Iniestra stuns with last-second reverse elbow KO to mirror Yair Rodriguez's legendary finish

Abdi Iniestra pulled off one of the most audacious finishes in recent regional MMA memory at Lux Fight League 63 in Querétaro, Mexico, dropping Anthony Ramirez with a last-second reverse elbow — the same technique Yair Rodriguez used to famously stop Chan Sung Jung in 2019. The 21-year-old flyweight prospect timed the strike perfectly, catching Ramirez square on the jaw with three seconds left on the clock to seal an unbeaten record.

Rodriguez’s original “Pantera Elbow” on Jung remains one of the most replayed finishes in UFC history, widely regarded as a once-in-a-lifetime piece of improvisation. Iniestra’s effort suggests otherwise. The young Mexican landed the technique with the same precision and in the same desperate, closing-seconds context, making it all the more remarkable.

Elsewhere on the regional circuit, Dilano Taylor — the man who once knocked out Rory MacDonald in PFL — added another title to his post-PFL run by stopping Nick Meck at Fury FC 125 to claim a welterweight belt. Taylor is now 5-0 since leaving PFL and, at just 29 years old, finds himself in an intriguing position between the regional scene and a potential return to a major promotion. Earlier on the same card, 24-year-old flyweight Reginald Jones moved to 3-0 with a quick knockout over Tyrell Hill.

The amateur ranks also produced notable moments this week. At a Rising Stars Fight Series event in Ontario, Canada, Logan Froese ended his bout with Abhimanyu Chadha via a thunderous slam finish. Across the Atlantic at a Duel Fighting event in Chambéry, France, Samuel Allard put away Zakaria Zouine cleanly with a textbook overhand right — both fighters competing without pay.

Finally, Mariam Nanava continued to impress inside a pentagon-shaped ring, demonstrating that the unconventional five-sided cage format is no obstacle for fighters willing to adapt their footwork and ring generalship.