Bellator 209: “Pitbull vs. Sanchez” airs TONIGHT (Nov. 16, 2018) via tape delay on Paramount Network, having already taken place at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel. The main event will see “Pitbull” Patricio Freire (27-4) defend his Featherweight title against rising divisional star Emmanuel Sanchez (17-3).
Bellator 209’s main card will start at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount Network. MMAmania.com will deliver results and play-by-play for the entirety of the Bellator MMA card below. Please be nice and do not post spoilers in the comments section!
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action. Feel free to leave a comment (or 209) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR 209 QUICK RESULTS:
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez — in progress.
Haim Gozali vs. Ryan Couture — Couture UD 29-27, 30-27, 30-26.
Phil Davis vs. Vadim Nemkov — Nemkov SD 28-29, 29-28 X2.
Olga Rubin vs. Cindy Dandois — Rubin via UD 29-27, 30-26, 30-27.
Adam Keresh vs. Kirill Sidelnikov — Keresh KO 1:12 R1.
Khonry Gracie vs. Ron Becker — Gracie UD 30-27, 29-28 X2.
Aviv Gozali vs. Anton Lazebnov — Gozali sub (armbar) 4:27 R1.
Ion Pop vs. Itsik Rubinov — Rubinov UD 29-28 X3.
Shimon Smotritsky vs. Matan Levi — Smotritsky UD 29-28, 30-27 X2.
Fadi Haiyadre vs. Christos Nicolaou — Nicolaou TKO 4:48 R1.
Honor Kelesh vs. Andrei Barbarosa — Barbarosa UD 29-28, 30-27 X2.
Yulia Sachkov vs. Viktoria Makarova — Makarova TKO 2:44 R1.
Kirill Medvedovsky vs. Denis Palancica — Palancica UD 29-27, 29-28 X2.
Liudvik Sholinian vs. Sidemar Honorio — Honorio UD 30-26 X3.
Jackie Gosh vs. Jamil Ibragimov — Ibragimov TKO 1:37 R1.
Nisim Rozalis vs. Nika Ben Tuashy — Tuashy TKO 0:47 R1.
BELLATOR 209 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
Black trunks and blue gloves for the challenger Sanchez, 17-3, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Red gloves and yellow trunks for the champion Freire, 27-4, fighting out of Natal, Brazil. A victory tonight will make “Pitbull” the most winning fighter all-time in Bellator history. Our referee in charge of the main event is Kevin MacDonald. Both men tap gloves after he gives his final instructions.
Round 1: Freire rushes to the center at the opening bell. Sanchez circles cautiously with his hands up high. Right hand by Freire. Sanchez throws a left head kick that’s checked. Accidental foul by Sanchez as both men were in motion on a kick and the ref calls time. “Pitbull” recovers quickly and we’re back underway. Another right hand for Freire. Body kick for Sanchez. The right lands again for Freire. So far Freire is negating the size and reach advantage of Sanchez effectively. Sanchez almost gets a head kick up the middle but then lands a hard punch that momentarily stuns Freire. Freire goes for a single leg but Sanchez keeps his balance. Freire clinches at 4:02 and Sanchez turns him around. They go back and forth trading knees and break at 4:27. Sanchez misses with a high kick and Freire scores with a pair of uppercuts. 10-9 Freire.
Round 2: Leg kick by Sanchez to open R2. Freire is opening up with heavy 1-2 combos. Overhand right lands. Hard kick to the body from Sanchez. Sanchez throws a high head kick but Freire ducks it. Sanchez is bleeding from somewhere around his right eye. It could be the brow or the cheekbone. The punches in bunches continue to land. Sanchez work more kicks to the midriff. Body shot for Freire. High kick for Sanchez is blocked. Sanchez kicks Freire right in the cup and we get another time out. The blood is definitely coming from directly underneath the right eye of Sanchez – there’s a huge cut there on close-up. He gets a verbal warning for the kick during the timeout. Both men tap gloves on the restart before Freire hurts Sanchez with a big right hand and takes him down at 3:43. Sanchez wall walks to his feet with a minute left. His face is black and blue on both sides. Knee to the body from Freire and a takedown with 26 seconds left. 10-8 Freire.
Round 3: Sanchez comes forward with the urgency of a fighter who knows he’s down on the cards and eating too many heavy hands to last much longer. Freire calmly avoids the axe kick and bides his time waiting for an opening. That opening comes at 1:32 as he wings the lefts and rights. Sanchez tries the head kick – one’s checked and another misses wide. Body kick and leg kick for Sanchez. Freire lost his mouthpiece and the ref calls time to make him put it back in. Freire is opening up with power again. Sanchez tries a spinning head kick. One minute remains. Freire crunches a right hand home and throws a flying knee. Freire takes Sanchez down again with 30 seconds left. 10-9 Freire.
Round 4: Sanchez is running out of time and opportunities here. If he’s going to make it happen now is the time. That’s probably why he went for a takedown 18 seconds in — and he’s got it with side control to boot. Unfortunately he can’t hang onto it and Freire sweeps him for a double leg to get right on top under a minute in. Pitbull stays on top in full guard looking to rack up damage and riding time. Sanchez scrambles back to his feet at 2:03. To his credit Sanchez is still coming forward throwing leg kicks and looking for a chance to turn it around. They clinch up against the cage with 30 seconds left and Sanchez works the legs over with knees. If Sanchez had done better with the takedown I’d give him a 10-9 but I’m going with Freire yet again.
Round 5: Sanchez opens the fifth with a nice 1-2 combo. Freire rocks Sanchez with a left hook and he’s stumbling around the cage. He slumps as he tries to hang on and get a takedown but Freire slips out and is on top from behind against the fence. Sanchez’ face is spattered with blood from ear to ear. Freire with a knee to the body as Sanchez tries to stand back up. He’s finally upright at 1:45 but who knows how clear his head is. Freire throws him down with authority with the inside leg trip at 2:10. Freire takes the full mount with half of R5 left to go. Sanchez escapes but Freire still has his back on the ground. Sanchez stands up with two minutes left. Freire dumps him again at 3:17. He tries to stand and is tossed again at 3:45. Sanchez’ right eye is completely swollen shut. He gets up again at 4:10. Foot stomps by Sanchez. Right elbow by Sanchez. Spinning heel kick misses for Sanchez with 20 seconds left. Pitbull backpedals and Sanchez lunges at him at the bell. 10-9 Freire.
Final result:
Haim Gozali vs. Ryan Couture
White trunks (with black trim) and blue gloves for the 11-6 Couture, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Black trunks with red gloves for the 8-5 Gozali, fighting out of Bat Yam, Israel, who gets a pop singer to personally croon his way to the Bellator cage. Our referee in charge is Leon Roberts. Both men touch gloves during final instructions.
Round 1: Gozali takes the center and throws the first kick. Couture throws a front kick that briefly knocks Gozali to his backside. Gozali wings a left hand and a left high kick. Couture throws a right head kick and misses with a spinning backfist. Couture catches a kick, trips Gozali to the ground, and lets him back up. Gozali pushes Couture into the cage and works hard right hands to the body. Couture breaks free with a knee. Gozali pressures again and Couture breaks off with a right elbow. Now it’s Couture who pushes Gozali into the fence. He works the dirty boxing and looks for a leg trip. Gozali grabs the head and throws a knee. Couture with knees to the legs. Roberts calls for improvement. Gozali is out at 4:07. Couture throws Gozali down at 4:20 and kicks his legs rather than jumping into his guard. Gozali tries to fish hook a leg late. 10-9 Couture.
Round 2: Couture opens the round with jabs from his left hand. Gozali goes for a clinch, Couture lands uppercuts, and Gozali pulls guard to let Couture on top. Couture works right hands and elbows along with a left to the body. Couture backs away at 1:30 and throws a leg kick. Right hand by Couture. Flush left to the face from Gozali. Couture takes Gozali down again and continues to kick away at Gozali’s legs. Roberts forces Gozali to stand back up when Couture backs away. Gozali lands one shot but Couture clinches and lands the elbow and the knees as he turns Gozali into the cage before backing away at 3:19. He comes forward again and lands another elbow up close. Couture has opened up a cut on Gozali’s right eyebrow. Old school foot stomps by Couture. Body shots by Couture. Takedown with 13 seconds left to ice another 10-9 round.
Round 3: Both men swing away for the first 18 seconds but it’s Couture who wins the war with a hard left hand followed by another takedown. Couture is driving elbows and right hands into Gozali’s face as he’s got a dominant position with Gozali’s back pinned against the cage. Hard right hand from Couture as he stacks Gozali up and nasty elbows to the thigh and rib cage. This is getting incredibly lopsided now — virtually a repeat of what we saw Couture do to Gozali in the third round of their LAST fight at MSG. If Gozali has any gas left in the tank he should burn it. He may not. Roberts shows no inclination to stand it up as Couture is staying busy. He backs up of his own accord as we pass the four minute mark then jumps right back on top into half. More right elbows to the face. More ground and pound. Gozali has no answers. 10-8 round for Couture.
Final result: Ryan Couture wins 29-27, 30-27 and 30-26 by unanimous decision.
Phil Davis vs. Vadim Nemkov
Red gloves and pink trunks for Davis, 19-4, 34 years old, fighting out of San Diego, California by way of Harrisburg, PA. Blue gloves and black trunks (with red trim) for Nemkov, 9-2, 26 years old, fighting out of Stary Oskol, Russia. Our referee in charge is Leon Roberts.
Round 1: Tap of gloves at the center. Nemkov lands a leg kick early and continues to pursue them. Davis responds with a hard over hand right and throws a left kick high that misses. Davis lands a leg kick of his own and another at 1:37. He ducks under Nemkov’s shots and throws a few more. Nemkov dances back and forth in front of Davis and throws a right. Davis covers up to avoid a straight left. Nemkov trips Davis as he throws a leg kick and goes for an anaconda choke while Davis is on his knees. Davis blocks it and gets up with two minutes left in R1. Davis avoids an overhand right but the leg kick lands. Nemkov keeps working the kicks as we enter the final minute. Nemkov shoots for a single and is stuffed. Davis has a front headlock to end R1. 10-9 Nemkov.
Round 2: A sweaty Davis is toweled off before R2 can begin. Nemkov continues his single-minded pursuit of leg kicks. Davis isn’t doing much to check them or stop them. He lands the overhand right as McCarthy criticizes him for not using his wrestling. Hard body kick by Nemkov. The crowd is whistling to amuse themselves as we’re not seeing much out of either man we didn’t already see in R1. 90 seconds left. Davis misses with the overhand right. Nemkov is landing the kicks less frequently. Davis and Nemkov each throw wild uppercuts. Leg kick for Davis. Davis initiates a clinch and eats a knee. Nemkov slips behind to take Davis’ back and throws him to the ground. 10-9 for Nemkov, who gets one more takedown at the end of R2.
Round 3: Davis has yet to give up on that overhand right. Nemkov and Davis trade at 1:19. Davis lunges and misses as he tries to back Nemkov to the fence. He touches the face with his foot. A U-S-A chant breaks out in Israel. Nemkov goes for a single leg takedown and Davis shrugs him off. Nemkov avoids the right one more time. Nemkov touches Davis with two left jabs. They clinch with two minutes left and Davis takes him down right to side control. Davis is looking for a kimura but Nemkov slides out the back. Davis and Nemkov clinch and Davis takes him down again and works his way to another kimura attempt. Nemkov defends it right to the end but Davis wins R3 10-9. Was it enough?
Final result: The judges score it 29-28 Davis, 29-28 Nemkov, 29-28 Nemkov by split decision.
Olga Rubin vs. Cindy Dandois
Round 1: Unaired on Paramount Network.
Final result: Olga Rubin wins a unanimous decision 29-27, 30-26 and 30-27.
Adam Keresh vs. Kirill Sidelnikov
Blue gloves for Sidelnikov, 11-5, fighting out of Stary Oskol, Russia. Red gloves and trunks for Keresh, 2-0, fighting out of Tel Aviv, Israel.
Round 1: Handshake to open. Keresh gets hurt with a punch early then a sambo throw takes him down into side control. Keresh gets back up and the crowd erupts for their local fighter. He throws a leg kick. Sidelnikov get hurt badly with a head kick and a right hand finishes it! Adam Keresh stomps around the cage as the crowd roars with approval.
Final result: Adam Keresh wins via knockout at 1:12 of round one.
Khonry Gracie vs. Ron Becker
Red gloves and white trunks for 0-1 Gracie, fighting out of Palos Verdes, California. Blue gloves and black trunks for 2-1 Becker, fighting out of Haifa, Israel. Our referee in charge of the contest is Leon Roberts.
Round 1: The shorter and stouter Becker is trying to pressure early. Gracie responds by putting Becker against the fence for some inside work. Becker breaks free at 1:18. Gracie throws a head kick and a leg kick. Becker and Gracie trade leg kicks. Becker forces Gracie backward and throws a body kick. Gracie misses with a head kick. 90 seconds remain in R1. Flush jab lands for Gracie. Body kick for Gracie. Overhand right for Gracie. Becker moves back to the center and misses with a leg kick. Body kick for Gracie. Becker misses with jabs. Leg kick for Becker. Gracie with the overhand left and flush right at the bell. 10-9 Gracie.
Round 2: Gracie opens with a combo and follows with a head kick. Gracie pushes Becker into the cage and he breaks free but eats a body shot as he does. Knee to the body by Gracie as they clinch and fight for position. Gracie drives Becker into the fence again. Becker gets a right elbow over the top. Gracie backs off at 1:59. Left jab for Gracie. They clinch again at 2:35, Becker goes for a takedown and can’t complete it, Gracie holds him standing for a few knees to the head/face. 1-2 for Gracie. Hard leg kick and a head kick for Gracie. Becker backs up and he may be hurt. Gracie accidentally pokes Becker in the eye and immediately apologizes and backs off as the ref calls time. The restart comes quickly. We get another clinch in the center. Becker lands a right uppercut before they break. Becker shoots and gets a takedown but can’t keep Gracie down at the bell. 10-9 Gracie.
Round 3: Becker chases Gracie around the cage and eats a left to the face as his reward. Becker tries a leg kick and Gracie eludes him. Body kick for Becker. High kick for Becker and he shakes his head trying to no-sell it. Gracie momentarily falls down moving backward to avoid a kick and jumps right up. Becker lunges and Gracie backs away. Becker skids across the mat coming toward Gracie. I think this canvas is a little slick right now for the fighters. Becker eats a jab. Two minutes to go. Becker backs off then comes forward with a kick. He does it again. Gracie misses with his own kick. Becker with another kick. Push kick twice and a high kick by Gracie. 20 seconds. I think Becker MIGHT have outpointed him 10-9 but Gracie should still get the decision.
Final result: The judges score it 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 all for Khonry Gracie.
Aviv Gozali vs. Anton Lazebnov
Both young men are 17 years old and making their pro debut. Gozali is in the red gloves fighting out of Bat Yam, Israel and Lazebnov has the blue fighting out of Kiev, Ukraine. Our referee in charge is Kevin MacDonald.
Round 1: They tap gloves and six seconds later Gozali goes for a takedown. At 14 seconds Gozali has the back and a tight body triangle. He’s already looking for a rear naked choke. He’s cranking on the neck at the one minute mark and Lazebnov turns looking to escape. Gozali goes high looking for am armbar. Lazebnov avoids it but now Gozali has a triangle attempt. Lazebnov eludes it and Gozali stands at 1:53. Gozali goes for a heel hook when he gets Lazebnov back down then takes the back to throw unanswered right hands and lefts to both sides of the head. Gozali takes the back and gets the hooks in again. Lefts and rights from behind. 80 seconds remain in R1. Gozali goes for a kimura then for a triangle then for an armbar and Lazebnov taps out as the crowd erupts.
Final result: Aviv Gozali wins by submission (armbar) at 4:27 of round one.
Ion Pop vs. Itsik Rubinov
Round 1: Unaired on Paramount Network.
Final result: The judges score the contest 29-28 X3 all for Itsik Rubinov.
Shimon Smotritsky vs. Matan Levi
Levi is in the red gloves (and red hair), Smotritsky the blue, 3-0 vs. 4-0 respectively. Smotritsky fights out of Holon, Israel. Levin fights out of Ramat Gan, Israel. Our referee is Bryan Miner.
Round 1: Both men are quickly to the center. Levin whiffs on a big swing. Smotritsky goes upstairs with a head kick and throws a leg kick. Clashing kicks. Smotritsky pushes Levi toward the fence. Levi pushes back. Both men trade leg kicks. Smotritsky Keeps trying to cut an angle and lands a left kick on Levi’s jaw that rouses the crowd. Body kick for Smotritsky. Another head kick. Right to Levi’s chin. Levi is getting punished. Levi puts a left on Smotritsky’s and eats a teak kick to the body followed by another to the chin. Smotritsky shoots and Levi stuffs it and throws a knee from clinch. Smotritsky pushes him into the cage and tries to drop levels — again Levi stays upright. Smotritsky breaks off with an overhand right. 10-9 round for Smotritsky.
Round 2: Smotritsky fails to get a takedown 24 seconds into this round but he once again has Levi pushed into the cage. Levi has an arm around his neck and tries to jump guard looking for a guillotine. Levi keeps on squeezing as they slam to the ground but Smotritsky doesn’t seem like he’s in any danger. Smotritsky stays hie on his toes and pushes all of his weight down onto Levi to keep him from cinching it up tight. Smotritsky finally pops out on top in full guard at 2:52. He postures up then steps back with just under 90 seconds left. Smotritsky goes back down then gets full mount at 4:19. Levi tries and fails to sweep, but he does hang onto Smotritsky’s arms until a few seconds are left in R2. John McCarthy thinks some judges might score R2 for Levi since he was in control for more of the round. Let’s be generous and give Levi a 10-9 even though he didn’t come close to getting that choke.
Round 3: The disadvantage for Levi now is that you can tell his arms are tired and Smotritsky is easily able to pop him in the face, although he does stuff a takedown attempt. A right uppercut follows it. Levi tries to come flying with a knee but gets pushed into the fence. The cage rattles as they jockey for position and Levi gets Smotritsky’s back turned around. Miner leans on the cage to keep a close eye on both men. Levi momentarily considers dropping levels for a takedown attempt of his own. Miner resets them to the center with a minute left. Smotritsky throws a head kick and picks Levi up high in the air to take him down into side control. Smotritsky is going for a von flue choke with short time left. Levi survives but Smotritsky has full mount on top at the bell. 10-9 Smotritsky.
Final result: The judges score it 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 for Smotritsky.
Fadi Haiyadre vs. Christos Nicolaou
Blue gloves and dark gray trunks for Nicolaou, 1-1, fighting out of Cyprus. Red gloves and silver trunks for Haiyadre, making his pro debut, fighting out of Israel. Our referee for this fight is Leon Roberts.
Round 1: Nicolaou gets pushed into the cage and fights his way out, gets tripped and thrown but gets back to his feet, gets into a slugfest with Haiyadre, both men are fighting wild in the first minute. Haiyadre tries a spin kick. Nicolaou tries a head kick. Nicolaou is pressuring but gets backed off with a leg kick. Overhand right flush by Haiyadre. Clash of heads at 2:38. Haiyadre tries a backfist and Nicolaou does one in response. Leg kick by Nicolaou. Nicolaou is starting to string together strikes while Haiyadre is backpedaling and firing one shot at a time. Left hook for Nicolaou to the head. They trade jabs. Superman punch for Nicolaou. Right hook for Haiyadre but he gets rocked in response by a short right and Roberts jumps on top to save him from more damage.
Final result: Christos Nicolaou wins via first round TKO at 4:48.
Honor Kelesh vs. Andrei Barbarosa
Red gloves and bright red trunks for Kelesh, 3-0, fighting out of Bat Yam, Israel. Blue gloves with red trunks for Barbarosa, 5-6, fighting out of Moldova. Our referee is Leon Roberts.
Round 1: Barbarosa avoids a head kick attempt by Kelesh early. Kelesh circles on the outside and lets Barbarosa come toward him. Leg kick for Barbarosa. Kelesh paws at his opponent with a jab and circles to the right then back to the left. Barbarosa misses with a spin kick. Barbarosa walks toward him and throws a right. There’s a lot of body language going on with both men pointing and nodding. Reverse kick by Barbarosa. Uppercut misses. Right hook by Barbarosa. Another right lands. Leg kick by Barbarosa. Kelesh misses with a spinning backfist. Left jab leg kick and another punch for Kelesh all land. Barbarosa gets a hand up to block a head kick then comes forward with an uppercut. Right hands for Kelesh. Head kick for Kelesh. Kelesh spend too much of the round on the defensive and was eating big shots from Barbarosa when he’d charge in. 10-9 Barbarosa.
Round 2: Barbarosa comes forward immediately to land another leg kick. Right hook from Barbarosa. Body kick for Barbarosa. Front kick. Barbarosa goes for a single leg, knows he doesn’t have it and lets it go. Kelesh considers a takedown but eats a right hook. Barbarosa with a couple of hard rights. Solid left hand for Kelesh. Leg kick for Barbarosa. Big left hand for Barbarosa stuns Kelesh for a second. Overhand right for Barbarosa is checked. Kelesh shoots and Barbarosa locks up the neck and throws a couple uppercuts before letting him go. Barbarosa’s confidence is increasing by the moment. They clash on the fence at 3:35. Kick by Barbarosa. Kelesh screams at him to fight and Barbarosa lands a right. Body shot for Barbarosa. 10-9 Barbarosa.
Round 3: Barbarosa is quickly unleashing jabs to open the final round. Kelesh lands a flush shot and tries a flying knee afterward. Barbarosa throws a hard right in return. Barbarosa seems to be mocking Kelesh by adopting an old school boxing stance. He’s gesticulating wildly with his right hand. John McCarthy says “these nice cool antics” don’t score points. The leg kick Barbarosa just threw does. Kelesh goes for a takedown and Barbarosa rolls through it back to his feet. They wind up on the fence with Barbarosa going for a single leg. He throws kicks and knees at the legs of Kelesh as he’s pinned to the cage. Roberts gets tired of the stalemate and resets them with 95 seconds left. Barbarosa is talking to Kelesh and most likely saying the equivalent of “bring it bro.” Barbarosa charges in for a shot. He does the Marquis of Queensbury boxing stance again and lands a body shot. Hard jab by Barbarosa. 10 seconds. 10-9 Barbarosa.
Final result: The judges score it 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 all for Barbarosa.
Yulia Sachkov vs. Viktoria Makarova
Blue gloves for Makarova, red gloves for Sachkov. Makarova is making her pro debut out of New York, NY. Sachkov is 0-1 and she fights out of Haifa, Israel. Our referee in charge of this fight is Kevin MacDonald. Sachkov has a full body shirt, Makarova a black top and black trunks.
Round 1: Makarova takes her down and gets a half guard quickly. She’s pushing down on Sachkov’s knee with a hand looking to free her trapped leg and pass. Makarova may not even need to. She’s throwing tons of left hands to the body and head. Sachkov looks like a little child in there with a grown woman. Makarova has a full mount at 1:37. She sits up and unloads a relentless series of lefts and rights as MacDonald takes a close look. Makarova considers a straight arm lock but throws an elbow instead. More ground and pound and it’s finally stopped. This was a one sided beating.
Final result: Viktoria Makarova wins by TKO at 2:44 of the first round.
Kirill Medvedovsky vs. Denis Palancica
11-5 vs. 6-0 and red gloves vs. blue from Medvedovsky to Palancica. Palancica fights out of Moldova with the short black trunks. Medvedovsky fights out of Netanya, Israel in the black and silver trunks. Our referee in charge is Kevin MacDonald.
Round 1: Palancica forces Medvedovsky to the outer circle. He’s jumping around and looking to close the distance with his hands. The right is finding a home. Hard left hook to the body by Palancica. The fight goes to the ground with Medvedovsky briefly on top but unable to do anything. Medvedovsky takes Palancica back down and has him pinned against the fence, nearly throwing an illegal knee to the head as Palancica gets back to his feet. Medvedovsky hangs on to a single leg looking to take him down again, then takes the back standing. Palancica takes a knee to the head. Close first round. 10-9 Medvedovsky.
Round 2: Palancica takes a head kick early, gets a takedown but then scrambles to his feet and hurts Medvedovsky with a head kick. Medvedovsky comes forward and jabs. Medvedovsky gets clipped and Palancica takes his back as Medvedovsky is on his knees. Medvedovsky looks for a kimura as Palancica drives knees into his thigh and left hands into his head. Palancica momentarily has side and then is back in guard. Palancica postures up at 90 seconds left for some shots and elbows. Palancica is on top in half to end R2. 10-9 round for Palancica.
Round 3: Both men tap gloves to start R3. Palancica comes forward with a body shot. Medvedovsky shoots but Palancica ends up on top in guard. Medvedovsky keeps trying to roll to an advantageous position but Palancica stays on top. Medvedovsky goes for a heel hook but Palancica spins free and gets back to his feet. Medvedovsky tries for a guillotine but doesn’t get it and Palancica is back on top again. Palancica just rides and rides and rides until the end of the round, out striking Medvedovsky for a 10-9 and a decision.
Final result: The judges score it 29-27, 29-28 and 29-28 all for Palancica.
Liudvik Sholinian vs. Sidemar Honorio
Sholinian is 3-0-1 in the red gloves and black trunks, fighting out of Kiev, Ukraine. Honorio is 12-6 in the blue gloves and trunks, fighting out of Philadelphia, PA. Kevin MacDonald is our referee.
Round 1: Honorio opens with a powerful leg kick. Then another. Then a head kick. Honorio elbows Sholinian in the head repeatedly but he weathers the storm and gets back up. Honorio jumps guard looking for an armbar or a triangle, elbowing Shlinian in the head. He gets out at 1:12 but gets rocked again. He’s bleeding all over Honorio as he looks for another submission off his back. More elbows to the head from the guard. Blood is spraying everywhere. Sholinian steps over to avoid Honorio trapping an arm. Honorio throws upkicks as Sholinian backs off. They both stand at 3:09. Body kick hurts Sholinian badly and he can barely stand. He crumbles against the fence without even being touched. Honorio is looking to finish. Honorio takes the back throwing multiple lefts to the head. It’s amazing Sholinian is still in the fight. Somehow he survives. 10-8 Honorio.
Round 2: Honorio opens with a body kick. Sholinian looks wobbly just standing in front of him. Another body kick by Honorio. Leg kick. Left hand to the head checked. Another leg kick. Sholinian has enough of his wits about him to stand and keep his hands up but not much energy. Honorio is moving slower than he did in R1 though which is helping Sholinian survive. Right kick by Honorio to the body. Leg kick. Two body shots. Two lefts to the face. Leg kick. Sholinian keeps walking forward but doesn’t do much but get hit when he does. Now Sholinian is starting to swing with abandon and he shoots to get a takedown with 88 seconds left. I don’t think I’d want to be on the ground with Honorio. Honorio is stood up and given a warning about shots to the back of the head. No point is taken though and the fight is restarted on the feet, which makes McCarthy almost livid. Sholinian gets another takedown and Honorio tries to trap an arm and elbow Sholinian in the head. 10-9 Honorio.
Round 3: Sholinian takes a head kick 8 seconds into R3. Honorio is leaning forward to find his range. Sholinian takes some big shots and doesn’t gold so Honorio goes for a takedown instead then goes for a jiu-jitsu sweep trying to get a leg or an arm. Honorio goes for a heel hook and doesn’t get it but is on top with two minutes gone. Full mount at 2:19. Sholinian uses the fence and gets back to his feet at 2:40 and then ends up on top in the next scramble. He’s in the guard but not doing much with it as Honorio keeps the knees up high. There’s a better chance of Honorio finding a submission off his back than of Sholinian doing anything offensive. Time ekes away. 10-9 Honorio as we go to the judges.
Final result: The judges score this fight 30-26 X3 for Sidemar Honorio.
Jackie Gosh vs. Jamil Ibragimov
Red trunks for Ibragimov, 1-0, blue gloves, fighting out of Azerbaijan. White trunks with red gloves for Gosh, 7-1, fighting out of Abu Ghosh, Israel. The referee is Leon Roberts.
Round 1: Glove tap. The crowd is chanting loudly for Gosh 30 seconds in. He’s backed up to the fence by his opponent for some shots. Gosh breaks free and circles. He takes a kick to the body and comes forward with a big left and a sneaky right. Ibragimov gets him against the fence lands a knee and some huge hands and it’s stopped. Gosh is dazed and confused and the crowd boos loudly as Ibragimov runs around the cage screaming with joy.
Final result: Jamil Ibragimov wins at 1:37 of round one via TKO.
Nisim Rozalis vs. Nika Ben Tuashy
Round one: Unaired on Paramount Network.
Final result: Nika Ben Tuashy wins at 0:47 of round one via TKO.