Missed Fists: Fighter flattens her opponent with monster right hand knockout

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.

The women’s side of MMA has blessed us with some incredible highlights over the years, often in the form of dramatic back-and-forth battles such as Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 1 and 2, and Xiong Jing Nan vs. Angela Lee, not to mention the occasional shocking championship finish (Holly Holm and Julianna Peña, we see you!).

What’s less common is getting to see a female fighter celebrate a one-shot knockout, but something is in the air in 2024 because the ladies have delivered some of the year’s most unbelievable wallopings. From Tina Black’s title-winning flurry to Eun Bi Cho claiming her opponent’s soul to Tatiane Aguiar doing a shot-for-shot remake of Anderson Silva’s infamous front kick, it has been a banner year for women’s MMA KOs.

And they’re not ifnished.

(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.)

Leidiane Fernandes vs. Djulia Ariana
Lincon Santos vs. Renildo Monteiro
Vinicius Pires vs. Marlon Basilio
Marcelo Marques vs. Gustavo Henrique
Talisson Teixeira vs. Matheus Fonseca

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Legacy Fighting Alliance hosts a show in Rio de Janeiro and bodies start dropping.

The latest fighter to throw her name in the Best Women’s Knockout of the Year race? Leidiane Fernandes.

With a little over a minute left in the opening round of their bantamweight bout, Fernandes realized that Djulia Ariana’s kicks were doing nothing to her and she stepped forward and drove her first through Ariana’s face. Instant lights out with Ariana’s limbs just splayed out in every direction and Fernandes roaring over her, it’s quite the visual.

At a stout 5-foot-4, Fernandes has competed anywhere from 125 to 145, so I won’t get too excited about the women’s bantamweight division possibly having a prospect on its hands, but we can hope.

Flyweights Lincon Santos and Renildo Monteiro brought all of the heat to Rio, brutalizing each other for nearly 15 minutes before Santos scored an improbable buzzer beater.

I am very impressed that referee Joao Claudio Soares didn’t even flinch when Monteiro was sent ass over tea kettle in Round 2. I can think of at least half a dozen officials we regularly see in the UFC who would have at least jumped in to get a closer look at the action. Soares just leisurely strolls in there like, “Damn, this is getting good!”

As for the finish, who knows what compelled Santos to go in for that last-gasp shot, but we can be grateful he did.

Vinicius Pires scored the first knockout of his career at LFA 183 and celebrated like he’d been there before.

That uppercut was on the money and it had to feel good for the 9-1 (1 NC) Pires to finally earn a finish via strikes.

Lightweight Marcelo Marques stayed true to form, picking up his second straight first-round finish with a beautiful armbar of Gustavo Henrique.

Make it 10-0 now for Marques, a sure bet to get a Contender Series call in the near future.

Right next to him in that line? Hulking heavyweight Talisson Teixeira.

Still just 24 years old, Teixeira should be in no hurry to make the jump to a bigger show, but six wins and six finishes are going to garner a lot of attention. The 6-foot-8 Teixeira hasn’t even seen a second round yet, though that’s likely because he’s yet to face a significant test since debuting in 2021.

It wouldn’t shock me to see Teixeira get a call-up from somewhere though, because we know how much promotions love their hard-hitting heavyweights.

LFA 183 is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

Oliver Schmid vs. Dane Edge
Sean Gauci vs. Nobuyoshi Nakatsukasa
Raymart Quintana vs. Blood Diamond

At a HEX Fight Series event in Auckland, New Zealand, Oliver Schmid gave us a one-of-a-kind finish, not only spinning and winning, but counter-spinning and winning.

Schmid zigged and zagged and somehow caught Dane Edge with a perfect backfist. This was the MMA equivalent of that Magic Johnson “hee hee” clip. Edge probably still doesn’t know which way is up right now.

Does the name Sean Gauci sound familiar? It might if you’ve paid close attention to the early days of Steve Erceg’s career, as Gauci is the only red on his record. While Erceg was headlining UFC 301 in Brazil this past weekend, Gauci continues to grind away on the regional scene. He knocked Nobuyoshi Nakatsukasa out cold to notch his sixth straight win.

Speaking of UFC names, City Kickboxing fighter Blood Diamond booked his first fight since parting ways with the promotion. I’d like to tell you he made a triumphant return to New Zealand. But that would be a lie.

Raymart Quintana kept rifling in that right hand until he found an uppercut that left Diamond senseless. That’s four straight wins for Quintana, while Diamond still seeks his first victory since 2020 after going 0-3 in the UFC.

Jayden Martin vs. Christian Tremayne

We’ve seen some great ground striking this week, with Lincon Santos’ Hail Mary shot and Sean Gauci capping off his win with heavy punches, but never forget how dangerous your opponent can be off of their back.

Case in point:

Christian Tremayne was in good position to do some damage there, but he left himself open to an upkick and Jayden Martin capitalized with a heel to the side of Tremayne’s head. I’m guessing that kick might have fractured an orbital, because Tremayne wasn’t just rocked, he looked to be in extraordinary pain.

Battlefield Fight League 80 from Vancouver, British Columbia, is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

Senbati Tasitanbieke vs. Zhou Nianle

I’m not sure what possesses a man to throw a jumping knee in close quarters with his opponent bearing down on him, but then again, I’m not a fighter.

Senbati Tasitanbieke is though.

At a Jue Cheng King event in Shanxi, China, Tasitanbieke fearlessly left his feet, caught Zhou Nianle with a knee, and then rushed him down with a pair of absolute haymakers. This was Tasitanbieke’s pro debut, so I’m going to file this unorthodox finishing sequence under “youthful exuberance.”

Patrick Ocheme vs. Glody Kanzeko
Zaakir Badat vs. Jailson Sousa
Vince Bembe vs. Adrian Sanchez

This next KO clip though, I’m going to need some help describing.

So Patrich Ocheme’s head kick first sends Glody Kanzeko in two different directions, then Kanzeko quickly gets up, only to almost eat a knee, but get put down anyway when Ocheme pushes him down with his foot, and then Ocheme lands some undefended hammerfists to end the fight?

Next step: Profit???

If you want to talk about the kinds of finishes you’ll only see on the regional scene, Ocheme’s is Exhibit A.

There’s nothing confusing about the finish in the main event, which saw Zaakir Badat claim a vacant welterweight title after just unloading on Jailson Sousa.

Badat showed some sharp kickboxing to set up the finish, starting it off with a counter left and then following with a series of accurate punches. Fantastic instincts.

As for Vince Bembre, well, he skipped the whole setup part and went straight to detonation.

In 10 pro bouts, Adrian Sanchez had never been KO’d, so he’s definitely going to remember his first. Scratch that, he almost definitely won’t. Straight Matua’d.

Extreme Fighting Championship Worldwide events are available for replay via subscription to EFCWorldwide TV.

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.