Press Release – PHOENIX, Ariz. (October 14, 2011)- M-1 Challenge XXVII: Magalhaes vs. Zayats delivered an entertaining night of mixed martial arts action for those in attendance at the Grand Canyon University Arena and fans tuning in live on SHOWTIME , as the fighters took matters into their own hands in a great night of finishes.
In the nights main event, M-1 Challenge Light Heavyweight champion Vinny Magalhaes retained his title in spectacular fashion with head kick KO of challenger Mikhail Zayats.
Zayats entered the bout with a solid gameplan, and looked very good in the opening two frames of the contest. Using quality low kicks and remaining elusive on the ground, Zayats appeared to be on his way to frustrating the champion who is best known as one of the best grapplers in the sport.
In the third round, the champion became more aggressive on his feet landing a highlight reel head kick which provided the beginning of the end of the bout. Magalhaes quickly swarmed the fallen challenger causing the referee to jump in at 1:13 of the third to protect Zayats.
The win is the fifth consecutive for Magalhaes who improves his record to 9-5-1 and as he remains unbeaten in the promotion.
In the night’s co-main event, Kenny “Deuce” Garner captured the M-1 Challenge Interim Heavyweight Title with a fifth round stoppage of late replacement Maxim Grishin.
The two fighters battled each other and exhaustion in the back and forth contest. Garner landed heavy shots with great frequency throughout the fight while the crafty veteran Grishin proved to be hard to finish as he was unable to capitalize on some submission opportunities of his own.
The end came at 4:07 of the fifth round, as the noticeably exhausted Grishin tapped as Deuce was landing significant strikes from side control.
The rest of the televised card showcased a trio of slick submissions, as Daniel Madrid defeated Tom Gallicchio by armbar, Yasuby Enomoto submitted Josh Thorpe via triangle choke, and Middleweight fan favorite Arthur Guseinov needed only :50 seconds to secure a fight ending heel hook submission of Eddie Arizmendi.
Main Card Results
Vinny Magalhaes def. Mikhail Zayats via TKO (strikes) – Round 3 (1:13)
Kenny Garner def. Maxim Grishin via submission (strikes) – Round 5 (4:07)
Arthur Guseinov def. Eddie Arizmendi via submission (heel hook) – Round 1 (0:50)
Yasubey Enomoto def. Josh Thorpe via submission (triangle) – Round 1 (1:07)
Daniel Madrid def. Tom Gallicchio via submission (armbar) – Round 1 (0:48)