Missed Fists: Fighter collapses 10 seconds after being hit

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.

MMA is full of eerie coincidences. For example, Edson Barboza fought last Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 35 and in his previous fight he scored that weird knockout of Shane Burgos where Burgos was standing one second and then on his backside the next without Barboza having to lay another finger on him.

Sure enough, just days after Barboza’s fight, a clip from a recent Mahatch FC bare-knuckle boxing bout began making the rounds on combat sports Twitter that featured a fighter seemingly drop out of nowhere like Burgos.

As we said, eerie.

Anatoliy Savenko vs. Malysh Anatoliy

AL: So I did a little digging and as it turns out, this clip is actually from a Mahatch event in Kyiv, Ukraine, that took place on June 20. The fighters featured are Anatoliy “TT” Savenko are Malysh Anatoliy. It’s Anatoliy who ends up on the floor there.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a delayed knockout quite like that one before.

JM: Alright, you know me. You know I don’t believe in fight fixing or taking a dive or hokum like that. I believe that every knockout, no matter how strange, has a clear and realistic explanation. And with all that said, I think there is only one obvious answer to what the hell we just witnessed: ghosts.

Let’s look at the facts: Anatoliy was not hit cleanly in the entire clip we witnessed. In fact, I’d say he got the better of those exchanges. He’s bouncing around, looking totally fine and then suddenly, his eye rolls back and he starts swatting at the air like he’s trying to counter someone stepping in on him. Then he drops and the lights go out. It seems to me that some spirit, perhaps called to this world by the ritual-esque stacking of sandbags to create the ring, took umbrage with Anatoliy putting the size-9s to the other dude and decided to make his presence known with a Joe Frazier-style left hook.

AL: Certainly, we can’t rule out the supernatural, especially when we’re dealing with Freedom Hall, which for all we know could be an abandoned military bunker. Who knows what horrors it has seen?

However, I spoke to a representative from Parimatch, the online entertainment platform that works with Mahatch, and was told that Anatoliy attributed the fall to an issue with his blood sugar levels. I’m not a doctor, but the punching probably didn’t help.

Anatoliy is apparently back in training already, so let’s hope he has that sorted out before he even thinks of competing again.

JM: Even more proof it was a ghost. You think Anatoliy would admit he got knocked out by something without corporeal form? Hell no. Just blame it on low blood sugar and move on, lest you be labelled a crazy person. Fortunately for him, I know what’s really going on and will spread the word. The truth is out there!

Josh Rosen vs. Frank Meno
Peter Caballero vs. Timothy Lewis
Robert Casper vs. Robert Rodriguez

AL: Over on UFC Fight Pass, we had more conventional weirdness (and actual highlights, if you’re into that sort of thing), as referee Joel Ojeda straight messed up the ending of this fight between Josh Rosen and Frank Meno.

There’s no other way to say it, that’s a terrible stoppage.

JM: No ghosts in this one but Ojeda certainly was channeling the spirit of Eduardo Herdy here.

AL: The good news is that Ojeda oversaw a similar situation later in the evening during the co-main and got it right. Then again, Peter Caballero had this choke in so deep I don’t think any referee could have made a mistake here.

JM: Shouts to Caballero because that was a one-armed RNC right there. Tough to finish those but he sunk it beautifully and has the squeeze to make it work. Very nice.

AL: Earlier on the prelims, Robert Casper scored an impressive flying knee knockout of Robert Rodriguez to improve his record to 3-7 (this fight available on the free Facebook prelims).

Hey, Casper has won two of his past three fights. Things are looking up!

JM: There’s some form of “Casper the not-so-friendly ghost” joke to make here to tie into my comments above but I can’t quite find it. Oh well.

Also, wasn’t there a flying knee KO on the Contender Series this week too? That’s a lot of jumping knees in one week, which means it’s been a good week of fisticuffs.

Sedriques Dumas vs. Lance Thompson

AL: Also on Fight Pass, we had Sedriques Dumas staying unbeaten in his second pro bout after kicking the everloving stuffing out of Lance Thompson’s leg.

Not going to lie, I actually like this more than Casper’s flying knee. It’s cold, calculated, and a really mean way to put your opponent down for the count without even touching their head. Flash knockouts happen all the time, but having your leg just chopped out from under you? That’s demoralizing.

JM: Look, I didn’t plan to come into Missed Fists and turn this entirely into a discussion of the paranormal but Sedriques Dumas is the most 16th-century-baron-turned-ghost name I’ve ever heard in my life. I’m surprised my dude doesn’t fight in a ruff and powdered wig. There is a 100 percent chance that when Dumas shuffles off this mortal coil, he will immediately proceed to haunting some derelict mansion in Lancashire.

AL: Or Kyiv!

While it’s probably too early to tell if he’s a legit prospect, Dumas is a 6-foot-3 welterweight who put in work in the amateur circuit after debuting in 2018. I like his chances of appearing in Missed Fists again soon.

JM: I like his chances at appearing in GQ (Ghosts Quartlerly) too.

Jimmy Lawson vs. Anthony Garrett

AL: Closing out this section of Fight Pass event highlights, here’s Jimmy Lawson displaying textbook swangin’ and bangin’ to put away Anthony Garrett at LFA 114.

Laweson’s technical lack of technique (it makes sense, trust me) on this finish is breathtaking.

JM: I’ll take a brief hiatus from my spirit talk to say that I love the FightPass social media person. “CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS GUY IS A WRESTLER?!?!?!111?1”

Yes. Yes, I can.

Ivan Kislitsyn vs. Dmitry Kungurov
Ruslan Khaniev vs. Leonid Khramkov

AL: And over in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Siberian Fighting League (full events available on YouTube), we had two finishes that probably top everything we’ve just seen.

Lightweight Ivan Kislitsyn was giving up at least three inches to Dmitry Kungurov here, but he goes from being cornered to rocking Kungurov and dropping a finishing hammerfist in a matter of seconds.

This is why it sometimes pays to fight with your back to the fence, folks.

JM: I will have to disagree without about the fighting with your back to the fence, however, we of the PhantasMMA Cabal will accept Kislitsyn’s tactical shortcomings since he so graciously offered up a new soul to us, to join our Promotion of Phantom Pugilism. We welcome you Dmitry Kungurov, you’ll fit in nicely, already having a lean and spectral appearance before being sent to the Shadowlands.

AL: Sometimes it pays to explore the studio space too.

Ruslan Khaniev feints, feints, and then does a 360 before dinging Leonid Khramkov across the jaw.

JM: He also then does a backflip and several other celebratory exultations. I have nothing to tie this into my haunted theme here so I’ll just say bravo to the man and leave it at that.

AL: He was spinning like Linda Blair in The Exorcist? I’m just trying to meet you halfway here.

JM: That’s better than anything I had so let’s go with that.

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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 Twitter – @JedKMeshew and @AlexanderKLee – using the hashtag #MissedFists.