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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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.

Why, hello there! It’s been a while my avid Fisties, but I’m excited to be back. I haven’t graced Missed Fists in a long time, but with Alexander K. Lee out on vacation, I selflessly offered to step in and take a trip down memory lane. Things are a little different since the last time I was here, but the core concept remains the same: Hey y’all, look at this cool stuff!

So let’s look at some cool stuff!

And because I’m in charge this week, I’m going to cheat. Usually AK doesn’t opt for UFC adjacent content because this is about regional MMA, after all. But I love me some Contender Series, and on the first episode of the season this week, fans got to see one of the very best prospects in all of MMA show out.

Lone’er Kavanagh is only 25 years old and a lot of very smart people expect very big things out of this young man. It’s easy to see why.

An Tuan Ho is a good prospect in his own right, yet it took Kavanagh little more than two minutes to figure out the timing and lamp him.

Kavanagh has TV star looks (seriously, he kinda looks like Tanner Buchanan from Cobra Kai), unreal power, and a bit of something special around him. Many people expected him to go win the Cage Warriors belt but then the UFC called, and if he keeps delivering performances like this, the talk will turn to when he’s fighting for the UFC title instead.

Wender Batista vs. Ricardo Nogueira

MMA debuts always fascinate me because it’s a hurricane of emotions washing over you before you make the walk for the first time. Even the most confident people will have some doubts, as for the first time, the rubber is truly about to meet the road. What if you actually suck, and embarrass yourself and your family and no one will ever love you again because you did so poorly?

Or, what if you’re Wender Batista?

Batista made his MMA debut against Ricardo Nogueira at Sinop Fighting Combat 2 in Sinop, Brazil, and you can hardly dream of a better outcome. Despite being massively disadvantaged when it comes to experience, Batista showed poise in his first fight, before landing a beautiful head kick that dropped Nogueira. He then finished the job with a series of savage punches that left Nogueira folded up on top of himself like Mirko Cro Cop after the first Gabriel Gonzaga fight.

Not bad for your first time.

Ngoc Tin Huynh vs. Tuyet Dung Phan Ngoc

Not all debuts go as well, though. Case in point, when Ngoc Tin Huynh made his debut in June at Lion Championship 14, he lost a unanimous decision. But the young Vietnamese fighter didn’t let that keep him down, and at Lion Championship 16 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, his sophomore effort went substantially better.

Ngoc Tin Huynh opened the contest with a sneak high kick that almost finished the job immediately, but Tuyet Dung Phan Ngoc covered up and retreated, allowing Ngoc Tin Huynh to knock him out in just 13 seconds.

Somewhere out there, Conor McGregor is thinking fondly about when he used to fight.

Langston Sykes vs. Anson Swindle

But while Ngoc Tin Huynh was undeniably excited to redeem himself from his unfortunate debut with a great KO, there might not be a man alive who was happier this week than Langston Sykes.

Sykes fought Anson Swindle in the co-main event of Island Fights 84, and heading into the contest, Sykes was 0-4 in his professional MMA career. That kind of repeated losing can wear on a person, and Sykes was able to exorcise those demons with one of the most aesthetically pleasing knockouts you’ll see this month.

The combination, the clean right hand to finish him off, the way Swindle’s head snaps around and then he falls perfectly between the ropes, landing on the middle one like he’s about to get 619ed by Rey Mysterio. *Chef’s kiss.*

Ilzat Assiyev vs. Abylaikhan Zholdasbayev

But Missed Fists doesn’t just celebrate the knockouts in regional MMA. We’re also all about the wonkiest and rarest submissions. Regional MMA is great for subs because the disparity in fighters can be vast, so you get all sorts of things that are extremely rare in UFC or PFL.

To that end, one of my favorite submissions is the Suloev stretch as it’s very cool and also brutal, as Abylaikhan Zholdasbayev found out.

Zholdasbayev faced Ilzat Assiyev in the opening bout of NAIZA 65 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and the poor man got run over. Assiyev scored an early takedown, moved to mount, and battered Zholdasbayev until finally delivering a merciful end with a Suloev stretch. It’s not often the Suloev is considered mercy, but in this case, it was — though Zholdasbayev may not walk right for a while.

Qiulun vs. Bayanduuren Gantumur

On the topic of fun submissions, former Contender Series and Road to UFC fighter Qiulun got back in the win column with a nasty ninja choke against Bayanduuren Gantumur at JCK Fight Night 90 in Luliang, China.

Gantumur opened the second round with a naked shot at Qiulun’s legs and paid the price for his mistake, as “Tibetan Knight” quickly locked in the fight-ending choke. Gantumur fought valiantly to survive and break the grip, but ultimately couldn’t find a way out and was forced to tap before going to sleep.

And that’s it for this week, Fisties! Honestly, fairly light as far as regional highlights I would consider great, but still, some pretty fun ones. And as always, a big thanks 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.

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 (I’m not calling it X) — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

At the UFC 305 official weigh-ins, all 24 fighters on Saturday’s fight card step on the scale Friday evening in Perth, Australia.

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and former UFC champion Israel Adesanya square off in the main event. Du Plessis and Adesanya can weigh no more than 185 pounds, the maximum limit for a middleweight championship bout.

The UFC 305 official weigh-in video will be at 6 p.m. ET.

The UFC 305 ceremonial weigh-in video will be at 11 p.m. ET.

Check out UFC 305 weigh-in results below.

Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET)

Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker

Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates

Prelims (ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET)

Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker

Joshua Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos

Casey O’Neill vs. Luana Santos

Jack Jenkins vs. Herbert Burns

Prelims (ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET)

Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes

Song Kenan vs. Ricky Glenn

Stewart Nicoll vs. Jesus Aguilar

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Watch as the key fighters from UFC 305 Face-Offs as Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya go face-to-face ahead of their Saturday night showdowns in Australia. 

Tai Tuivasa, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Kai Kara-France, Steve Erceg, Mateusz Damrot and Dań Hooker also face off after the much heated UFC 305 pre-fight press conference.

MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya kept thing somewhat respectful throughout the early stages of UFC 305 fight week. That changed in a hurry at Friday’s press conference.

In an emotional scene that saw a furious Adesanya break out into tears, the two middleweights erupted in an explosive back-and-forth over the same “true African champion” debate that initially ignited their rivalry. After Adesanya responded in the affirmative to a question about whether he’d take the belt back to Africa if he dethrones du Plessis, the champ jumped into the fray with a swipe at Adesanya’s childhood, referencing a 2020 ESPN feature in which Adesanya recalled not learning how to bathe himself until age 8 “when he insisted he no longer needed the aid of the family’s domestic servants.”

“Are you taking the servants with you when you’re going back [to Africa with the belt]? Are you taking the servants with you if you’re going back?” du Plessis asked.

“What the f*ck are you even on about?” Adesanya responded.

“My God, it’s obviously a see and tell. We can see that. What do you mean? You’re saying that I made [the build-up to UFC 305] about culture?” du Plessis said.

“Bro, shut the f*ck up. You don’t even know anything about my story. You have no idea who the f*ck I am,” Adesanya shot back.

“I don’t care about your story. I don’t care about your story,” du Plessis repeated.

“Listen, my father and myself had to wake up at 4 a.m. and clean the banks while my mom studies to be a nurse,” Adesanya said. “You don’t know my f*cking story. Don’t f*cking speak on my story if you don’t know my story. I will show you who you are Sunday, so right now shut the f*ck up.”

“I can’t wait,” du Plessis responded. “You’re talking about, I made [the build-up] about anything else than being the first residing African champ. I am the first.”

“You did, you did,” Adesanya said. “You couldn’t even respect the people of the land. [At the] welcome to the country [ceremony for UFC 305], you were the one not even doing anything. I took my shoes off to connect with the people, with the [natives]. What did you do? You stand there and try to mean mug me. Are you stupid?”

“My man,” du Plessis started.

“I’m not your f*cking man, bitch,” Adesanya interrupted. “… You sound silly, you sound like a f*cking pig. I will slay you, Porky Pig.”

“You can’t change the facts,” du Plessis replied. “You can’t change those facts.”

Du Plessis, 30, and Adesanya, 35, have feuded since the South African du Plessus declared in March 2023 that he wanted to be the first true African UFC champion, reasoning that he still resides and trains in Africa whereas then-champs Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou — all Africa-born — ultimately moved away before finding success.

Adesanya took exception to du Plessis’ remarks and the rivalry has only grown more fervent in the 16 months since. That tension finally boiled over for the former champ.

“He touched a subject there because I do this for my family,” a tearful Adesanya said, his voice breaking. “I do this for the people I love, and I will fight for you forever, I swear to God. Watch this. Look, I am a f*cking human being, I am a man. I can cry and whoop your ass at the same time.

“First time I fought here [in Perth], [UFC] 221, that was February 2018, that was me making me dreams come true. Sunday, I’m going to f*cking kill your dreams, bitch. I’m going to f*cking kill your dreams.”

Du Plessis captured the UFC middleweight title in January with a split decision win over Sean Strickland at UFC 297. The first South African champion in promotional history, du Plessis holds a perfect 7-0 record in the octagon, earning stoppage wins over the likes of Robert Whittaker, Darren Till, and Derek Brunson, among others.

Adesanya is a two-time former UFC middleweight champion. “The Last Stylebender” was expected to defend the belt against du Plessis in late 2023, but du Plessis was unable to make the date and Adesanya instead fought Strickland, losing in a shocking and one-sided upset. Adesanya’s 12-fight win streak at 185 pounds to kick off his UFC career was the second-longest streak in UFC middleweight history, second only to MMA legend Anderson Silva, however his 11-month layoff since the Strickland loss is the longest of his career.

Du Plessis initially opened as a betting underdog in the grudge match, although those odds have continued to narrow as UFC 305 draws near. For the champ, that’s a telling sign.

“There’s no place for odds in the octagon, I have to say that, but obviously the oddsmakers are seeing what I know and seeing what the people are seeing,” du Plessis said. “It’s pretty evident. Like I said, the man needs to be motivated to be back here. He had an emotional feel to be back here. He said it, he’s motivated by me, that’s what gets him back in here.

“I’m motivated by greatness. I’m not motivated by some person. If he doesn’t step in, I’ll be the same motivated fighter that steps in there, and anybody can see this. Once again, it’s about how bad do you want it. It’s pretty evident how bad I want this. And on Sunday morning, there will be no doubt of how bad I wanted this.”

UFC 305 takes place August 18 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Watch the fiery exchange between du Plessis and Adesanya above.

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