Missed Fists: Former UFC contender Wilson Reis wins by choke-out in first fight since release, more

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.

Earlier this week, longtime UFC flyweight contender Jussier Formiga was handed his walking papers, which was somewhat understandable given that he’s on a three-fight losing streak. However, he also has a fairly recent win over current flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, who just so happens to be defending his title for the first time this weekend.

We bring this up because Formiga clearly still has a lot left to offer and it won’t be surprising in the slightest if we see him tapping fools on Missed Fists in the near future. Much like another UFC flyweight castoff, Wilson Reis.

Wilson Reis vs. Carlos Briseno

AL: Reis hasn’t actually competed in MMA since parting ways with the UFC over a year and a half ago. He headed down to Mexico for his return fight this past Saturday, competing at a Budo Sento Championship show (free replay available on Facebook) against the promising Carlos Briseno.

Briseno was 11-1 heading into his match with Reis, but as we know, there are levels to this.

He had this man chasing butterflies like Brendan Schaub.

JM: Reis and Formiga should start a club and title it “Flyweights who got screwed by the UFC for no discernible reason.”

AL: Catchy title.

JM: Seriously, Reis left the UFC after going 1-4 in his last five fights there. The only problem? Those losses were against Demetrious Johnson, Henry Cejudo, John Moraga, and Alexandre Pantoja. That’s a list of really good fighters. But the UFC insists on this weird limbo with 125 where they keep it alive while still actively doing their damnedest to kill it.

Anyway, poor regional prospect never stood a chance against a legitimately excellent flyweight.

Genison Lima vs. Jose Filho
Rony Henrique vs. Werlleson Martins
Juscelino Pantoja vs. Anthony Silva

AL: Last week at Shooto Brasil 104 in Rio de Janeiro, we had a trio of wild knockouts that deserve some extra shine.

First up, lightweight Genison Lima scored a hellacious 77-second KO with this absolute cannon of a right hand.

JM: Oh man. That kind of KO fall needs a name because it happens enough to warrant one. It looks like Jose Filho is a wacky waving inflatable tube man who is being deflated. It’s like an inverse Flair Flop. I don’t know what to call it, I just know it’s violent.

AL: Later on we had a classic reversal of fortunes situation as Werlleson Martins went headhunting only to end up with his own skull on a proverbial spike.

JM: You know what they say: live by the headhunt, die by the headhunt.

AL: And then there’s Juscelino Pantoja, making a memorable pro debut with a counter shot to the body that a 10-year vet would kill to land.

JM: That was just beautifully timed. Slips just out of range of the right hand from Anthony Silva and then steps back in with the shot to the ribs. Oof.

AL: Elsewhere in Brazil this past weekend, there was an amateur show with about 50 fights on it called Copa Thunder de MMA Amador that already made major headlines for the wrong reasons thanks to one criminally negligent referee.

But rather than go over that ugliness (though read about it if you haven’t), let’s focus on a couple of finishes straight from Faceplant City.

Renata Mascena and her opponent engaged in some classic swangin’ and bangin’ before Mascena landed a shot that led to a George Michael-esque collapse.

JM: I knew this was gonna be bad from the jump. Mascena looks like she actually knows how to fight, whereas her opponent looks like she’s been taking Tai Bo for a while and knows how to throw a punch, just not at a real, moving target.

AL: Just as bad was this right hand stunner from Pabblo Soares Cunha, who guided his opponent to the mat as he fell and then had the wherewithal to not throw any follow-up strikes.

JM: Now that’s how you catch a kick and counter. At first I thought Cunha missed his right hand but nope. On. The. Button.

Danil Vaganov vs. Muslim Dzhurabaev

AL: We’re dangerously close to not hitting our head kick quota this week, but thanks to Danil Vaganov’s performance at MMA SERIES-20 in St. Petersburg, Russia, this past Saturday, our kick-loving overlords will be appeased.

That’s just a classic high kick set up. He clips Muslim Dzhurabaev down low, gets him thinking about that, and then rifles that leg right to the chin.

JM: Not just a head kick though, a switch head kick. Getting the KO with the lead leg should be worth double points. You saw him looking for that technique almost immediately and now we know why.

Chris Vasil vs. Fadi Shuman

AL: At Cage Fury Fighting Championship 88 (available for replay on UFC Fight Pass) in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Fadi Shuman was the recipient of a vicious Donkey Kong’ing courtesy of Chris Vasil.

JM: Vasil came out throwing punches in bunches and that’s why you work in combination, kids. It only takes one to land to get the job done, so might as well throw a lot of them and see if one sticks. Shotgun method.

Filip Pejic vs. Sebastian Rajewski
Robert Ruchala vs. Michal Domin
Roberto Soldic vs. Michal Materla

AL: Even with KSW stars Dricus Du Plessis and Mateusz Gamrot leaving the promotion to join the UFC, everyone’s favorite Polish promotion continues to chug along.

When last we saw Filip Pejic, his fast hands were foiled by the excellent defense ground game of Roman Szymanski. At KSW 56 on Saturday, Sebastian Rajewski would not be so lucky.

One punch and 12 seconds. That’s all it took.

JM: Damn. Well, at least Rajewski knows someone to help him with his impending recovery. You think that CBD company wants their money back from Rajewski? After all, they only got 12 seconds of air time and it’s not a particularly flattering 12 seconds either.

AL: No refunds.

On the end of the spectrum, Robert Ruchala needed almost every second of the first round to find a finish, but he pulled it off. After taking Michal Domin’s back, he smartly went for an armbar in the closing moments of round one and secured a submission at the 4:59 mark.

JM: Yeah yeah, the armbar and all that. But did you see the front flip off the cage afterwards? Homie stood up there for a real long time before finally committing to it. I thought he was gonna blow it and really be the highlight of the weekend.

AL: In the main event, a much-anticipated matchup between Roberto Soldic and Michal Materla ended up being a blowout as Soldic put a beating on him for almost the entire round before forcing the stoppage with 20 seconds left in the opening frame.

JM: Yeah man, “RoboCop” is a very good fighter, both at 170 and at 185. He’s quickly approaching the time where there isn’t much left for him in KSW.

AL: We’ve featured him here in Missed Fists, he’s headlined KSW shows and won titles in the promotion, it has to be time for Soldic to make the leap soon. As it is, is he the best fighter not signed to a major North American promotion?

JM: Well, are we counting ONE as a major North American promotion? Because ONE has Demetrious Johnson and a host of other bangers.

But if you’re talking about that third tier of promotions (UFC — 1, Bellator, ONE, PFL — 2) then I would say so. I mean the man has only lost twice in the last five years, once to DDP, who he then knocked out and the other a split decision to Yaroslav Amosov, Bellator’s 25-0 undefeated uber-prospect. Expect big things from this young man soon.

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 – @JedKMeshew and @AlexanderKLee – using the hashtag #MissedFists.