Missed Fists: Fighter lands just one punch for 11-second 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.

Keeping the intro short to fit this week’s theme: Fighters being in a rush to get in the cage and get out!

(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.)

Shad Walters vs. Nicholas Gjelaj
James Martin vs. M,A,Yah II

Shad Walters, 29, made his pro debut this past October and he’s been fighting like a man making up for lost time. His first two fights both ended inside the distance and he recorded a new personal best at LFA 182 in Sioux Falls, S.D., this past weekend, needing just 11 seconds to smoke Nicholas Gjelaj.

Aside from a leg kick, that piston left hand is the only strike Walters threw in the fight. And it’s the only one he needed, apparently.

Walters deserves some shine for that finish, especially since it was greatly overshadowed by Kendra McIntyre kicking the soul out of Katarina Legorreta that same night. Definitely check that one out if you haven’t seen it.

Before we get to more fast and furious KOs (trust me, there are plenty), let’s show some respect for the gentle art of jiu-jitsu. James Martin methodically worked his way to a triangle choke finish, never letting M,A,Yah II get his hand free or create any separation.

That’s that “human quicksand” you’re always hearing about.

LFA 182 is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

Harrison Josiah vs. Hugo Suarez
At a The Way of Warrior FC event in Alicante, Spain, amateur Harrison Josiah couldn’t beat 11 seconds, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Harrison Josiah consiguió ayer en una pelea amateur un knockout tremendo, se lo hizo a Hugo Suárez a los 12 segundos de comenzar el combate, Hugo se pudo recuperar bien pero pasaron varios minutos hasta que pudo salir del octágono con ayuda, fue un KO muy feo #WOWCostablanca2 pic.twitter.com/fO9VOpMtfV

— Pelunaton (@pelunaton) April 28, 2024

Credit to his opponent Hugo Suarez, who I’m guessing volunteered to see how many unprotected punches a human head can take until the body is forced to hit the snooze button.

Lasha Abramishvili vs. Cerivan Souza
But again, who needs all of those punches when one good one does the trick?

That’s Lasha Abramishvili patiently biding his time until Cerivan Souza left an opening in his defense as wide as the Potomac. Abramishvili’s setup for his KO punch was even more subtle than Walters’, nothing more than a few advancing steps and shoulder twitches, and then BAM. Beautiful stuff for the new featherweight champion.

The Cage MMA 4 is available for free replay on YouTube.

Roque Junior vs. Lukas Natan
Over in Bahia, Brazil, more gold was on the line as Roque Junior fought Lukas Natan for a vacant Demo Fight flyweight title.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: One shot, on the money, over.

Unlike the previous entries this week, Junior didn’t end this one in seconds, rather his finish was of the buzzer-beater variety. To quote a legend, it don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile: Winning’s winning.

Demo Fight 19 is available for free replay on YouTube.

Dennis Franberg vs. Josef Al-Zubeidy
We don’t have an exact stoppage time for what Dennis Franberg did at this Allstars Fight Night event, but to say this fight ended in a hurry would be an understatement.

In what was the pro debut for both fighters, Franberg straight-up demolished Josef Al-Zubeidy with a right hand. Watch that one again and go frame by frame. Not only is Franberg not looking at Al-Zubeidy when the punch actually lands, it also appears to connect around the side of the jaw as opposed to on the chin or the temple, areas that we typically associate with knockout punches. This looked like Franberg’s punch had the impact of a head kick.

Ryohei Kurosawa vs. Takafumi Ato
At a Pancrase event in Tokyo, Ryohei Kurosawa showed no mercy as he capitalized on a devastating body shot to leave Takafumi Ato flattened against the cage.

We’ve seen fighters hesitate a second after stunning their opponents with a body blow, just to take a moment to assess the situation. Not Kurosawa. Just a full-on wind-up and then he swung for the fences. Worked out pretty well!

Samuel Dias vs. Max Alves
Jhonata Silva vs. Derley Xuxa

With UFC 301 in Rio this weekend, it’s only right that we check in on a Shooto Brasil show that went down in the city Thursday.

Fittingly enough, Samuel Dias got the memo that first-round finishes are the order of the day and he put Max Alves on his backside with a corker of a right hook.

And remember that body shot stuff I was talking about before? Here’s Jhonata Silva with a textbook body shot knockout.

See, sometimes the dude is already done. No need to take a man’s head off, Kurosawa!

Poll
What was the most memorable Missed Fists moment this week?

Shad Walters: 11 seconds, one punch

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Harrison Josiah unleashes the beast

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Dennis Franberg’s face-plant KO

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Ryohei Kurosawa headhunting

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Other (leave comment below)

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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 X — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.