MMA in 2014: The 10 Best and Worst Moments of the Regional, International Scenes

Wacky things can happen in the lower levels of any sport. From flea-flickers in high school football to bouncing-puck goals in junior league hockey, extra heaps of fun (be it through novelty or schadenfreude) can often be had when looking to the amateurs. 

MMA is no different, and absurd things, whether funny, silly or scary, can be found when one looks past the bright lights of the UFC and into the dim barns, rec centers and converted basketball courts of the regional circuit.

From unusual submissions to sloppy striking, from creativity gone awry to one-of-a-kind finishes and from bad fighters to bad promoters, every reaction from "holy crap" to "What was he thinking?" can be heard at any given event. Well, with 2014 coming to a close, it is worth taking a look back over the last 12 months and finding some of the best (and the worst) moments of the regional, amateur and international circuits.

Some of them will make you shake your head at the silliness. Some of them will warm your heart. Some of them will make you crane your neck or recoil in your seat in an attempt to fathom what happened.

So what were these moments? Click on and find out!

The Team MMA Event

While it just plain doesn't work and typically looks absolutely hilarious, tag team MMA fights do pop up once every few months. Five-versus-five fights? Well, that's just silly, right? Wrong, according to Team Fighting Championship, an organization that tried to differentiate itself from its peers with team-based combat.

Obviously, the concept of team-based MMA is unwieldy, silly and dangerous. The actual contest is decided by which team can score the first knockout, which then allows two members of one team to rotate from opponent to opponent until the end (which, in this case, led to five guys stomping on a downed opponent at the end). 

The event itself seems poorly regulated, as the refs leave individual skirmishes unattended as they wildly skitter around the ring. Not only that, but look at the handshakes! It looks like it was a group of featherweights against a group of light heavyweights!

The 'Mommy Save Me!'

MMA is a scary sport. There is no denying that. Heck, fights like Uriah Hall vs. Adam Cella or Ryan Bader vs. Anthony Perosh had me squirming in my chair, and I've never even met those guys.

In that way, you can't blame this fighter's mom for storming the cage after seeing her son left in an unconscious heap. You also can't blame her for yelling at the ringside doctor. You can't even blame her for needing a police officer to drag her out of the cage.

But boy, you have to feel bad for that guy. That's something he will never, ever live down as long as he continues training.

The Showtime Flop

Anthony Pettis' off-the-wall kick at WEC 53 certainly ranks among the most memorable moments in MMA history. In the years since, many have tried to imitate the famous kick...but none have failed as miserably as that guy up there. 

The tuxedo tee-wearing fighter from parts unknown tried to build up the momentum to plant off the cage but cut the wrong angle. Already committed but with his opponent well out of range, he was left with two options: try to actually finish the technique and whiff terribly, or cut his losses, bounce off the cage and try to play it off like it was no big deal. Unfortunately, he tried to do both.

The result was his feet coming out from under him, resulting in a belly flop that drew jeers from the crowd.

The Opening Tapout

Earlier this year, a small event in Belfast, Northern Ireland, played host to what might just be the fastest submission in MMA history. As soon as the bell sounded, Alex McCooke tapped out, clearly in fear of the elite ground game of...James Gallagher?

The actual reasons for the immediate submission are unknown. A Twitter post by Gallagher said that McCooke suggested he had a sore chest and was concerned about about the health ramifications of competing (h/t FoxSports.com), but no official explanation has been given.

The Busted Door

"God as my witness, he is broken in half!"—Jim Ross, 1998

You might not know it from this video, but Super Fight League is a relatively professional outfit. While the India-based promotion has featured many notable fighters, including Alexander Shlemenko, Todd Duffee, Joanne Calderwood and Bobby Lashley, they apparently cut a corner or two in their stateside debut, resulting in 1-2 fighter Raven Guice falling through the cage door and tumbling down a flight of stairs. (You can find it at the 29:12 mark.) 

The Usain Bolt Punch

The technique labeled by MixedMartialArts.com as the "Usain Bolt Punch" is precisely what it sounds like: running as fast as you can at your opponent and then punching him or her as hard as you can. That simple-yet-elegant-yet-not technique was most recently seen at Nemesis Fighting Alliance: A Warriors Welcome in November. Nikko Glasper decided he was done with subtlety and just went full Rock Howard on Tommy Sthair.

You have to feel bad for Sthair here. Glasper was just moving so fast he couldn't see that punch coming from 30 feet away...

The Referee Back Take

Referee Leon Roberts has been doing the whole "MMA officiating" thing for a long time now. He has seen a great deal and has learned how to handle a great deal. That applies to how to handle a fighter slipping in some extracurricular punches on an unconscious opponent.

When Nathius Frederick knocked out Ahmad Aswad in the first round of their Fight UK bout, Roberts was quick to call it. Frederick, however, was not quick to stop punching the heck out of Aswad and struggled on the ground as the ref tried to pry him off his dazed prey.

After a few seconds, Roberts got hold of Frederick's head and arm and forced him to roll backwards. Roberts would quickly take his back, sink in the hooks and threaten a rear-naked choke in one fluid motion. Frederick was remarkably quick to call, "Don't choke me, bro!"

Great heads-up move by Roberts.

The Soccer Kick Knockout

Anybody who remembers Pride FC remembers how scary soccer kicks can be. The technique, which is banned in America, lives on in One FC, however, and they have resulted in some "oh God, he's dead" moments.

At One FC 23, Timofey Nastyukhin landed a picture-perfect flying knee on Eduard Folayang that very easily could have resulted in a knockout call on its own. When the ref didn't step in, however, Nastyukhin continued his offensive with a huge hammerfist and a completely undefended soccer kick to the side of the head. 

This easily ranks among the most brutal knockouts of the year.

The Merciful Tapout

This video inspired a lot of debate. Mike Pantangco was lighting up Jeremy Rasner in an amateur bout at Prison City Fight League (classy name for a promotion, I might add) when, suddenly, he decided to tap. 

It was an odd but welcome turn. As Pantangco discussed on Inside MMA, the move was prompted by seeing his opponent get progressively more and more battered...for free. Amateur MMA is, by definition, not something done for money and isn't something worth getting beaten up over.

For some reason, some fans ripped on Pantangco, calling his unwillingness to finish the fight disrespectful to Rasner. Either way, Pantangco is somebody to remember should strawweight MMA start gaining speed in major promotions stateside.

The Reverse Boston Crab

The Boston Crab, a submission move commonly seen in professional wrestling, is a technique that never really seemed to have a place in MMA. The Reverse Boston Crab...is that even really a thing? Apparently it is, ladies and gentlemen, and it happened.

Johnny Davis seemed to be in a strong position, comfortably perched atop William Haney's stomach and raining down punches. Haney, in either a stroke of genius or through pure luck, hooked his heels around Davis' shoulders. From there, he pulled him down while keeping his legs in place, putting intense pressure on Davis' knees and back.

It was an absurd move unlike anything we've seen in recent years. Rick Martel is surely proud!