister submission

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.

There wasn’t an abundance of MMA action this past weekend, which may come as a relief to some as we gear up for the UFC’s return this weekend (Sean Strickland in the main event again, everybody!). But we’re not looking at that as a bad thing, because it gives us the chance to focus more closely on a promotion and its fighters that have been holding it down on the regional scene for a long time.

(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.)

Gerald Meuse vs. Joshua Beauparlant
Amanda Ferreira vs. Lindsey Kelley
Peter Barrett vs. Kris Berberich
Deon Perry vs. Kyle Michel
Aaron Hughes vs. Matt Denning

Cage Titans takes center stage this week after hosting a ludicrously fun event this past weekend in Plymouth, Mass. You can catch a full replay of the show with a subscription to Spectation Sports, but the Boston-based promotion did an outstanding job of uploading highlights and making sure that they spread far and wide on social media.

First and foremost, we have to give a major shout-out to Gerald Meuse for setting the bar high for 2023 Walkout of the Year.

A military man, Meuse included his fellow veterans in his walkout and put together a brief, but incredibly fun dance routine set to the tune of The Pointer Sisters classic I’m So Excited. Everyone knows I’m a sucker for a good dance (Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 forever), so Meuse’s antics here are greatly appreciated.

The move he hits right out of the gate, the slight delay before his first dance partner joins in, the twirl, the finger guns, the song choice. Perfection.

Oh, and he also won via twister, which is kind of cool.

I don’t know how serious Meuse is about pursuing his MMA dreams as he has competed sporadically since his amateur debut in 2012 and is now 2-0 as a pro with his first win taking place in 2018, but this night was one to remember for him regardless of what the future holds.

It’s great that everything went perfectly for Meuse too, because otherwise there’s no way he could have overshadowed amateur Amanda Ferreira clubbing Lindsey Kelley with a spinning backfist.

Ferreira landed that so clean you have to wonder if she could have walked it off. Had she tacked on those extra style points, this would have been a lock to make the short list for the 2023 Fistys.

Let’s take another look at that one.

In the co-main event of the evening, recent UFC fighter and former Cage Titans standout Peter Barrett reminded everyone that you can always go home again as he needed less than 90 seconds to finish Kris Berberich with a snapping body kick.

Heavy emphasis on “snapping.” Your body ain’t gonna be right after eating one of those.

Barrett didn’t have much luck in the UFC, going 0-2 inside the octagon, but it’s nice to see him get right back on the saddle even if it’s against significantly weaker competition. This was his third straight win since dropping a split decision in his Cage Titans return back in July 2021.

Just starting his MMA journey, lightweight Deon Perry made his amateur debut and probably felt it go by in a flash as he submitted Kyle Michel with a rear-naked choke in just 30 seconds.

And, of course, we would be failing in our duties at Missed Fists if we didn’t include Aaron Hughes’ first-round guillotine submission win and subsequent post-fight speech that was about as poetic as it gets.

We’re still four months away from Mother’s Day, but shout-outs to all the moms out there!

Cristina Crist vs. Amber Terrell

We love a fighter doing what they can to promote themselves, so check out Cristina Crist’s highlight reel of her win over Amber Terrell at Peak Fighting 25, which features a nice head kick knockdown and later a rear-naked choke in the second round.

Based out of Arkansas, Peak Fighting is a relatively young promotion that held its first event in 2019. If you want to watch future events and catch up on their past shows, you can sign up for a subscription here.

Felipe Bunes vs. Yuma Horiuchi
Marcus McGhee vs. Luciano Ramos

At LFA 149 in Chandler, Ariz., last Friday, a new flyweight champion was crowned. In just his third LFA appearance, Felipe Bunes cracked Yuma Horiuchi with a left hand and swarmed for the finish to capture a vacant belt.

Bunes has a modest 13-6 record, but take a glance at his resume and you’ll see a guy who has done the opposite of record padding, going up against some absolute killers including Jussier Formiga in his first LFA fight. Heading into this title opportunity, Bunes’ past seven opponents had a combined record of 88-26-1. At 33, the Brazilian is due for a call-up to a bigger promotion.

In the co-main event, Marcus McGhee scored his first LFA victory with a second-round punch-out of Luciano Ramos.

Just a methodical finishing sequence there. McGhee teed Ramos up, picked his spots, and crumbled him.

Don’t forget to check out LFA 150 tonight at 9 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass.

As we often say around these parts, until next week, keep rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ rollin’.

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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.