Missed Fists: Armored MMA fighters clash in multi-knight free-for-all (2024)

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.

UFC 303 came and went with a bang last weekend, even if the finalized lineup wasn’t exactly as advertised. Such is the chaos of combat sports, which describes this weekend as well with Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz set to square off as they go from the octagon to the squared circle. Wild times.

So wild that we tend to let certain oddities fall through the cracks, a mistake that we intend to rectify for one week at least. So join us as we hop in the Missed Fists time machine and leap back a little farther than usual.

(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.)

Armored MMA

Thanks to Matysek’s always eye-raising Twitter feed, I finally caught on to the Armored MMA promotion that’s recently been running shows in Nashville, Tenn.

If you’re wondering what Armored MMA is, check out the battle royale clip below for a good example:

If that whet your appetite, the full fight is available here:

Pretty weird, right? And 100 percent safe, I’m sure.

Frankly, this resembles BattleBots than it does our beloved MMA, but there’s no denying that there’s a car crash appeal to it, with the cars being human beings crammed into semi-functional suits of knight armor.

That multi-knight match comes to us from a show back in February, but Armored MMA’s most recent event was on June 8 and you can also watch that for free on their YouTube channel. And hey, if you live in Nashville or are planning to visit next month, you can get tickets for the Aug. 24 now. What have you got to lose besides a little more of your sanity?

Josias Musasa vs. Marven Malunes
Demba Seck vs. Mohamed Abdel Fattah

As rare as it is to see medieval men and women swinging steel in today’s age, it’s even more rare that we take a visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for our MMA fix. Impact Championship 3 went down at Batiment Hypnose in Lubumbashi, and headlining act Josias “The K.O. Wizard” Musasa did not disappoint.

Musasa clipped a reeling Marven Malunes with a flying knee to improve to 7-0, with six first-round knockouts and the other coming in Round 2. It’s one thing to have a fantastic nickname, it’s another to live up to it.

If you remember, Musasa graced this feature 18 months ago in just his second pro bout, and it’s been all uphill since. I suppose this is where we’re supposed to speculate on if it’s time for Musasa to get a step up in competition, but if he keeps reeling off highlight-reel finishes close to home, you can’t hate on that.

While we’re here, let’s show some love to Demba Seck, who spammed his right hand to put away Mohamed Abdel Fattah in a little over a minute.

I’m no Eric Nicksick, but if I could offer some advice to Fattah: watch for the right!

Catch a free replay of Impact Championship 3 on YouTube.

Benjamin Hajijan vs. Eli Elias

Benjamin Hajijan used some trickery to land his power punch at an Allstars Fight Night event in Solna, Sweden.

At first, I thought it was a basic 1-2, but if you watch it back you can see he actually retracts the lead hand and then quickly rifles in the right. He also set it up by going right-left in the exchange just before he scored the knockout. Basic, but clever work from a 22-year-old making his pro debut.

Isaac Gabarri vs. Dario Monreal

A right wasn’t quite enough to seal a win for Isaac Gabarri, but he made up for it with some truly nasty ground-and-pound.

From a WAR MMA show in Alicante, Spain:

Dario Monreal was defending himself just enough after being knocked down to justify the fight continuing, though he probably regrets it after having his head reshaped by Gabarri’s knuckles.

Edgar Delgado vs. Jose Quinonez
Alexander Bastida vs. Victor Nunez

Lastly, zipping over to Zacatecas, Mexico, Lux Fight League featured Edgar Delgado and UFC veteran Jose Quinonez in the main event. “El Teco” has seen mixed results since parting ways with the UFC in 2020, but still ranks as the biggest win of Delgado’s 20-fight career.

Especially since it came via a slick first-round heel hook submission.

There’s nothing quite like a fighter zeroing in on a limb and going hell-or-high water in pursuit of the tap. Often, it doesn’t work, but when it does, it is so sweet. I just hope Quinonez tapped out in time before he lost a ligament.

The best finish of the night belonged to Alexander Bastida though, because seven seconds into the Round 2, he did this:

Pure reaction. Pure reflexes. Pure destruction.

Lux Fight League 43 is available for replay on UFC Fight Pass.

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.