The FF-Files: Point of View

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“Caught up in our convictions, we forget how our senses distort things we see. We can’t accept our differences, but we can always disagree.”
—Fates Warning, “Point of View”

A day in the life of a fight finder is never over. The sheer volume of entries on the Sherdog Fight Finder database, along with the myriad of editors accessing it over the years, makes it a fairly—but not entirely—uniform system of fight results in the history of MMA. We are human, so there will always be something to review, look over and verify. That’s part of the fun.

On two previous occasions, we have taken a closer look at results set on Fight Finder, checking into whether they were properly listed or if something was amiss: “Point of Clarification,” covered a seemingly missing digit, while “Points of Authority,” chimed in on a flying foot. This next installment roots into a four-piece of unique knockouts that merit another peek under the microscope.

Raymond Daniels def. Wilker Barros via KO (Punch) R1 4:36
Bellator Birmingham: Primus vs. Wilde, May 4, 2019, Birmingham, England.

What’s so special about a one-punch knockout, you might ask? If you find yourself unfamiliar with the name Raymond Daniels, let us explain. This 6-foot-3 lethal striker, with 5th degree or higher black belts in taekwondo, shotokan karate and American kenpo, dabbled in Chuck Norris’ World Combat League for a few years, never losing a match—and his lone blemish came against the renowned Stephen Thompson, when “Wonderboy” hurt his knee. Dancing between karate and kickboxing, Daniels dazzled with spinning, flying or otherwise unorthodox strikes that left many opponents face down in their own drool. When he made a full-throated effort to partake in MMA, even training and earning belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, hardcore fans watched closely.

At the age of 28 while in the midst of his WCL days, Daniels dipped his toe in the water of this sport, only to succumb to a submission by a far more experienced opponent. Daniels returned over a decade later with a chip on his shoulder. Bellator MMA matched him appropriately with fellow ex-kickboxer Wilker Barros, practically guaranteeing a muay thai match with little gloves. What ensued was nothing short of spectacular, an immediate “Knockout of the Year” candidate that fell short to Jorge Masvidal driving his knee through Ben Askren’s cranium. At Bellator Birmingham, Daniels put his opponent on his seat with a spinning back kick, and then lined up another spin in the other direction. Rather than releasing a wheel kick, as the recovering Barros predicted by setting up a left hook counter, Daniels did the unthinkable and unleashed a right hand from the depth of Hades, wholly charged up by a full 720-degree spin. “Black Panther” was out before his head clattered to the ground, and Daniels had secured one of the most spectacular knockouts that still counts as one punch. Realistically, it should be set as a 720 Punch, and Fight Finder may see to that one day.

Adam Khaliev def. Alexei Belyaev via KO (Tornado Kick) R1 2:26
League S-70 Russian Championship First Round, Dec. 22, 2011, Volgograd, Russia.

What would have happened if Daniels had thrown the kick as Barros expected? Probably a little something like this. At the short-lived league that called itself League S70, a number of renowned Russian fighters used this platform as a launch pad. The names go on and on, ranging from Arman Tsarukyan and Alexander Volkov to Vadim Nemkov and Magomed Magomedkerimov. Fresh off his pro debut two months before, the now-40-year-old striker Adam Khaliev saw Alexei Belyaev come across his desk. Even with Belyaev far from the standard banka pomidorov fed to promising youngsters in the region, Khaliev toyed with his opponent until he found his opening.

Similar to how Daniels set up his finishing blow, Khaliev lead off with a spinning kick to the ribs. Belyaev had to bounce himself off the ropes to get back some momentum due to the sheer force that struck his waist, and he strafed to the side only to be smacked in the face with, of all strikes, an axe kick. More on those later. Khaliev saw an opening that seemed to scream out “attack,” so, he did. Spinning mid-air one full rotation, the unbeaten fighter whipped out a move from the karate tournament playbooks, blasting Belyaev in the chin with the ball of his foot. He didn’t even need his shin to get involved. Belyaev slumped back, only kept upright momentarily due to the ropes at his back, before crumbling to the ground, face-first. It took numerous people including the referee and a pair of physicians to revive the destroyed Belyaev, and the damage of a picture-perfect tornado kick had been done. Belyaev did compete two more times after getting shellacked, although he never had his hand raised again.

Dave Herman def. Jim Yorke via KO (Axe Kicks) R1 2:25
Sengoku – Eleventh Battle, Nov. 7, 2009, Tokyo, Japan.

Who throws an axe kick? Honestly? How often do they land in MMA competition? Can they receive enough force to do some damage, given that the distance between the top of a vertical kicking arc and a fighter’s head is not substantial? As it turns out, not one but two fighters in the history of Fight Finder have had their wigs split by axe kicks. Both came from a different angle than seen in kickboxing competition, as the victors proceeded to let gravity do the work. The first came in 2009, as future Ultimate Fighting Championship talent Dave Herman declared with his performance that jiu-jitsu does not work on him.

To the credit of “Pee-Wee,” he fully understood the ruleset in which he was competing. You don’t want to get mixed up with a guy like him. He’s a loner, a rebel. At Sengoku in Japan, kicks to downed opponents and stomps are perfectly legal in all varieties. There is no “playing the game,” and athletes have additional weapons to defend from submissions. When Herman wanted Yorke to release him from the leglock he had clutched, Yorke reportedly replied, “why don’t you make me?” Herman, of course, laughed, and retorted, “I don’t make monkeys, I just train ‘em,” while repeatedly, mercilessly bashing Yorke in the noodle with his heel. When “Big Jim” Yorke came to, he couldn’t remember his name. He couldn’t remember where he was from. He couldn’t remember anything, but…the Alamo.

Mariusz Mleczko def. Mahomed Tulshaev via KO (Axe Kicks) R2 1:29
Fight Club Koszalin, May 14, 2011, Koszalin, Poland.

A year and a half is how long it took for the video of Herman smashing Yorke to retrieve his bicycle to reach the shores of Poland. In the northwestern Polish city of Koszalin, a local named Mariusz Mleczko decided to see what this MMA thing was all about. With training at the nearby Kyokushin gym, at the very least, he knew how to kick. He was suitably matched against a 1-1 opponent who could grapple, and grapple is what Mahomed Tulshaev tried to do.

The strategy proved successful for most of the pairing, as Mleczko was stuck looking for answers while nearly snared in a number of submissions. Seemingly out options, and in a deep armbar, he decided to start flailing his legs. The rules for downed fighters are a bit fuzzy in Europe over a decade ago, as the various nations started springing up athletic commissions while also running shows that followed different rules for “more entertaining” fights. This was largely the latter. Under the Unified Rules of MMA, kicking an opponent on the ground is not permitted. At that Polish show, let’s get weird. Weird he got, as Mleczko started slapping his foot on the side and back of Tulshaev’s head. When that had no effect, he used his other free limb, driving his heel in the side of the neck and noggin randomly. Using the magic words of “meka leka hi meka hiney ho,” these short kicks had a surprising amount of pop on them, and Tulshaev went from wondering what Mleczko was attempting to wondering if the referee was his mother in the span of 15 seconds. Et voila, axe kicks.

Do you have other indescribable results you would like elucidated? Send your requests, as well as all Fight Finder-related inquiries, to [email protected].