When executed properly, flying knees are fight changers. Your opponent is left wobbly and dazed, and you’re right in front of him to finish the fight — if it isn’t already over. Here are some of the best flying knees in MMA history.

Jon Jones vs. Shogun Rua

Kid Yamamoto vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

Alistair Overeem vs. Kazuyuki Fujita

Valentijn Overeem vs. Kazuo Takahashi

Robbie Lawler vs. Joey Villasenor

Patricky Pitbull vs. Toby Imada

JZ Cavalcante vs. Hiroyuki Takaya

Anderson Silva vs. Carlos Newton

Karl Amoussou vs. Kazuhiro Hamanaka

Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti

Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes

Spencer Fisher vs. Matt Wiman

James Irvin vs. Terry Martin

Yves Edwards vs. Edson Berto

Nick Pace vs. Collin Tebo

Joachim Hansen vs. Caol Uno

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda

Fredson Paixao vs. Pablo Garza

Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson

Thiago Tavares vs. Tyson Griffin

Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Riggs

BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk

Patricio Pitbull vs. Gleristone Santos

Ricardo Lamas vs. Bendy Casimir

LC Davis vs. Rafael Dias

Tip of the hat to Damn Severn and The UG. Click the link to see more there.

Palaszewski was on the televised card and looked amazing in his battle with Zach Micklewright. Bartimus was trading with the taller, Miletich fighter, but started winning most of the exchanges toward the end of the 1st round. In the 2nd round, Bart rocked him with a flurry of punches up against the cage, landed a vicious body kick and then finished him with a right hook at :31. Bart is now 4-2 in the WEC with 4 straight wins.

Top Notch fighter Ricardo Lamas needed all 3 rounds, but won a unanimous decision over Dave Jansen. Lamas had several sub catches in the fight and won 29-28 on all the judges cards. The picture above tells how much of a war this was, as does this photo of Lamas’ shorts after the fight.

Lamas improved to 9-1 with the win, his 3rd straight. He is now 4-1 in the WEC, his only loss coming to Danny Castillo at WEC 42.

photos h/t: MMA Weekly and Bloody Elbow

MMA Junkie is reporting that local fighter Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas will fight Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen at WEC 50.

The Team Top Notch fighter is coming off a vicious KO win of Bendy Casimir at WEC 47 in March. In round 1 of that fight, Casimir went for a takedown and Lamas delivered a fierce knee to Casimir’s head that crumbled him to the canvas and left him unconscious. The Bully got the win and improved to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the WEC. His lone loss as a pro came via a Danny Castillo TKO last August.

Jansen has also been defeated only once as a pro. He lost via unanimous decision to Kamal Shalorus in January after rattling off 15 straight wins to start his MMA career. Jansen’s last fight was also his WEC debut, beating Rich Crunkilton by unanimous decision.

WEC 50 features the first title defense for current champ Dominick Cruz, who will battle the electric Joseph Benavidez, “WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez”. It takes place August 18 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort and the main card airs live on Versus.

FORM Athletics Forest T-Shirt

Two Chicago-area fighters are leaving Columbus, Ohio with victories, while Miguel Torres is leaving with his second consecutive loss.

Bart Palaszewski took on the very tough Karen Darabedyan in a lightweight battle. Bartimus immediately felt the power and quickness of Darabedyan, who was coming off an impressive win against former WEC champ Rob McCullough. Darabedyan had Bart on the ground and was delivering punishment. Bart absorbed a lot of blows but kept looking for subs. Near the end of  round 1 Palaszewski latched on to an arm and hyperextended it until he got the tap. Itwas an amazing submission and Bartimus moves to 34-13 with the win.

Team Top Notch fighter Ricardo Lamas was coming off a TKO loss to Danny “Last Call” Castillo at WEC 42. He needed little time to get back on a win streak with a stunning defeat of France’s Bendy Casimir. In round 1 action, Casimir went for a takedown and Lamas delivered a fierce knee to Casimir’s head that crumbled him to the canvas and left him unconscious. The Bully got the win and improves to 8-1 overall and now 3-1 in the WEC.

Miguel Torres never really got going against Joseph Benavidez, his first fight since losing his WEC title to Brian Bowles. Miguel was active in moving and circling the cage, but couldn’t find the timing on his strikes or kicks. The faster Benavidez easily nullified the nearly 10-inch reach disadvantage with takedowns and easily working his way inside against Torres. The last takedown in round 2 proved fatal for Torres. Benavidez had him up against the cage and delivered a vicious elbow that gashed open Torres’ forehead and immediately started to gush blood. Torres tried to escape but Benavidez caught him in a tight guillotine and Torres was forced to tap. It was a stunning defeat for Torres. Brian Bowles lost the title to Dominick Cruz, so perhaps we will see a Bowles/Torres rematch down the line.

Photos taken from Sherdog’s WEC 47 gallery

Lamas is coming off a victory at WEC 44 last November.  He beat James Krause by unanimous decision and improved his WEC record to 2-1.  His opponent will be Bendy Casimir, a native of France who’ll be making his American and WEC debut.

Lamas told Chicago’s MMA he’ll do part of his training camp in Florida at MMA Masters, a gym run by BJJ wizard Daniel Valverde. It will be interesting to see if “The Bully” looks to implement a lot of sub work into this upcoming fight.  Despite his wrestling background (All American at Elmhurst College) he has leaned towards showcasing his Muay Thai in his last two fights, although portions of his match against Krause were spent on the ground. Valverde is a former world champion who has trained with former UFC heavyweight champion and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Noguiera.

WEC 47 is March 6 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. The main event features Brian Bowles’ first defense of his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. It will be a dream weekend for MMA fans: The Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Fitness Expo is the same weekend. The Arnold Expo has been a great supporter of the sport, regularly spotlighting autograph sessions with MMA stars as well as hosting one of the biggest submission tournaments in the midwest.

The Team Top Notch lightweight and former Elmhurst College All-American wrestler improves his overall record to 7-1, 2-1 in the WEC.  According to Yahoo Cagewriter blogger Steve Cofield Ricardo was “physically mauling James Krause.”  Cofield adds, “Krause found himself on his back too often with Lamas raining down shots from a standing position. When the fight was standing Krause was a one-punch fighter while Lamas put together some nice combinations.”

Here are some snapshots from “The Bully’s” victory:

*All images courtesy of Zuffa/WEC*

“The Bully” is 1-1 in his WEC career, and both of his fights were part of the televised card on Versus.  Krause made his WEC debut in June against “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone and ended up losing by rear naked choke.  With both 155ers coming off a loss this fight will be on the untelevised preliminary card.

One punch is the difference between an undefeated record and a .500 WEC winning percentage for Lamas.  As solid as his Muay Thai has looked, expect the former Elmhurst College wrestling standout to use his takedown and ground skills in this match to pound out a victory.  Krause claims to have a six-inch reach advantage over Lamas.

WEC 44: Aldo vs Brown is this Wednesday, November 18.  It will air live on Versus starting at 8pm local time.  In the main event Featherweight champion Mike Brown defends his title against Jose Aldo.  Here’s the full lineup for the night:

Main Bouts:
Mike Brown (22-4) vs. Jose Aldo (15-1)
Leonard Garcia (13-4) vs. Manny Gamburyan (9-4)
Rob McCullough (17-5) vs. Karen Darabedyan (8-1)
Danny Castillo (8-1) vs. Shane Roller (6-2)

Preliminary Bouts:
Alex Karalexis (10-4) vs Kamal Shalorus (4-0-1)
L.C. Davis (14-2) vs. Diego Nunes (13-0)
John Franchi (5-1) vs. Cub Swanson (13-3)
Antonio Banuelos (16-5) vs Kenji Osawa (15-8-2)
Ricardo Lamas (6-1) vs. James Krause (10-1)
Frank Gomez (7-1) vs. Seth Dikun (7-3)

Four Chicagoland fighters competed in WEC 42, and all four suffered defeat. A potentially exciting night for fans of the Chicagoland MMA scene instead becomes one of disappointment.  The outcomes of the Sunday night fights leave us with many questions to ask.

The main event featured East Chicago, Indiana native Miguel Torres defending his bantamweight championship against challenger Brian Bowles.  Torres is widely considered one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world, and several of his matches in the WEC cage have been some of the most impressive performances in the promotion’s history.  Despite the hype Torres proved to be human after suffering a shocking knock out victory to the underdog Bowles.

Ricardo Lamas, who fights out of Top Notch Gym and Overtime MMA/Jeff Neal Jiu Jitsu, also came out on the losing end of his bout.  “The Bully” showed good punch/kick combinations and seemed to be getting the better of the exchanges with his opponent, Danny Castillo.  But in the second round Castillo landed a right hand that dazed Lamas and he was able to follow up for the TKO finish.  This is Lamas’ first loss in his professional career.

Jeff Curran stepped in against Takeya Mizugaki feeling the pressure to get the win.  The “Big Frog” was on a three-fight slide and needed to get back on the winning track to stay relevant in the crowded 135 pound division.  Curran spent a majority of fight with Mizugaki in his guard actively working submission and sweep attempts off his back.  He was able to catch his Japanese opponent in a triangle choke at the end of the third round but could not force the tap out.  The contest was close, but Mizugaki’s submission defense and ability to stay busy from the top position helped him earn a split decision victory over the Island Lake native.

In the untelevised portion of the card Evanston native John Hosman made his WEC debut against no-gi submission wrestling champion Rani Yahya.  Hosman took the fight on short notice after the original opponent, Kenji Osawa, had to bow out after suffering a foot injury.  Hosman’s teammate at the Midwest Training Center in Schaumburg is former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe.  Yahya unsuccessfully challenged Beebe for the belt in a match where Beebe combined  outstanding defense and scrambling ability with a ground and pound attack for the decision victory.  The Downers Grove native helped Hosman train for this fight, but “The Goat” could not duplicate the same results.  Yahya secured a north-south choke and tapped Hosman in the first round.

Several questions now hang over the heads of the disappointed fighters.  Does Torres get an immediate rematch with Bowles, or was the loss so convincing he has to fight his way back into contention?  Despite a four fight losing streak does Curran deserve to stay in the WEC considering the high quality of opponents he has faced during that stretch?  Because the WEC always has the option of cutting someone from the fight roster is Lamas in danger of being dropped despite the fact he was winning the fight against Castillo before being knocked out?  Will Hosman be invited back to compete in World Extreme Cagefighting?

Former Elmhurst College All-American wrestler Ricardo Lamas enters the WEC cage once again.  Lamas grabbed the mma world’s attention after beating Bart Palaszewski earlier this year at WEC 39 on national TV.  “The Bully” will compete on the televised card again, this time against Danny Castillo at WEC 42: Torres vs Bowles.  Check out this video featuring Lamas training with Team Top Notch and Overtime Wrestling as he gets ready for his fight with Castillo.

The Bully Is Back at WEC 42

The WEC has confirmed that Chicago’s Ricardo Lamas will be fighting Danny Castillo at WEC 42 in Las Vegas. Jeff Curran will be fighting Takeya Mizugaki on that card and Miguel Torres will try to defend his belt against Brian Bowles. Another WEC card with a lot of local flavor.

Lamas beat local fighter Bart Palaszewski at WEC: Brown vs. Garcia in March to improve to 6-0. The Ironheart Crown vet will be making his 2nd appearance in the WEC.

Castillo will be a tough test for “The Bully”. Castillo holds a record of 7-1 and is 2-1 in the WEC. He lost to Donald Cerrone is his WEC debut, but since then has defeated Rafael Dias and Phil Cardella.

WEC 42 is live on Versus August 9th.