Missed Fists: Fighter cusses out judge, tells them to quit

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 all know the UFC touts a policy of free speech absolutism (eye roll), but one thing you rarely see is fighters call out individual judges after a win. Normally, a fighter is relieved enough to have earned a decision, and don’t speak in detail about the judging until they’re chatting with the media later. But sometimes, you’ve got to just let it rip right out of the gate.

Ladies and gentlemen, here’s Cameron Smotherman.

(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.)

Cameron Smotherman vs. Ryan Kuse
Michael Aswell vs. Nate Richardson
Kody Steele vs. Alejandro Martinez
Lester Batres Jr. vs. Garrett Foster
Cameron Cash vs. Mario Suazo

“Damage wins fights,” Smotherman said after scoring a split nod over Ryan Kuse. “To that judge, 30-27, you f*cking suck. I hope you quit. Damage wins fights, and if that’s the criteria, I’m going to win every f*cking time.”

The judge in question is Chance Williams, who gave all three rounds to Kuse in a classic grappler vs. striker battle. Smotherman was the striker in this instance, and though his takedown and ground defense were put to the test, at the very least the damage he did in the standup should have given him a clear third round. However, Williams didn’t see it that way, resulting in Smotherman’s post-fight interview tirade.

I don’t know if this will endear Smotherman to promotions like the UFC (he’s already had one crack on the Contender Series), or if they’ll view this as a red flag, but he’s a character, that’s for sure. MMA needs characters.

Also from Fury FC 89 (available on UFC Fight Pass), Michael Aswell battered Nate Richardson in the main event to capture a vacant featherweight title.

Aswell, 23, improved to 9-1 with the win. Let’s hope he gets a little more seasoning before a larger promotion calls him up.

Less experienced, but possibly more prepared for a call to the big show, is undefeated welterweight Kody Steele.

We’ve featured Steele a couple of times in Missed Fists already, rarely for his highly vaunted grappling. Instead, Steele has taken full advantage of being able to crack people in the face under MMA rules to the tune of a 6-0 record with three KOs/TKOs. The 29-year-old has flirted with a drop to 155 pounds and he would be a welcome addition to any roster’s lightweight or welterweight divisions.

If you’re looking for submissions, how about Lester Batres Jr.’s 14-second armbar of Garrett Foster?

Add this to the “flying attacks gone wrong” pile. Slick jiu-jitsu from Batres and questionable decision making from Foster. Perhaps there’s a reason Foster is now 0-4 as a pro (all by knockout or submission).

Cameron Cash might have done Batres one better, turning a sloppy takedown attempt from Mario Suazo into a fight-ending D’Arce choke.

Zhang Qinghe vs. Sundet Aytkul
Mario Sousa vs. Tyago Moreira
Krikor Balkian vs. Jason Jones
Ilya Varvarskiy vs. Maksim Dyupin

There’s no polite way to put this: fighters were catching BODIES across the globe.

Let’s start this trip at Octagon 57 (free replay available on YouTube) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where Zhang Qinghe brushed off a jumping knee from Sundet Aytkul before landing a right hand KO shot.

That was so clean, Zhang had time to step forward, check on Aytkul’s condition, and stop himself from following up. A classy finish.

Over at a Fight Music Show in Curitiba, Brazil, Mario Souza finished off a retreating Tyago Moreira with a knee up the middle.

There’s your Humpty Dumpty Fall of the Week winner, folks. If you want to more from this event, Fight Music Show is available for replay with a subscription to TrillerTV.

In amateur action, Krikor Balkian was spinning and winning at an Up Next Fighting event in San Bernardino, Calif.

Watch how Balkian defended against that first attack from Jason Jones. He saw something there. When Jones stepped forward again, that backhand was fully loaded. Then he planted his lead leg just past Jones’ and obliterated him.

At MMA Series 79 in Russia, Ilya Varvarskiy clipped Maksim Dyupin with a sharp elbow, forcing him to back off. Then this happened:

Get sliced up inside or booted outside. There are no good options in fighting.

Monika Kucinic vs. Sofiia Bagishvili

We interrupt this KO parade for a brief submission interlude, courtesy of Monika Kucinic.

At Brave CF 81 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Kucinic pulled off a thrilling comeback in her home country. After somehow surviving an armbar and a triangle choke early in the fight, the strawweight prospect turned the tables on Sofiia Bagishvili in the third with a sweet armbar of her own.

Bagishvili has been a magnet for Missed Fists weirdness in the past, once submitting an opponent on a rain-soaked mat that may as well have been a Slip ‘N Slide and another time having to point out an opponent’s injury to the referee in her KSW debut. For better or worse, I don’t think this is the last time we’ll hear from Bagishvili or Kucinic.

Lu Kai vs. Asyljan Tasket

Everyone is BMF’ing these days and the boys at Jue Cheng King are no exception. In this past Tuesday’s JCK Fight Night 83 main event, Lu Kai and Asyljan Tasket threw down until Lu broke through with a left on the button that sent Tasket spiraling.

If this is what Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje have wrought, then we have one more reason to be thankful for their existence.

Walber dos Anjos vs. Paulo Henrique

Now to close out with some more body-dropping goodness.

At Centurion FC 19 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Walber dos Anjos hulked his way out of a bad position on the ground and then wallopped recent PFL competitor Paulo Henrique.

It’s difficult to tell what Henrique - a veteran of 23 pro fights to dos Anjos’ five - was thinking here. He showed little respect for dos Anjos’ power and just tried to grab at him rather than actively defend himself. And down he went.

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.