Missed Fists: Valmir da Silva loses fight after cauliflower ear explodes

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.

I think about Kimbo Slice a lot.

How he was once one of the five most famous MMA fighters in the world. How he and Dada 5000 put on the greatest fight I’ve ever seen. How he realized that his enemy was the inner me. And how his history-making debut on CBS would have ended in defeat were it not for James Thompson’s ear cauliflower ear getting ruptured in Round 3.

RIP Kimbo.

Anyway, I was reminded of the Thompson win recently.

(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.)

Anvarbek Daniyalbekov vs. Valmir da Silva

At a North West Power Alliance show in St. Petersburg, Russia, Anvarbek Daniyalbekov was putting it on Valmir da Silva, just repeatedly bashing the left side of his head until the inevitable happened.

Anvarbek Daniyalbekov improves to 13-1 defeating Valmir da Silva via exploding cauliflower ear. Not sure when it happened, maybe that axe kick.#NWPApic.twitter.com/fkvaTDH1YH

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 6, 2026

Yup, we got ourselves a cauliflower ear explosion. Lovely.

Daniyalbekov was just picking da Silva apart, not really landing a shot that would have ended the fight otherwise, but somewhere in that lopsided whooping (as the great caposa points out, it could have been a slicing axe kick that did the job) da Silva’s ear was just wrecked. He clearly wanted to continue, but fortunately the right call was made to stop the fight.

Anyway, Da Silva appears to be in good spirits… well, as good as your spirits can be when you’ve suffered a possible head deformation.

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Emerson Pedro vs. Sibusiso Sovendle
Zaakir Badat vs. Ziko Makengele

I don’t know if Emerson Pedro’s insane fight-ending strike here changed Sibusiso Sovendle’s head shape at all, but it definitely permanently changed his outlook on life.

OH MY GOD. Emerson Pedro ridiculous SPINNING HEEL KICK KO. "The Coolest Kid in Mozambique" does it again. #EFC33pic.twitter.com/7UthOCMrrP

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 7, 2026

The crazy thing is, Pedro does this cute twirl before actually throwing the spinning heel kick that knocked Sovendle out cold. It was like the first move was to dazzle and the second to destroy. At the very least, Sovendle is always going to flinch when he sees an opponent start to spin around…

The EFC Worldwide 133 main event between Zaakir Badat and Ziko Makengele was just two muscly dudes throwing down in a war of attrition, with Badat somehow coming back from the very brink of defeat to beat Makengele.

Absolutely absurd comeback by EFC Welterweight champ Zaakir Badat.

Nearly finished twice by Ziko Makengele. Somehow weathers a second onslaught to finish Ziko in R2. And STILL.#EFC133pic.twitter.com/SLzl7AUVFS

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 7, 2026

Josh Davis vs. Joshua Bush
Karim Shakur vs. Caleb Murrell

We normally don’t approve of Josh on Josh crime around these parts, but at least this was quick.

6 Seconds!!!! 🤯
Josh Davis finishes Josh Bush in just 6 seconds!! pic.twitter.com/bV2vsGsedr

— Spectation Sports (@SpectationNet) May 3, 2026

At Fighting Alliance Championship 34 in Independence, Mo., amateur heavyweight Josh Davis needed just six seconds to crack Joshua Bush’s jaw with a right hand and end his evening.

On the pro portion of the card, Karim Shakur barely got to take in his debut after scoring this vicious 20-second KO of Caleb Murrell.

KARIM SHAKUR!!!!
ONE PUNCH KO!!!!!
20 SECONDS!!! pic.twitter.com/o2WsSujXlf

— Spectation Sports (@SpectationNet) May 3, 2026

Victor Hugo vs. Adilet Nurmatov

Former UFC fighter Victor Hugo goes by the nickname “Striker,” so of course he delivered a highlight at Black Combat that saw him choke Adilet Nurmatov all the way unconscious with a rare gogoplata.

Victor Hugo🇧🇷 just put Adilet Nurmatov to SLEEP with a Gogoplata!! #BLACKCOMBATpic.twitter.com/embPFTfexi

— Half Dead Frank (@Halfdeadfrank69) May 2, 2026

Hugo’s nickname never made much sense as he owns more submission wins (11) than knockouts (7), but maybe it’s always been meant to deceive his opponents, just like that dastardly Jean Valjean! OK, whatever, if you think you can do better, insert your Les Miserables reference of choice here.

Ariji Besii vs. Manoj Yadav

Let’s take a stop in Uttar Pradesh, India, because why not?

FRONT KICK KO by Besii Ariijii at Matrix Fight Night. Whoa.#MFN18pic.twitter.com/Okyzg9rytM

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 2, 2026

Ariji Besii stole the show at Matrix Fight Night 18 with this beautiful Anderson Silva homage. Love the smile from Manoj Yadav after getting cracked twice just before the fateful front kick landed. Sometimes it takes two to make a highlight and Yadav, you more than did your part.

Sebastian Quevedo vs. David Wilson

From Ultimate Battle Grounds 28 in Wilmington, N.C.

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You can see Sebastian Quevedo setting his feet and body before going for the spinning finish and his preparation paid off as he landed that elbow right to the middle of David Wilson’s face. Understandable reaction from Mr. Wilson as he immediately took a nap.

Dave Fotsing vs. Luis Carlos de Brito

Speaking of fine footwork, Luis Carlos de Brito was doing his best to show off every kick in his arsenal against Dave Fotsing, only to eat one boot to the head and react like he just got hit by prime Cro Cop.

From Lions FC 12 in Neuchatel, Switzerland:

Dave Fotsing avoids the deadly capoeira attack of Luis Carlos de Brito winning his pro debut via 47 second head kick #LionsFC12pic.twitter.com/4ytcmCrRjd

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 1, 2026

Juri Ohara vs. Daigo Kuramoto
Tomoya Kamakura vs. Shota Saito

Speaking of good times in JMMA, we had a classic head stomping at Deep 131 Impact in Yokohama courtesy of Juri Ohara.

Juri Ohara displays the superior ruleset in his DEEP Lightweight title win💥 #DEEP131pic.twitter.com/q4jMxoHpUM

— Half Dead Frank (@Halfdeadfrank69) May 4, 2026

This was pro fight No. 62 for Ohara, so he has neither the time nor the inclination to not stomp on you if you are down. Like, you just don’t mess with guys like this.

At Pancrase Blood 10, we had Shota Saito immediately regretting taunting Tomoya Kamakura.

Tomoya Kamakura KO's Shota Saito in R1. Be careful what you ask for#PancraseBlood10pic.twitter.com/g4FJ1oEEmS

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 4, 2026

BRING IT *dies*

You can watch that Pancrase Blood event on UFC Fight Pass and while you’re there…

Austin Batra vs. Alejandro Arboleda
Gustavo Garcia vs. Mike De Chavez

You know I can’t leave out Vancouver, Canada’s Battlefield Fight League.

Austin Batra showed off a wonderful killer instinct, battering Alejandro Arboleda before choking him out with a ninja choke.

BRUTAL choke by Austin Batra. Drops Alejandro Arboleda with a knee then snatches up a nasty ninja choke to put him to sleep. Damn.#BFL87pic.twitter.com/KGNtRu5biW

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 8, 2026

Congrats to Batra who has now made it two in a row after what could have been a discouraging 0-3 start to his pro career.

On the other side of things, we have Gustavo Garcia.

ONE SHOT!!!

Gustavio Garcia with the KNOCKOUT!

[ #BFL87 | Live on UFC Fight Pass ] pic.twitter.com/xNZzVSaljM

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 8, 2026

No muss, no fuss, just one big punch that put his opponent down the hard way.

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.