Missed Fists: Future stars reign with brutal finishes at Brave CF 44, Tenshin demolishes another foe, more

Tenshin Nasukawa (right) lands a flying knee at a RISE kickboxing event in Osaka, Japan, on Nov. 1 | @da_rantaro, Twitter

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.

We don’t know exactly when the UFC plans to return to Fight Island, but you can bet when it does it will bring plenty of fresh international talent with it. We wouldn’t be surprised if some of the winners from Thursday’s Brave CF 44 card punched their ticket for a future Abu Dhabi trip.

Amin Ayoub vs. Cleiton Silva
Bair Shtepin vs. Gerson Pereira
Abdoul Abdouraguimov vs. Louis Glismann
Yann Liasse vs. Abbas Khan

AL: As they say in the medical business, people were getting got in Bahrain.

Last on the card but first up this week is Amin Ayoub’s championship performance.

JM: I, for one, and SHOCKED that the very tall man who was keeping his chin high and hands low and backing up in straight lines was knocked out as soon as he hit the fence. If only we had the entire history of MMA to know that was a bad idea, perhaps it could’ve been avoided.

AL: Ayoub, 24, sealed the deal in the fourth round to improve to 15-4 and earn the Brave lightweight title, which has proven to be a poisoned chalice of sorts in recent years. The last four champions, Cleiton Silva, Luan Santiago, Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady, and Lucas Martins all failed to defend it even once. Let’s see if Ayoub has better luck.

If Ayoub was the evening’s breakthrough performer, then Bair Shtepin was the man with the highlight of the night. Here he is turning Gerson Pereira inside out with a spinning body kick at the buzzer.

Spoiler: Pereira did not answer the bell for round two.

JM: The buzzer-beat body shot KO is something you rarely see but that one is picture perfect. Smart choice by Pereira not to come out for the second.

AL: In the co-main event, Abdoul Abdouraguimov makes his overdue Missed Fists debut, not just for his submission skills but for his spectacular nickname, “Lazy King.”

There was nothing lackadaisical about the way he choked out Louis Glismann.

JM: Stephen Thompson better watch out, there may be a new contender for the Nicest Motherf*cker title. Just politely submitting Glismann and then helping him up, patting him on the back and being an all-around good dude. You love to see it.

I can’t wait until he gets Milkshake Duck’d in the comments.

AL: Here’s one more name to watch, Luxembourg’s Yann Liasse. He improved to 4-0 with a flying knee finish that seems like it was fired from miles away.

If I’m Abbas Khan, that’s a long distance call I’m not accepting the charges for.

JM: What were the commentators doing on this one? Khan is already planted and taking follow up shots by the time they realize he just got dropped by a flying knee. Once again I offer my commentary services to any organization in need. I promise you I will be way more intense than these guys.

Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Yuki

AL: You know what? Every now and then, it’s a good idea to check in on how Tenshin is doing.

From RISE DEAD OR ALIVE 2020 in Osaka, Japan, on Sunday:

Tenshin is doing fine.

JM: Yuki, not so much. Then again, he probably knew that when he signed the contract. But, to quote Blade, “some motherf*ckers always trying to ice-skate uphill.”

Francisco Cleiton Monteiro vs. Joao Bispo Santos

AL: In Manaus, Brazil last Friday, Joao Bispo Santos made a memorable pro debut against Francisco Cleiton Monteiro though probably not for the reasons he was hoping for.

Even though he lost, I still feel like Santos got his money’s worth. He’s spinning, jumping, flailing, and then he just happens to get blasted by a knee. All of that in under 90 seconds!

JM: If I was an MMA promoter, that’s the kind of guy I’d hire. Like winning spectacularly, losing spectacularly is a skill. But unlike winning spectacularly, which only makes one star, losing spectacularly can give a boost to dozens. Give me a guy who has no regard for self-defense and I can make five other guys into stars off of his soon-to-be unconscious body.

Mega Fight Champions 1 is available for free replay on YouTube.

Paris Artis vs. Ryan Rizco

AL: We covered this one on the site already, but Paris Artis’ insane head kick KO from Cage Fury FC 87 (on UFC Fight Pass) really didn’t get enough love when it happened last Thursday.

JM: I dunno, I think that depends who you’re asking. I imagine if you’re related to Ryan Rizco, you probably feel that plenty of love has been given to this particular clip.

AL: Major props to Artis for the finish and also referee Bill Bookwalter for the solid and effective body check. Artis, 26, has run through his first four opponents so far with only one making it to the second round, so look for him to get a step up in competition next time you see his name.

Furkadbek Karimov vs. Amirkhan Kholnazarov

Before we move on from the MMA portion of our show, we had to highlight Furkadbek Karimov’s delightful slam of Amirkhan Kholnazarov from MMA SERIES-19 in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday.

You know, that actually looked pretty fun until the end there.

JM: Good heavens that was just right on the head.

Slams like this always fascinate me because why is he carrying Kholnazarov so far? Like, I know Matt Hughes used to carry guys to the hardest part of the cage to slam them down but is that what’s happening here? I remain skeptical.

Also, what do you think the correlation is between carry slams like this and victory are? Because I’m gonna say 99 percent. Like, can you imagine if you hoisted a dude up, carried him around the cage, slammed him down, and then still found a way to lose? How embarrassing would that be?

Naoya Inoue vs. Jason Moloney

AL: While Gervonta Davis had an impressive KO in his own right at Saturday’s Top Rank Boxing show in Las Vegas, three-division champion Naoya Inoue may have stolen the show with this clean knockout of a tough, but outclassed Jason Moloney.

JM: I mean, let’s not act like Davis’ KO wasn’t the more spectacular showing. However, Inoue is the better boxer and this win is the better win. Moloney is legit and was made to look like he didn’t belong.

AL: What a counter.

After a classic battle with Nonito Donaire 12 months ago, it’s nice to see Inoue just style on someone. “The Monster” is now 15-0 in world title fights and based on his preparation, it’s no accident.

Repetition is key, kids!

Kamlaiphet vs. Pascal Jaskiewiez

In lieu of a 10-second clapper, let’s ask Mr. Kamlaiphet to signal our graceful exit with an assist from Pascal Jaskiewiez.

Turn those headphones up for this one:

OW.

JM: And that, kids, is why there is no shame in knowing your limits and living to fight another day. After the body shot dropped Pascal in the first, he was basically done. He tried to smile through it but Kamlaiphet smelled the blood in the water and just started avalanching him. Pascal made it to the second but no further.

AL: That’s all for this week, but in case anyone was wondering, Japan says hello.

And goodbye everyone.

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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 – @JedKMeshew and @AlexanderKLee – using the hashtag #MissedFists.