The three round war between Emanuel Newton and Mikhail Zayats ended with the hardcore kid winning a unanimous decision, and $100,000. Zayats gave him a run for his money. Literally, if the last five minutes of that fight were a little different, it could’ve easily been the Russian holding that giant check.
It was pretty clear that Newton had won round one. He came out like a man on a mission, and threw everything but the kitchen sink at his opponent. Takedowns, head kicks, even attempting his famous spinning backfist. At any given moment, that fight could’ve ended in the first round. However, Zayats really turned it up in the second round, and looked like the more active, fresher fighter. He was the one pushing the pace, using a lot of head movement, and even put Newton on his back. This pretty much seal sealed the round for the Russian.
With the fight now one round a piece, it made the final round that much more critical. But once again, it was Newton who was the aggressor, landing more strikes and securing multiple takedowns. Putting it simply, he just out worked and outscored Zayats, winning him two of three rounds.
The light heavyweight tournament winner will now get a rematch with current Bellator light heavyweight champion, Attila Vegh, and chance to avenge his split decision loss from nine months ago. It was a fight that many fans thought he should’ve have won. Newton told MMA Fix that he himself thought he won his fight with Vegh. By the statistic of the fight, it would seem that he is 100% correct. Newton landed nearly twice as many strikes throughout the fight, and was the only one of the two who successfully scored a takedown.
If Newton can dethrone the champ, it’ll be the epitome of “two birds”; avenging his only Bellator loss, and winning the light heavyweight title. Not to mention an excellent underdog story starting with his knockout win over former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. Within six fights, Newton has the potential to go from Bellator novice, to Bellator light heavyweight champion. A Cinderella story if I ever heard one.
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@FightFreek