This Week in Knockouts: Holiday edition

A roundup of all the best KOs from the last week in combat sports, stretching from December 18th to 24th. Incuding KSW 41, ACB 77, and much more. This is a week especially bereft of big fight events. The UFC, Bellator, and much of the rest o…

A roundup of all the best KOs from the last week in combat sports, stretching from December 18th to 24th. Incuding KSW 41, ACB 77, and much more.

This is a week especially bereft of big fight events. The UFC, Bellator, and much of the rest of the combat sports world is on holiday. But not all of it. The fight game never truly stops, and fights mean finishes. And finishes mean KOs.

Because it’s Christmas time, here’s a stocking-stuffer of holiday violence. Featuring fights from Pro FC, KSW, ACB, Road FC, and much more. There’s even a whole bevy of Muay Thai action in there. As always, the actual highlight work is all thanks to atop tier cast of MMA Twitter heroes. Most notably this week: @Jolassanda, @Grabaka_Hitman, and @Bestrafer7. So give them all a follow to keep you violence quota filled all year round.

KSW 41: Mankowski vs. Soldic

First up are a pair of highlights from the most notable MMA event of the week, KSW 41. The card featured a couple of title fights, a freak body builder fight, and some of prospects on the rise.

Heavyweight Michal Andryszak moved to 20-6 with a counter right hook on Fernando Rodrigues Jr., who dropped to 11-4.

Lightweight Gracjan Szadzinski hit 7-2 in the opening bout of the night, dropping Maciej Kazieczko to 3-1 behind two hard hooks.

Absolute Championship Berkut 77: Vasilevsky vs. Duraev

ACB 77 included three title fights in the featherweight, middleweight, and lightweight divisions. All told, the 13 bout card served up a ton of hard hitting action and some fantastic highlights.

Heavyweight Denis Goltsov bumped his record up to 20-5 with a brutal knee-to-right-hand combo on Chase Gormley, who fell to 14-7.

Light Heavyweight Asylzhan Bakhytzhanuly (7-0) continued his rise as a top light heavyweight prospect with a gorgeous spinning back kick TKO over, now 8-6, Muslim Makhmudov.

Light Heavyweight Cory Hendricks stepped up to 5-1 in his post-UFC career, with a headkick KO over fellow UFC vet Konstantin Erokhin, who dropped to 9-4.

Heavyweight Sergey Belostenniy also rose to 5-1 on the back of a laser right hand and some followup shots on, now 3-1, Amirkhan Isagadzhiev.

Road FC 45/Road FC Young Guns 38/Road FC XX2

The popular South Korean MMA promotion returned last week with a top flight women’s atomweight title fight.

Atomweight Seo Hee Ham defended her title for the first time, moving to 18-8 with a huge counter left that sent Invicta vet Jinh Yu Frey (6-2) crashing to the mat.

Lightweight Rafael Fiziev (5-0) continued his transition from kickboxing talent to MMA prospect with a slick headkick KO over Munguntsooj Nandin-Erdene (7-4).

Phoenix FC 4

An upstart promotion from Dubai made it’s mark over the holidays with a card full of brutal finishes.

Middleweight Mohammad Karaki moved to 8-0 behind some clubbing elbows from mount over, now 6-1, Alaa Mansour.

Welterweight Han Seul Kim (9-3) did his left-handed Dooho Choi impression on Mohamad Ghorabi (6-5).

Welterweight Claudio Cesario took his record to 11-4 with an innocuous looking jab to the liver of, the now 11-3, Samat Emilbekov.

Featherweight Abdullah Musalim (1-1) got his first win in under a minute with a pretty left hook on Ahmad Makki (0-3).

Other MMA

Lightweight Vladimir Kanunnikov made it to 9-1 with a lightning fast KO over Gusein Gazhiev (4-1).

Middleweight Wagner Goncalves moved to 2-0 on the back of a series of big knees to the face of Leandro Caveirao (1-1).

Muay Thai & Misc.

Thanks almost entirely to Jolassanda this week, there’s some 8-limbs violence to drink in. With highlights from Max Muay Thai, The Champion Muay Thai, MX Muay Thai, and something called Taung Ka Lay that seems to allow headbutts as well.

Enzo Petricig with the stepping elbow KO over Sibaek Todmuaythai

Petchsanguan Sor. Chanasithi put Noppakit Kor. Kampanat on the mat with a hard right hand.

Numphhol Phuket Topteam with a left hand upstairs to a right hook to the gut on John Carpenter (no not THE John Carpenter).

Ultra Artit I.A.T. with one of the hardest head kick KOs you’ll ever see against Kingstar MTF Clubmuaythai.

Tonkla Esantrackter with three crushing elbows to stop Tarok Chor Chanathip.

And for those that crave some old school action, Soe Lin Oo with the headbutt KO.

That’s all this go-round, but stay tuned for the next time the UFC is taking a few days off, for another edition if This Week in Knockouts. And in the meantime, have a happy holidays, whatever they may entail.