Missed Fists: Ever Joel Maldonado hits amazing backfist knockout then face-plants during celebration

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.

You ever have a massive win, then immediately turn that W into an L just moments later? We’ve all been there.

(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.)

Ever Joel Maldonado vs. Rodrigo Fernandez

You’re Ever Joel Maldonado.

You’re an amateur. This is your first-ever fight. About two minutes in, you get fancy with it, launching a head kick followed by a backhand, just like you saw in that movie one time. The backhand connects. Your opponent crumbles. You continue to attack. The referee steps in. You’ve won. You’ve won!

Then it happens.

Celebrating with a post-fight backflip is a time-honored tradition, and Maldonado isn’t the first fighter to slip (the great Georges St-Pierre notoriously messed up his victory flips on multiple occasions), but you better have a graceful recovery and this wasn’t that. The rest of the post-fight antics can’t make up for that gaffe, I’m sorry to say. Congrats on the victory, regardless!

And hey, at least he didn’t attempt a Justin Gaethje flip because imagine if that went wrong in a similar way.

You can catch more Ansgar Fighting League action when they stream events live on Twitch. That’s pretty cool!

Donte Johnson vs. James FordHector Saenz vs. Iler Bakhtiyar

Truthfully, Maldonado’s face-plant was nowhere near as bad as what happened to James Ford and Iler Bakhtiyar at Fury Challenger Series 14 (free replay available on YouTube) in Houston.

Donte Johnson added to his growing highlight reel with a brutal series of fight-ending punches that put the too-tough Ford down for the count.

The 26-year-old light heavyweight is now 5-0 as a pro, with all of his wins coming by way of first-round knockout.

Sunday’s event also saw the return of “El Gato Borracho” (or “The Drunk Cat”) Hector Saenz, who we last saw executing a nasty kimura to get a win this past January. This time, he showed off his punching power, flooring Bakhtiyar to claim an interim lightweight title.

And ICYMI, Bella Mir continued to build buzz as she channeled Bob Backlund to submit Stephanie Calderon and improve to 4-0 as a pro.

Loai Abushaar vs. Edmund KwanNoah Bey vs. Cedric Manhoef

At LFA 213 (replay available on UFC Fight Pass), gigantic 6-foot-4 lightweight Loai Abushaar used every bit of that impressive leg length to raise a knee up into Edmund Kwan’s jaw and score a 51-second knockout.

Kwan’s consciousness is up in space dancing with the Silver Surfer still.

On that same show, kickboxing standout Noah Bey won his fourth straight MMA fight putting Cedric Manhoef (yes, the younger cousin of the legendary Melvin Manhoef) to sleep in deceivingly gentle fashion.

Like, it almost looked as if he was guiding Manhoef softly down to the mat… you know, before pummeling him with hammerfists.

Jalin Fuller vs. Mac LaursenCesar Vazquez vs. Daniel Lugo

Also on UFC Fight Pass, we had one of the best submissions of the year executed by Jalin Fuller at Anthony Pettis FC 18, and a well-timed head kick courtesy of Cesar Vasquez at Lux Fight League 53.

Fuller went full boa constrictor on Mac Laursen, going for a crucifix and then using his legs to secure a hammerlock before adding in the choke for the win.

In that moment, I can imagine Laursen thinking, “Jiu-jitsu is fun, they said…”

As for Vazquez, he gave Daniel Lugo a painful reminder that you have to be careful when standing up against the fence!

Aaaaaaand there’s another face-plant.

Adamu Isah vs. Lucas Da CostaBraden Peterson vs. Chris ThompsonRansom Hinojosa vs. Lars WhittenbergerIsaiah Garcia vs. Isaiah Haines

The fine folks at Spectation Sports have you covered when it comes to regional highlights and replays (via their subscription streaming service) and this week the spotlight shone on events in Independence, Mo., and Great Falls, Mont.

Watch this knockout from Adamu Isah. I still have no clue how he got any real power on this.

He’s shifting his weight, throwing blind, and WHAM, Lucas Da Costa walks right into it. Da Costa wasn’t KO’d immediately, but there was no coming back from that shake-up.

Braden Peterson gave us a wild heavyweight knockout in his pro debut and we thank him for it.

In amateur action, Ransom Hinojosa needed just 19 seconds to send Lars Whittenberger packing, and Isaiah Garcia engaged in some regrettable Isaiah on Isaiah crime with a beautiful reversal into an anaconda choke on Isaiah Haines.

Adailson Martelo vs. Elisson Lima

Jason Herzog, relax, you might not have been the worst in-cage official in July.

That dishonor goes to this-lucky for him-unidentified individual at Coari Champions 7 in Amazonas, Brazil, who sat idly by as Adailson Martelo attempted to hammer Elisson Lima through the mat.

Confusing behavior here as Martelo looked remorseful afterwards despite (eventually, anyway) having to be forcefully stopped from battering Lima.

That referee should be legally obligated to pay Lima’s medical bills.

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.