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.
It's often been said that the best defense is a good offense, and that's served many a fighter well. But what about the worst defense? Oh, exactly what you'd expect.
(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.)
Jan Cieplowski vs. Reimison Saraiva
What are you going to do? Punch me?

#welcome #hitman

CHICAGO – It's no secret college football doesn't look the same as it did five years ago; however, for Illinois' Bret Bielema and Josh Whitman, it's a whole new ball game.
Bielema and Whitman spoke Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days about the ever-changing landscape of college football.
"NIL and revenue share," Bielema said. "When those two things came into college football, everything changed."
As programs across the country keep changing to respond to compensation, transfer portal movement, and revenue sharing, Illinois is entering the 2026 season embracing the new landscape.
"The rosters have changed because of those two components, the transfer rule and revenue share," Bielema said. "It's a different world."

#bielema #illinois #Share #changed

BogdanGuskov has addressed his loss to MagomedAnkalaev.

Guskov (18-4-1) stepped up on 14 days' notice to replace KhalilRountree against Ankalaev (21-2-1) in the main event of theUltimate Fighting Championship's recent Fight Night in AbuDhabi. Guskov never quite found momentum as Ankalaev slowly andsteadily picked him apart. The former UFC champion eventually tookthe Uzbek contender down and finished him with ground-and-pound inthe final round.
Guskov apologized to his fans and thanked them for their unwaveringsupport. He vowed to bounce back stronger from his defeat atUFC Abu Dhabi.

"I'm sorry to everyone who believed in me," Guskov wrote on X."That night wasn't my night, but I'm grateful for everyone whostood behind me and supported me through this journey. Thank youfor all the kind words and messages. I'll learn from this, comeback stronger. I'm not done yet."

This was Guskov's first loss since a submission defeat in his UFCdebut in 2023. "Hitman" had bounced back from that result with afour-fight finishing streak before fighting JanBlachowicz to a draw last year.

#night #fight #stronger

Image: Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration
We at Sherdog provide regular, in-depth preview coverage for allmajor events, including our oft-praised preview column along withour "Sheehan Show" handling all sorts of related matters includingbetting. With those official sources for picks handled, we wouldlike to take the edge off here and get a bit lighter with ourbreakdowns.

The industry of sports betting is exploding before our very eyes,with billions of dollars pumping in since legalization stateside.Oftentimes, those driving the lines are right on the money withtheir openings, valuations and ****** yses. Occasionally they are wayoff, or otherwise merit some additional conversation. That is wherewe come in with this reinvigorated series of Prime Picks, where,stealing a line from game show host Sam Reich, we hold hands andjump into the abyss together for Saturday morning's Ultimate Fighting Championship's jaunt toAbu Dhabi. Try it out.
MagomedAnkalaev (-575)
MagomedZaynukov (-290)
MagomedTuchalov (-900)

We admit, we're getting away with a technicality here by notincluding MuhammadSaid in our same-name parlay. After all, Magomed is the Russiantransliteration of Muhammad. Also, good luck trying to search thename "Muhammad Said" without any additional qualifiers and stillgarner any information about the fighter of that namesake. All ofthese Magomeds are rightful favorites, and in the case of two ofthe more expected victors of Tuchalov and Ankalaev, moneyline betsare just not worth it.

Therefore, we pair these three gents together, all of whom haveclear paths to victory against foes who have displayed exploitableweaknesses. Some are giving BogdanGuskov a proverbial "puncher's chance" to win this fight,although he might have some surprise jiu-jitsu in his back pocket.Nevertheless, unless Ankalaev chooses to take things horizontal—heis not nearly as keen on doing this despite his reputation, onlydoing so in his first triumphant meeting against AlexPereira. Against "Poatan," he did attempt a clean dozen shots.While he did not land a single one, the mere threat of the takedownallowed him to get in on the stoic striker and do some work. A fewfaked shots against "Hitman," whose takedown defense has alreadycome into question despite his recent successes, would payimmediate dividends.

We get to the meat of the order. More specifically, the pork. JohnPork. "Wild Chanco" Zaynukov, who actually had his nickname onFight Finder as "John Pork" until specifically reaching out torequest that it be taken down. RobertWhittaker didn't have the same problem when Ben Fowlkes andChad Dundas first crowned him "Bobby Knuckles" in the always-great"Co-Main Event Podcast" and it stuck. Even though DamianRzepecki will hold a slight bit more experience and morestoppages on his ledger, he and Zaynukov stand at differentterraces in their respective careers.

To get signed through the promotion, the Dagestan native in thepipeline of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School

Sunday the fifth of July, 2026 will forever be a poignant date for Moroccan football, as MAS Fes ended an agonising 41-year wait for domestic glory. With their 2-0 win over Olympique Dcheira on the final day, the Yellow Tigers finally got their hands on a fifth league **** le, and excitedly re-announced themselves amongst the Maghrebi sporting establishment.
Now, while regaining their seat at the Moroccan big clubs’ table was a formidable reflection of team spirit, one man in particular stood above the rest, and that was striker Soufiane Benjdida.
The poised 24-year-old’s chart-topping 20 league goals played a crucial role in powering Pablo Franco’s team to the league summit. However, as somewhat surprised followers of Belgian football will tell you, this confident hitman is far beyond the shadow of a player they witnessed in the lowlands.
Soufiane Benjdida began his football career with steady progression at the Mohammed VI Football Academy. He then moved on through the youth ranks of both Fath US and FAR in the Moroccan capital Rabat, before being picked up by giants Raja Casablanca from his home city.
Here, two years were enough to see his tenacious style turn heads in Europe. Under former Belgian national team boss Marc Wilmots, Benjdida registered eight goals in 17 games in the 2021-22 Botola Pro campaign as the Green Eagles finished second to bitter rivals Wydad.

#soufiane #belgian #fifth

If a recent transfer update from Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph is accurate, Celtic have offered Kelechi Iheanacho a new contract, with the Nigerian now training on his own after his Parkhead deal expired a couple of weeks ago. However, the in-demand centre-forward has yet to accept the offer, as he is ***** sing all the proposals before committing his future.
The 29-year-old Nigerian international completed a Bosman switch, reuniting with Brendan Rodgers back in September. But the Northern Irishman stepped down from his role in less than two months following a series of disappointing outcomes. Iheanacho, who was supposed to spearhead the attack, had a stop-start season due to persistent injury problems. Nevertheless, he shook it off late in the campaign and netted some decisive goals as a ‘super sub’ en route to conquering the ‘domestic double’.
MOTHERWELL, SCOTLAND – MAY 13: Stephen O’Donnell of Motherwell passes the ball while under pressure from Kelechi Iheanacho of Celtic during the William Hill Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park on May 13, 2026 in Motherwell, Scotland. (Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)
Although the deadline for triggering the one-year extension of his previous contract had already expired, Martin O’Neill has confirmed that a concrete offer has been made for the hitman. The veteran Northern Irish boss reiterated his desire to keep hold of the ‘number 9’, and it is now up to Iheanacho whether he prefers a return or a fresh challenge elsewhere.
Despite a slow start to the window, Celtic have lately stepped up their transfer business. O’Neill has convinced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay for at least one more season. Also, a fee of around £6m has been splashed to secure Camilo Duran’s services from Qarabağ. Meanwhile, Daizen Maeda is seeking an exit to pursue his Premier League dreams, and Duran, known for his high work ethic and flexibility up top, could emerge as a like-for-like replacement for the ***** anese striker.

PHILADELPHIA — They will flock to Citizens Bank Park from both sides of the Delaware River, a contingent from Millville, New Jersey, taking I-76 over the Walt Whitman Bridge, another coming from the other direction on the interstate, or simply on surface streets from the proud territory the locals simply call Delco.
Mike Trout has secured 20 tickets for friends and family and knows many more will flock to Philly, intent on seeing the surefire Hall of Famer in what he acknowledges might be his goodbye to the All-Star Game.
Kevin McGonigle didn’t put a number on his ticket count, the Detroit Tigers’ outstanding rookie simply describing the entry fee to his inner circle for this, the first of what the baseball industry expects will be many Midsummer Classics for him.
“I want everyone here that helped me get here. I wouldn’t be in this seat without them,’ McGonigle said one day before the Tuesday, July 14 All-Star Game.
“I think they should take the whole experience in with me.”

As promised, we’ve got the results of our SB Nation Reacts poll for this week, so let’s take a look at what everyone thought about this week’s question, shall we?
We asked all of you out there whether or not you thought the great Harrison Smith would be returning to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifteenth season. Overall, the overwhelming majority of folks believe that he will be, though there is a bit of dissension on when that return is going to come.
Overall, of those who responded to our poll, only 18% of you think that we’ve seen the last of the Hitman in a Vikings uniform. So, that means 82% of our respondents think that Harrison Smith is coming back.
So, it’s a matter of whether folks think Smith is going to come back before or after training camp. Of those who answered our poll question, 41% believe that he’s going to wait until after camp is over to make his return to the team, while 33% believe that the team will know his choice before camp starts here in about a month. The other 8% of our respondents believe that we’re going to see a mid-season return for #22 .
Honestly, at this point, I think Smith has earned the right to miss training camp if that’s what he feels like doing. He knows the defense inside and out, and I’m sure he’s going to be taking care of himself physically to the point he doesn’t need to put himself through the extra strain that training camp would present. The team has already made it clear that he would be welcomed back if he decided to return, so if that’s the way things are going to play out, it wouldn’t be all that surprising.

Former Dayton Flyers guard Javon Bennett and former Belmont High School center Shawn Phillips Jr. were two of 15 college athletes to file a lawsuit in Hamilton County seeking an injunction against the NCAA's age-based eligibility model, according to multiple reports on Wednesday, June 24.
All the athletes named played four seasons without redshirting and would be eligible for a fifth season under the new rule.
News of the lawsuit came one day after the NCAA overhauled its eligibility rules.
According to a press release, student-athletes will now receive "up to five years of eligibility if they enroll in college no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday. The new rule streamlines a significant portion of the Division I rule book by eliminating season-of-competition limits, sport-specific eligibility and redshirt rules, and eligibility extension waivers."
With these changes, the Cabinet has taken decisive action for the benefit of student-athletes and the system of NCAA Division I athletics," said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and chair of the Cabinet, in a press release. "For many student-athletes who enroll in college immediately after high school, these changes will result in the opportunity to potentially compete for an additional season in their chosen sport. For campus officials and coaches, this change provides rules that are simpler to administer and easier to predict for roster management decisions."

Jun. 17—CHAMPAIGN — Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman didn't have to look far when hiring a new women's tennis coach. In fact, he stayed within the University of Illinois system, bringing Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson to the Illini after three seasons at UIC.
Lumpkin Robinson is the ninth women's tennis coach in program history. She replaces Evan Clark, who announced his retirement in late April following 11 seasons leading the Illini.
"Elizabeth is a proven winner with roots in our state as both a player and coach," Whitman said in the official release. "She is arguably the most decorated prep player in Illinois history and later captained UCLA to the NCAA Championship.
"Most recently, she has spent three seasons at our sister school, UIC, where she led the Flames to two Missouri Valley Conference championships and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Elizabeth is excited to build on our proud women's tennis tradition, and I have great confidence that we will elevate the program to new heights under her leadership."
Lumpkin Robinson led UIC to a 41-24 record in dual matches, including a 19-4 mark in MVC play, during her three seasons in Chicago. Her tenure also included an NCAA tournament appearance in 2205.

Very wrong to compare Babar with greats like Hitman and King