Missed Fists: Fight ends in seconds following suspicious knockout punch

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.

Far be it from me to ever question the competitive integrity of anyone brave enough to compete in combat sports, but there are times when one has to be critical. Even though I’m the first person that will tell you fixed fights are few and far between (my general rule of thumb is the fights you think are obviously fixed likely aren’t, and there are ones you wouldn’t imagine are fixed that are, if that makes sense), I’m not a fool either.

Money makes anything possible, and if you’re some low-level fighter and someone comes along with a quick check that helps you pay your next few months of rent or guarantees there’s food on your table, you won’t think twice about doing the job.

Maybe—and I stress, MAYBE—that was the case at Xtreme Combat Championship 2 in Vienna, Austria, this past weekend.

(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.)

Burak Kizilirmak vs. Delberty Lamark

You be the judge.

First off, credit to the commentators here for selling this knockout as best they could. Apparently, Burak Kizilirmak’s jab technique is a combination of prime Anderson Silva and Larry Holmes, because we’re to believe he caught Delberty Lamark with a range-finder that sent him twirling to the canvas.

Secondly, I actually think Lamark might have been legitimately rocked—but not by Kizilirmak’s punch. If Lamark’s intent was to sell the strike (allegedly!), he might have gone too hard with it and thrown himself to the mat so hard his head bounced off of it. Run that replay back a few times, it definitely looks like he made hard contact there.

Thirdly, this was Lamark’s first fight since 2018. Make of that what you will.

Lastly, I want to remind readers any speculation around a fishy fall on Lamark’s part is just that, speculation, and I would never accuse someone of throwing a fight without some real evidence. Tapology, on the other hand, has a more firm take on the situation.

Record Ineligible Bout

While information regarding this bout was provided by a fighter or promoter, it has been deemed by Tapology to be ineligible for the participants’ win-loss records.

Reason: Bout - Not Hard-Fought To International Standards

In fact, Kizilirmak’s past two wins have been labeled as suspect by Tapology.

Allegations!

Alexander Poppeck vs. Pavol Langer
Wanderley Junior vs. Jakub Dohnal
Endrit Brajshori vs. Jan Malach

Now, these knockouts from Oktagon 71? Pretty damn real, I think.

Admittedly, Pavol Langer’s frozen fall there is so exaggerated it almost seems fake, but no sane person would hit the mat like that even if they were taking a dive, so it has to be real.

Wanderley Junior’s walloping of Jakub Dohnal? Again, almost comically violent, but still as real as it gets.

The replay really shows how crisply Junior drove that right into Dohnal’s head. Poor Dohnal, you could see him struggling to get his hands into a proper defensive position as he backed up and just as he bumped into the cage, Junior threw the finishing shot. Slumped.

There’s no faking this funk either as Endrit Brajshori landed a clean 1-2 on Jan Malach before finishing with a body-stiffening hammerfist for good measure.

Mateusz Gola vs. Wiktor Janik

At Uniq Fight Night in Warsaw, Poland, Mateusz Gola cracked Wiktor Janik with the switch kick from hell.

Gola, a veteran of 12 pro bouts, was clearly having fun with the debuting Janik in this one as he also landed an axe kick on Janik. Once that scored, Gola must have felt like he could throw any kick he wanted, so he got real creative with it and was rewarded for his ambition.

Javanis Ross vs. Peter Petties

Peter Petties, on the other hand, has regrets about his adventurous approach.

From National Fighting Championship 177 in Atlanta:

Petties’ spinning shit didn’t come close to working and Javanis Ross made him pay with a cracking right hand. Making matters worse, Petties’ body went on autopilot and continued to fight when it should have just shut down. Ross landed at least a half-dozen more good right hands, including a blazing shot across the chin that left Petties face-down on the mat.

Santiago Luna vs. Desmond Manabat
Sevak Khachatryan vs. Angel Oliveras
Hadxian King vs. Armando Baca
Renato Canuto vs. Corey Stewart
Irvin Amaya vs. Isaac Ruelas
Bryan Ulises Lopez vs. Ramiro Saracho

Cue up UFC Fight Pass because fighters competing for Tuff-N-Uff and Lux Fight League delivered some nasty knockouts.

Santiago Luna cranked his aggression setting up to 10 as he rushed Desmond Manabat and left him lying with swarming punches.

Actually, forget 10, Luna definitely went up to 11 there.

Sevak Khachatryan showed off his own mean streak, whipping a left hand directly into Angel Oliveras’ chin.

Oliveras had no idea where he was after that connected.

This amateur bout from the Tuff-N-Uff card between Hadxian King and Armando Baca escalated something fierce.

Baca went for a sloppy headlock to slow King and that proved to be a huge mistake as King eventually worked his way to his back. King didn’t just hunt for the body scissors, he trapped Baca’s arm as well and seconds later it was sleepy time.

Also of note, decorated IBJJF competitor Renato Canuto made his MMA debut and he scored first-round knockout. Watch this one a few times, though.

Like, I’m not crazy, right? Did he not throw a punch right between his opponent’s legs? Regardless, a win is a win!

In Guadalajara, Mexico, Irvin Amaya and Bryan Ulises Lopez were straight-up ruthless.

Like, Mr. Amaya, your opponent is almost in a fetal position. Leave him be!

And Mr. Lopez… no notes, this clinch knee was just awesome.

Agulali vs. Mridul Saikia
Keiichiro Nakamura vs. Eoh Jin Park

Speaking of Fight Pass, if you log in now you can catch the ongoing Road to UFC tournaments in Shanghai, taking place across Thursday and Friday. Unlike recent installments of the UFC tryout series, we’ve had plenty of finishes, with two standout highlights from China’s Agulali and Japan’s Keiichiro Nakamura.

In a flyweight bout, Agulali had Mridul Saikia hurt and then just battered his head against the fence.

Over in the featherweight bracket, Keiichiro Nakamura advanced to the semifinals with this short knee on a shooting Park.

I have no doubt Nakamura trained that counter, but I guarantee he never hit it as clean as that.

---

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.