UFC and other MMA events feature controversial calls and knockout finishes

"

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. Herb Dean has justifiably been taking a lot of guff lately, to the point that we’ve all wondered several times over the past few years why he’s still officiating fights, much less important fights for major promotions. Well, it could be because the alternatives are grim. (Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the best KOs, 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.) Byron Wilson vs. Skyler King Admittedly, you’ve got to dig deep to find a referee worse than Hokey Pokey Herb (h/t Mike Heck). Our search takes us to the great state of Georgia, where referee Nate Mann might have actually dissociated during the main event of National Fighting Championship 191. View this post on Instagram Byron Wilson was absolutely wailing on Skyler King, so Mann could have stepped in at any moment during that onslaught; instead, he barely moved even after Wilson walked off assuming the fight was over since King was hardly defending himself. Of course, fighters shouldn’t waive off their own fights, but I’m not going to blame Wilson for not wanting to do any more unnecessary damage. After the most awkward of pauses, Wilson went right back in and clobbered King with a hard punch (OK, maybe he wanted to do a little more unnecessary damage), which finally snapped Mann back to reality as he moved to stop the fight. Making this scene even worse, Wilson and King are essentially amateurs, with Wilson fighting for just the second time as a pro and King making his debut. You’ve got to protect these guys, come on, Mann. I’m not alone in this as several pros reacted to the clip in the comments. Chris Weidman: What the hell was this ref thinking? Jason Miller: NPC REFEREE Eryk Anders: Ref trippin Shane Burgos: Refs need to be held accountable for shit like this King himself even jumped into the comments to question the referee’s judgment: As the guy who took the shot: not really sure how the ref didn’t realize I wasn’t fighting back when the opponent walked away. I assumed the fight was over because otherwise why would the shots stop?? There was more than enough time to tell that I wasn’t getting back into the action Turpal Khamzayev vs. Angelo Pettis Miguel Sanson vs. Mefi Monterroso Josue Sotero vs. Ronnie Gibbs As plenty of athletes will tell you, it’s hard carrying a famous name, and that’s just as true in combat sports. Ladies and gentlemen, here’s Angelo Pettis. Turpal Khamzayev, with a deceiving 6-7 pro record, chops down Angelo Pettis before closing with a spinning wheel kick #APFC24 pic.twitter.com/s8XsbpeuMb — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 17, 2026 Being the cousin of MMA champions Anthony and Sergio is always going to bring plenty of expectations, especially when you consider how they both excelled at a young age, and it’s been a tough go for the 21-year-old Angelo so far. In his second pro fight, he was submitted by Gage Mitchell, and this past Sunday he suffered his first knockout loss after taking some brutal kicks from Turpal Khamzayev. That’s a fantastic finish by Khamzayev, who chopped Angelo down before ending it with a flashy spinning wheel kick that the Pettis family should appreciate. Fortunately for Angelo, he might not have been the worst knockout victim of the night, as Miguel Sanson caught Mefi Monterroso with a savage knee with Monterroso trying to stand up from the mat. Miguel Sanson (11-2) extends his win streak to 7 straight, closing the show at APFC with a vicious knee KO over Mefi Monterroso #APFC24 pic.twitter.com/5j1rjmiiDi — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 17, 2026 Josue Sotero topped both of those efforts, needing just 22 seconds to put Ronnie Gibbs away with a slick heel hook. 22 seconds is all it took! Josue Sotero gets the submission early in round 1! [ #APFC24 | Live on UFC Fight Pass ] pic.twitter.com/pu8cXf0iYX — UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) August 17, 2026 The 24-year-old Sotero improved to 5-0, with three of his wins coming in under a minute. Anthony Pettis FC 24 is available to stream on UFC Fight Pass. Damien Deleon vs. Terrell Nixon Jeremiah Delgado vs. Vincenzo Iannuzzo Jarrod St. Jean vs. Alius Delarosa We have a few more Fight Pass goodies, starting with Damien Deleon scoring a ridiculous 11-second head kick knockout over Terrell Nixon on the Fury FC postliminary fights. The postlims at #FuryFC123 ended in a 11 second head kick by Damien Deleon who moved to 1-1 as a pro pic.twitter.com/S0eJNXRBx8 — FriedMMA (@MerrabiMedia) August 15, 2026 Postlims forever! Over at CFFC 159, Jeremiah Delgado landed an even better head kick knockout against Vincenzo Iannuzzo. Nasty work from Jeremiah Delgado #CFFC159 pic.twitter.com/uRBqXDkJBy — UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) August 15, 2026 Started celebrating before Iannuzzo’s body even hit the canvas. Jarrod St. Jean might have a future as a psychic because he perfectly slipped a short hook from Alius Delarosa while simultaneously landing a counter on the money. Picture perfect punch from Jarrod St. Jean #CFFC159 pic.twitter.com/jWOGm955bh — UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) August 15, 2026 Slumped. Tater McSpadden vs. Fred Freeman If St. Jean is psychic, Tater McSpadden might be a magician because he showed some serious sleight of hand (er, knee) at an Xtreme Fight Night event in Tulsa, Okla. What a violent KO by Tater McSpadden. Crazy timed knee and some vicious 12-6 hellbows. pic.twitter.com/NE6uQlpz7D — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 15, 2026 Had to watch that one multiple times to see where he slipped in the knee, but it’s there, and it was more than enough to stun Fred Freeman and leave him open to some fight-ending hellbows. Lucas Alfaro vs. Francisco Pepa At Concordia Fight Night 8 in Argentina, Lucas Alfaro sent Francisco Pepa on a one-way trip to Buenos Aires with a limb-lifting spin kick. Crazy KO from the now 3-1 Lucas Alfaro yesterday at #CFN8 in Argentina 🇦🇷 might be KO of the week TBH pic.twitter.com/ofYrlUrasK — FriedMMA (@MerrabiMedia) August 17, 2026 Dude flew, like, two-thirds of the cage on that one. Marsel Nurlanbek vs. Ermek Nuranov Let’s end on a nightmarish note. I’ve often wondered what it would look like if someone didn’t tap to a Suloev stretch fast enough and thanks to Octagon League’s Marsel Nurlanbek, I have my answer. Marsel Nurlanbek hits a highlight reel Suloev stretch in the main event. That sounded painful #Octagon90 pic.twitter.com/kSofKGWKjk — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 15, 2026 Wish I hadn’t found out. But I did and now you have, too. Octagon League 90 is available for free replay on YouTube. 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.

"

Referee nowhere to be seen as fighter is brutalized