Missed Fists: Fighter kicked in groin, mouthpiece sent flying in brutal knockout sequence

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.

You may have noticed there has been a lot of cheating discourse in the combat sports world this year. We’ve had eye pokes aplenty in the UFC, with the too-often-seen illegal maneuver being front and center in headlining bouts at UFC Seattle, UFC Vegas 103, and this past Saturday at UFC Vegas 104, plus Gervonta Davis taking a knee and not losing a point in one of the more bizarre scenes you’ll see in a boxing ring.

We here at MMA Fighting despise cheating in principal; in practice however, we’ve long held the policy that if you get away with it, then you should continue to do so as long as those wins (and extra paychecks) keep coming.

With that in mind, let’s head to Contra MMA 6 in Wroclaw, Poland, for another sterling example of how breaking the rules can only lead to one’s benefit.

(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.)

Daniel Czarniecki vs. Mikolaj Koguciuk

Daniel Czarniecki didn’t mean to do the wrong thing here, I truly believe that.

At the start of the second round, of his amateur bout with Mikolaj Koguciuk, Czarniecki sent a punt right into his opponent’s groin. Though it was clearly an accident, that kick looked like it landed pretty flush (you can see more replays here) and Czarniecki immediately halts his attack. However, the referee implores the fighters to continue, so Czarniecki has no choice but to go in.

And wow, does he. Koguciuk is still reeling from the low blow, and likely missed the referee’s instructions, so he fully turns his back to Czarniecki and is defenseless against the ensuing punches. A left hand sends Koguciuk’s mouthpiece flying (and a second left juggles the innocent accessory for good measure) and this one is over.

Sorry kids, cheating wins again!

Nandin Erdene vs. Ji Yong Yang
Ye Jun Pyun vs. Sin Woo Lee

Our next lesson this week, never, ever try, you’ll only fail.

OK, that may seem harsh, but someone should have cautioned young Ji Yong Yang from attempting a daring move up in weight this past weekend at Road FC 72 in Seoul. Not only did the 29-year-old bantamweight jump to lightweight, he did so on two days’ notice.

Nandin Erdene lost opponent Si Won Park, so Yang volunteered his services, likely eager to get back to action after a bout with Soo Chul Kim this past December ended in a disappointing no-contest after an accidental clash of heads. Yang’s gameness was not rewarded as the larger Erdene went on to bludgeon him in less than 90 seconds.

Back to the drawing board, Mr. Yang, and back to 135 pounds, please.

Elsewhere on the card, flyweights Ye Jun Pyun and Sin Woo Lee gave us the best staredown of the year so far.

Pyun just staring down at Lee, grinning like a sexy anime villain. And guess what? The sexy anime villain won!

Yun looked exhausted in the second round, so Pyun just starts throwing spinning shit at him. Pyun realizes defense has gone out the window and he ends this one with a pair of right hands to the chin.

You can almost hear his evil cackle afterwards.

Free fights from Road FC are available on their YouTube channel.

Jean Alexander Romano vs. Nick Thornton

Have you ever heard that old trope that anyone with three names sounds like a serial killer. I thought of that watching Jean Alexander Romano decimate Nick Thornton at a Beatdown Promotions event in Queensland, Australia.

It looked like the back of Thornton’s head banged against one of the posts. I don’t care if it’s padded, that had to suck. The look in his eyes (or the lack of a look) tells you everything.

Maicon Kobayashi vs. Branislav Zuzak
Marcel Simo vs. Daniel Konyari

At Real Fight Arena 20 in Bratislava, Slovakia, Branislav Zuzak was possessed by the spirit of Fabricio Werdum and went rushing in against Maicon Kobayashi. If you remember how that ended for Werdum in his fight with Stipe Miocic then you don’t even need to watch this clip (but should, of course).

Face meet mat.

Marcel Simo was teeing off on Daniel Konyari, who was stuck on the cage and out of ideas, when Konyari attempted a desperation takedown. Simo immediately threw out a short jumping knee that caught Konyari and put a merciful end to this one.

Cole Ferrell vs. Cody Shelton
Javanis Ross vs. Louis Brewington

From National Fighting Championship 174 in Atlanta:

It was just a bad day to be telegraphing takedowns, man.

Cole Ferrell scored an 18-second knockout when his opponent Cody Shelton decided to just spam shots and hope for the best. Instead, the worst happened for him.

Javanis Ross couldn’t beat Ferrell’s speed (this KO took Ross 39 seconds, the slowpoke), but as far as style points goes, he didn’t do badly at all.

That’s a spin kick right to Louis Brewington’s chin and an immediate shutdown of the bodily functions.

Miguel Suazo vs. Aaron Casey

With apologies to Ferrell, we did have one faster knockout this week: Miguel Suazo’s 12-second lightning strike at Tuff-N-Uff 142 (replay available on UFC Fight Pass) in Las Vegas.

Suazo just reached way back and smoke Aaron Casey with that left hand. You can see Casey has all the confidence in the world, bouncing on his feet and flinging a few punches out there, but his chin proved to be a tempting target and Suazo didn’t miss.

From the ICYMI department, make sure you check out Diego Brandao’s incredible spinning wheel kick from the same show. The KO was so good, it might finally get the Ultimate Fighter 14 champion back in the UFC.

Jesse Roberts vs. Omar Rzgoev

If you’re not familiar with the combat sports term “coffin nails” (a Jed Meshew favorite), allow Jesse Roberts to illustrate the concept.

After Roberts knocked Omar Rzgoev down, there’s a chance Rzgoev could have recovered. A chance that quickly became less than zero as followed up with punches that rendered Rzgoev completely limp and, yes, fit for a pine box.

And look, there’s more from the ICYMI department! Former Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov also competed at Cage Fury FC 140 (also on Fight Pass) and he made quick work of Curtis Millender. Could we see him and Brandao on the UFC roster this year?

Kevin Pastran vs. Martin Rafael

One more from Fight Pass, fresh off the presses from Fusion FC 88 in Lima, Peru, this past Wednesday.

Kevin Pastran let Martin Rafael come to him, hanging back as a few punches came his way, waiting for just the right moment. That moment came when a poorly timed Rafael kick was caught, leaving him on one leg, and Pastran suddenly rifled in a right hand.

The blow was so clean it temporarily turned Rafael into a Wavy Tube Man.

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.