Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists, our regular feature highlighting notable and often unusual combat sports moments from around the world that might get lost in the packed schedule.
With the constant stream of combat sports events, one might worry that the inherent weirdness and unique spectacles are fading, leaving only standard knockouts and submissions.
Fortunately, strange occurrences continue to surface. Recent bizarre incidents included a fighter getting an electric shock in a water-surrounded ring and a referee executing a rather effective tackle on a competitor.
This week`s collection includes some truly unique examples, brought to light by sharp observers.
First up is a look at the Friday Night Fights event, known for hosting peculiar competitions like slap fighting, car-jitsu, and coffin-jitsu, among other oddities.
Notably, Jason “Mayhem” Miller was involved in the event.
The rules for Ultimate Tire Wrestling are straightforward. Bouts consist of three five-minute rounds. Points are awarded for lifting an opponent off the ground (one point per second). Dunking an opponent into the tire (forcing over 50% of their body in) results in an immediate round win. The match goes to the first fighter to win two rounds.
The author suggests a successful dunk should end the entire match, highlighting the extreme exhaustion involved in lifting and forcing an opponent into the tire even once. Doing it twice seems almost impossible.
However, a match between participants known as “Mallet” and “Firecracker” proved this difficulty wrong, featuring multiple significant throws leading to victory.
Despite the physical toll on the grapplers, the author sees serious potential in Ultimate Tire Wrestling and intends to watch more.
Moving to another unconventional concept… perhaps some ideas shouldn`t be pursued.
It`s hard to describe, but a robot kickboxing match from a Kunlun Fights event in China is simultaneously ridiculous and strangely unsettling, causing discomfort for the viewer.
While the technology is certainly impressive, the author isn`t ready for robots to replace human martial arts competitors just yet.
Perhaps in the future, this perspective will change.
A return to standard human MMA is requested after these unusual spectacles.
However, a realization is quickly made that standard MMA can also be far from “safe and sane.”
At Versus Fight Night 14 in South Africa, an amateur fight featured a dangerous lack of awareness as a fighter refused to tap out of a Kimura submission.
This resulted in a severe injury to the fighter`s arm, highlighting the urgent need for medical intervention.
Highlighting the dangerous nature of the situation, it was an amateur bout.
Returning to the robot theme, it`s hoped it will be a while before a robot can replicate a finish like a spinning backfist knockout.
A humorous yet dark thought is presented about a potential robot apocalypse using MMA techniques like a spinning backfist as a preferred method of execution.
Moving on, a swift and beautiful spinning backfist finish occurred just 17 seconds into a fight.
Another notable knockout, a head kick from Combat Fighting Championship 4 in Texas, came with an interesting backstory.
The winner had a significant history, having previously lost all of his professional combat sports bouts across MMA, kickboxing, and cage boxing.
However, facing another fighter without a win, he secured his first victory.
As a certain famous musician`s lyrics suggest:
Don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
This victory certainly resonates with that sentiment.
With a busy schedule, it`s understandable to miss events like recent PFL shows in their regional series, which have featured solid cards and highlights.
A standout moment came from an undefeated prospect in Belgium.
He delivered an impressive head kick knockout against a notable veteran, solidifying his position as a promising fighter for the promotion, a prospect previously highlighted in this column.
Oliver Croft