Bellator 239 ‘Ruth Vs Amosov’ Recap & Highlights!

Bellator 239 | Bellator MMA

Bellator 239 ‘Ruth vs Amosov’ aired Fri. night (Feb. 21, 2020) from WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. MMA Mania brings you a post-fight recap, results, .gifs and interviews from another big show!

Bellator 239 “Ruth vs. Amosov” took place Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Veteran Bellator girl Mercedes Terrell was excited to welcome fans to the action.

Undefeated Ukrainian “Dynamo” Yaroslav Amosov (22-0) hoped to cash in for a No. 1 contender’s fight by knocking off “EZ” Ed Ruth (8-1) in a Welterweight main event. The first round was largely a stalemate as Amosov only slightly edged out Ruth in strikes, while Ruth couldn’t take Amosov off his feet for more than a second at any point. Late in the round Amosov opened up with strikes but he needed to let his hands go a lot sooner.

Amosov was more active in the second frame, although both men fought to a stalemate in takedowns, defending each other’s shots and ending up in 50/50 positions on the ground. Amosov seemed to have momentum on his side going into the final round although the first round was tight enough to make it potentially 1-all.

Both men seemed tired in the third round, and when it was all said and done both comically flopped to the ground from exhaustion, but before that point Amosov was providing the forward pressure the majority of the round. Ruth landed one really hard right hand and had a counter to a back take, but Amosov hit the back door escape on the latter and was unhurt by the former. The judges scored it 29-28 X3 all for Yaroslav Amosov, who was joined by a translator and John McCarthy for a post-fight interview.

“Hello America! I’m so happy to fight in America. I always dreamed about this ever since I was little. It’s not my decision but I believe I have to fight for a title, and I came here to fight for a title and be a champion, and show the world that anyone can be the champ.”

Seeking to improve his record to 3-1 in his last four bouts, Brandon Girtz (16-8) took on the sliding Myles Jury (17-5), hoping to snap a three fight losing streak in a Lightweight affair.

Jury took the offensive flurries of Girtz and countered excellently with knees and right hands. While Girtz threw a series of uppercuts that backed Jury up to the fence, Jury landed a knee cleanly on the break and continued to follow his game plan of letting Girtz expend energy en route to a 10-9 first round.

A mishap slowed down the action in round two as Jury’s outstretched hand poked Girtz right in the eye after a standup. Before that point Girtz had taken Jury down early in the round and dominated on top as Jury just held on waiting for a stand up. The doctor cleared Girtz eye enabling him to continue, leading us to the third and decisive round.

A very close third round appeared to tip Jury’s way as he continued to land the knee and Girtz missed with wildly thrown hooks and uppercuts. A couple of takedowns by Jury and none by Girtz also favored the former UFC fighter, but in the end it was up to the judges to decide. They returned a verdict of 29-28 X3 for Jury before he spoke with John McCarthy.

“I’m a good natural counter fighter. Today I had to really push forward and bring out that dog a little bit. When you fight somebody like Brandon he’s dangerous because he chucks bombs. What do I want next? I want a title shot, a new contract, and a little gig in the booth with you Big John!”

Heavyweights collided in the Bellator cage as Tyrell Fortune (8-0) looked to remain unblemished while Timothy Johnson (12-6) searched for his first promotional win.

Heading into the fight Fortune vowed to put the old man down, but Johnson proved he’s not too old at 34 after all with a scintillating right hand to the chin. Fortune was out cold as he fell which was the only thing that saved him from a second heavy hand. The official time of the knockout was 2:35 of Round 1, and he spoke to John McCarthy afterward.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in the win column. This was definitely a fight I needed to make some kind of statement. I’m just as surprised as everyone at home who thought I was going to get my rear end kicked. That was exactly the plan I wanted to implement. I know when you push on him, back him up that’s the biggest hole in his game and I had to exploit that.”

Also tipping the top of the weight scale were promotional mainstay Javy Ayala (11-7) and his bruising Russian counterpart Valentin Moldavsky (8-1).

The only difficulty Moldavsky had in the first round was sinking in hooks from behind on takedowns as Ayala’s big belly got in the way. Otherwise he threw Ayala around like a rag doll and controlled every position on the ground for an easy 10-9 opening round. The second verse was almost exactly the same as the first. Every takedown Moldavsky want he got as he cruised to another dominant round.

Round three was no different which left the judges with no choice but to award Moldavsky the unanimous decision 30-25, 30-24 X2. He spoke with “Big” John McCarthy afterward.

“Yes, that was my plan. I see his fight with Sergei Kharitonov and I think I wrestle him and grapple him (instead). I think I do submission (in round one) but he very strong. He’s a very strong guy.”

For complete Bellator 239 results and coverage click here.