Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Lightweight title challenger, Kevin Lee, gets the 165-pound division he’s always wanted tonight (Fri., March 11, 2022) when he squares off with the legendary Diego Sanchez in the main Eagle FC 46.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of tonight’s main card on FLXCast. The undercard broadcast begins at 6 p.m. ET, with the main card likely to kick off closer to 9-10 p.m. ET.
The promotion’s Heavyweight title will be on the line in the co-feature, which pits Contender Series alum Rizvan Kuniev against 10-fight Octagon veteran, Anthony Hamilton. Eagle FC 46’s card also sees Ray Borg start his promotional run against former Bellator mainstay, Ricky Bandejas, Handesson Fereira meet Zach Juusola, and Impa Kasanganay fight Raimond Magomedaliev in the former’s first fight since his unexpected release from the world’s largest fight promotion.
EFC 46 Quick Results:
Kevin Lee vs. Diego Sanchez — Lee def. Sanchez by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Rizvan Kuniev vs. Anthony Hamilton — Kuniev def. Hamilton by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:17 of Round One
Ray Borg vs. Ricky Bandejas — Borg def. Bandejas by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Handesson Ferreira vs. Zach Juusola — Ferreira def. Juusola by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Raimond Magomedaliev vs. Impa Kasanganay — Magomedaliev def. Kasanganay by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)Akhmed Alievvs.Darrell Horcher— Canceled
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Nah-Shon Burrell — Aliskerov def. Burrell by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Irwin Rivera vs. Firdavs Khasanov — Rivera def. Khasanov via technical knockout (kick) at 4:48 in round two
Archie Colgan vs. Dylan Mantello — Colgan def. Mantello via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)Ronny Markesvs.Reggie Pena— Canceled
Tyler Ray vs Thomas Webb — Ray def. Webb via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Caio Uruguai vs. Sitik Muduev — Muduev def. Uruguai via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Emmanuel Walo vs. Ryder Newman — Newman def. Walo via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
EFC 46 Round-by-Round Coverage:
165 lbs.: Kevin Lee vs. Diego Sanchez
Round one: Low kick from Sanchez to start. Lee comes back with a hard right hand as they exchange. Good Sanchez body kick met by a straight right. Sanchez lands a straight to uppercut, then a low blow that Lee shakes off. One minute in. Lee continuing to stalk. Body shots. Sanchez body kick, continuing to circle well. Two minutes in. He falls short with a two-piece, eats a right hand. Heavy right from Lee after Sanchez slips and he follows up by changing levels. Sanchez blatantly grabs the fence but goes down anyway. Two minutes to go.
Lee looking for the back, gets his hooks in while landing punches. One minute to go. Lee considers a Suloev stretch, but loses positions and looks for a fresh takedown attempt. Knees from Sanchez as he defends. Elbow and punches from Lee. He ends the round throwing, including a few after the bell. 10-9 Lee
Round two: Lee tries a counter knee as Sanchez fires a low kick. Continuing to advance, solid right hand. 2-3. 3-2, but Sanchez stumbles him with a calf kick. One minute in. Hard overhand right by Lee. Left hook after eating a right. Sanchez body kick. Two minutes in. Lee’s really having issues with that lead leg. Straight left from Sanchez. Another. Lee shoots through a knee to land on top in guard. Two minutes to go.
Half guard now for Lee. Sanchez gets butterfly hooks. One minute to go. Sanchez tries to invert and attack a leg, no dice. Short shots from Lee. 10-9 Lee.
Round three: Another leg kick trips Lee up. Counter right from Lee, then a pause to put Sanchez’s mouthpiece back in. Decent blitz from Sanchez. Low-high 2-3 from Lee. Head kick attempt. Sanchez blitz falls short. Short right hook from Lee two minutes in. Sanchez still circling, not offering quite as much in return as before. Both land good right hands in center cage. Another right from Sanchez. Straight left. Counter right to answer a body kick. Calf kick. Two minutes to go.
Straight lefts from Sanchez, right straight comes back at him. Low kicks connect. They trade and a dinky-looking left hook drops Sanchez. Lee back on top in guard with a minute to go. Heavy elbow splits Sanchez open. Half guard for Lee. He opens up with right hands until the bell. 10-9 Lee.
Final result: Lee def. Sanchez by unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Rizvan Kuniev vs. Anthony Hamilton
Round one: Kuniev advancing, Hamilton circling. Glancing wheel kick from Kuniev. Hamilton looks to throw back, eats knees in the clinch, looks for a single-leg. Kuniev responds with a standing guillotine, which doesn’t take long to force a tap.
Final result: Kuniev def. Hamilton by submission (guillotine choke)
135 lbs.: Ray Borg vs. Ricky Bandejas
Round one: Bandejas tries a front kick. Low kick from Borg as they trade jabs. Harder low kick from Bandejas. Solid kicks and counter work from him. Cuffing right hand stings Borg a minute in. Borg shoots, eats hammerfists, continues to drive. Bandejas gets a whizzer, separates, tees off on him for a bit. Better shot from Borg, tries to jump on his back. Two minutes in. He switches to a single-leg, lands a high crotch lift into guard. Half guard, then side control an instant later. Two minutes to go.
Bandejas spins to his knees and Borg grabs a seatbelt grip. Looking for a full back take. One minute to go. Slick transition into back mount, body triangle. He wraps up the RNC but Bandejas is saved by the bell. 10-9 Borg.
Round two: Borg pushing forward, lands a left hook. Low kick exchange. Borg shoots, denied. Overhand right into another shot a minute in. Continuing to drive. Two minutes in. He finally gets Bandejas down and moves to side control, then looks for the back. Bandejas scrambles free with two minutes to go.
Borg’s left eye is dinged up at this point. He shoots, denied, eats a right cross. Lead right connects. Left hook from Borg. One minute to go. Bandejas right hand, lands jabs as he takes a low kick. Jab from Borg. 1-2 comes back at him. Borg left hook and low kicks. 10-9 Borg, but not by much.
Round three: Bandejas opens with an outside reap, can’t hold Borg down. Borg shoots in response. Bandejas manages to scramble free and land on the way up a minute in. Trading jabs. Borg’s left eye is really in bad shape. He shoots, denied, eats a few punches while on his knees. Bandejas boxing well off the back foot, stuffs another takedown two minutes in. Left hook by Borg. Shoots, denied, cracked with a right on the way up. Borg to the body. Bandejas shoots, can’t quite complete it. Sharp left hook by Borg stings Bandejas with two minutes to go.
Bandejas still throwing, eats a heavy body shot. He seems to have his wits back. Borg lands to the body, eats a 3-1. Borg overhand right. Bandejas shoots with a minute to go, rebuffed. Overhand right by Borg. Another one, then a spinning back fist. Another overhand right. Left hook, right cross. Two more overhand rights and they slug to end the round. 10-9 Bandejas but the last two rounds could go either way.
Final result: Borg def. Bandejas by split decision
165 lbs.: Handesson Ferreira vs. Zach Juusola
Round one: Ferreira lands a solid body kick and tries to follow up with a flurry, which Juusola shoots underneath. Ferreira defends and reverses against the fence. One minute in. Jockeying for position. Ferreira changes levels, denied, still clinched up. He separates, fires a lengthy flurry, then tries to shoot two minutes in. No dice. Both land body kicks. Juusola pops him with a straight left. Jabs landing. Low kicks with two minutes to go.
Ferreira not offering much at the moment. Juusola tries a body shot, can’t get the takedown, eats a body kick. Counter right connects. More body work by Juusola with a minute to go. Leaping right hook after eating a body kick. Ferreira with some solid right hands and a left behind it. Juusola answers to the body, gets taken down, pops back to his feet. Ferreira stays attached as he tries to separate and latches onto his back. No dice on the RNC. 10-9 Juusola.
Round two: Ferreira catches a kick, answers with punches, and drags Juusola to his knees. Juusola works his way back to his feet, stuck against the fence. One minute in. Ferreira can’t quite run the pipe on a single-leg and they separate. Juusola working behind the jab, landing to the body. Ferreira body kick and right hand. Solid straight left from Ferreira, who tries a reactive shot. No dice, continuing to pressure. Good low kick, chains a reactive single into a double-leg that puts him on top to guard. Two minutes to go.
Staying tight, landing short punches. One minute to go. Juusola not offering much off of his back. Late burst of elbows and punches from Ferreira, then a knee to the body when Juusola goes to his knees. 10-9 Ferreira.
Round three: Juusola advancing, firing kicks. Body jab, knee downstairs. Ferreira can’t complete the single-leg. Juusola hauls him to the fence, nothing doing. Ferreira body kicks a minute in. Low kick, 2-3. They trade in the center. Hard straight left and 1-2 from Ferreira on the fence. Juusola lands a left downstairs two minutes in. Nice reactive shot by Ferreira, great sprawl by Juusola. They separate. They trade in the center. Ferreira straight left. Head kick attempt, straight left in combination. He shoots with two minutes to go.
No luck. Juusola looks for the body, wading after him. Hard left hand by Ferreira and Juusola waves him on. One minute to go. Juusola bites on a feint, lands a body shot. Ferreira jumping switch kick appears to land. Left hook, then a looping left from southpaw. Spinning back fist attempt. 10-9 Ferreira.
Final result: Ferreira def. Juusola by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Raimond Magomedaliev vs. Impa Kasanganay
Round one: They collide early and Kasanganay puts him on the fence. Magomedaliev reverses. Kasanganay reverses in turn a minute in, gets reversed. Trading the occasional short knee. Magomedaliev changes levels and puts him on his back. Punches on the way up. A scramble ensues with two minutes to go and Magomadaliev ends up on top.
Back up, rear waist lock for Magomedaliev. Foot stomps after Kasanganay turns to face him. Kasanganay reverses. One minute to go. Controlling position via double underhooks. They separate in the waning seconds and Kasanganay tries to throw heat. 10-9 Magomedaliev.
Round two: Kasanganay rushes in after eating a low kick and puts him on the fence again. Surprise takedown lands him on top in half guard. Magomedaliev elevates and looks for a leg, can’t do so. Kasanganay staying tight two minutes in. Elbows to the body, short punches upstairs. Magomedaliev regains guard and kicks him off, making it to his feet and staying there despite a pair of takedown attempts from Kasanganay. Two minutes to go.
Kasanganay pressing him against the fence. Magomedaliev reverses, lands a knee downstairs, then counters Kasanganay’s power double attempt to land on top in guard. Kasanganay looking for upkicks and Magomedaliev dives right into a triangle. Not deep at all and he waits it out. 10-9 Kasanganay.
Round three: Kasanganay opens with a takedown attempt and drags Magomedaliev to a knee. Awkward roll, Kasanganay nearly in the rear crucifix. Magomedaliev cracks him with an elbow behind his back. He patiently turns into top position, but Kasanganay explodes to his feet. Magomedaliev presses him against the fence, then takes him down. Looking for the body lock on the way up. Kasanganay reverses and puts him on the fence. Magomedaliev reverses and changes levels but can’t keep him down. Double underhooks for Kasanganay, rear waist lock with two minutes to go.
Magomedaliev on one knee. He turns, stands, puts Kasanganay on the fence. Separation. Kasanganay barrels in to get double unders again. One minute to go. Jockeying for position and it’s Magomedaliev hitting the outside trip into half guard. Another scramble brings them to the feet and they trade leather before clinching one last time. 10-9 Magomedaliev.
Final result: Magomedaliev def. Kasanganay by split decision
For more on Eagle FC’s stateside return this week in Miami click here.