Issue 200
December 2023
Fighters Only’s social media editor Ryan Burnyeat picks out his highlights from the past month on MMA social media.
Staring down the barrel
If you’re suspected of committing a crime and are looking to hide on someone’s property, it’s probably best if it’s not a house belonging to a UFC champion.
That’s what happened to this individual, who was hiding from the authorities on the driveway of UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Rather than stay indoors and call the police, Strickland strode out with a handgun and confronted the man.
Strickland posted the Ring doorbell camera footage to his Instagram with his side of the story.
"Here’s what I know… The guy was drunk stomping out a girl, a security guard seen it, he jumped in his car and drove off. Security followed him, hit a curb, completely shredded his tire, drove on the rim for awhile then jumped out and tried to hide at my house. I initially thought he was stealing my car... He was arrested."
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0J_vM4xKbK/
Accept no substitute
Brazilian light heavyweight Iury Silva gave his best imitation of former UFC BMF champ Jorge Masvidal as he attempted to score a flying-knee finish from the opening bell of his out with Francisco “Xico Loco” Alberlucio at regional show Acesso MMA 3 in Fortaleza, Brazil.
Silva, who had claimed a 21-second finish on his pro debut just two months earlier, was looking to add another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment to his resume. He was successful in that aim, but not in the way he would have hoped.
Rather than scoring a Gamebred-esque flying-knee KO, he ended up flat out as Alberlucio juked out of the way and connected with a huge overhand right to flatten Silva and score a FOUR-SECOND knockout victory.
The belt collector
At UFC 295, Alex Pereira exacted revenge over Jiri Prochazka for his friend and mentor, former 205-pound champion Glover Teixeira, as he finished the Czech fighter to capture the undisputed UFC light heavyweight title.
It was a sweet moment for Pereira, who in the process became the fastest fighter to win UFC titles in two different weight classes, achieving the landmark in just seven fights. It also made him a two-sport two-weight world champion, as he added his double UFC success to his two world titles in GLORY Kickboxing.
Pereira has now won world titles in two divisions, in two different sports. That’s not elite level, that’s super-elite level.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0Ua7VGppf8
Million-dollar comeback
If there was ever a way to bounce back from being on the receiving end of one of the most devastating knockouts ever seen on TV, this is it.
Prior to the 2023 PFL World Championship, Impa Kasanganay was best known, rather unfairly, as the man on the receiving end of Joaquim Buckley’s viral flying spinning back-kick knockout back in 2020. But in Washington DC, that changed for the better as he claimed a unanimous decision victory over Josh Silveira to capture the PFL’s 2023 light heavyweight championship, and a cool million dollars.
His remarkable rise following his very-public fall was one of the feelgood stories of the 2023 PFL season, and plenty of fans and outlets on social media were keen to give Impa his flowers after a remarkable year.
https://twitter.com/simonheadsport/status/1728249581740376214
MMA saves lives
Things were even more dangerous for former pro MMA fighter Javier Baez, who needed to turn to his martial arts skills to fend off a knife-wielding attacker in Florida.
Baez had just driven home from some Halloween celebrations when his car was attacked by Omar Marrero. Somehow, Baez managed to get out of his car, but was then attacked by Marrero, who, according to a report from TMZ, even produced a second blade from his vehicle before resuming his attack.
Baez ended up slamming Marrero to the ground before subduing him with a choke. He then held him down before the police arrived.
"I was able to hold him down with my knee and call the cops, and he woke up, cops came, and it was good, easy peasy!" he told reporters after the incident.
UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney shared the video via his Twitter account, posting, “Whoa Javier Baez in Miami got attacked by some random with a knife but shows why wrestling is important to know.”
