Henry Corrales controlled Georgi Karakhanyan on the way to a unanimous decision win to open Bellator 192 on Saturday night.
At Bellator 192 on Saturday, former WSOF featherweight champion Georgi Karakhanyan walked to the cage for the final bout of his Bellator MMA contract. Facing him was the dangerous Henry Corrales, winner of two straight in the promotion’s 145lb division. The bout opened the event’s main card, unfolding at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA.
Corrales jumped right to work out of the gate, looking to land his overhand right. Georgi came back with a right hand of his own, and the action was underway. Just forty-five seconds in, Karakhanyan shot in, looking to take the fight to the ground. He was unable to complete the takedown, however. That afforded Corrales the opportunity to walk his opponent down. Karakhanyan worked a pair of leg kicks, and relied on the clinch when Corrales came in close. ‘Insane’ would feign a knee, Corrales would score with a leg kick of his own, and the pair would then engage, trading looping shots. Neither man was left damaged, however, and Corrales would stuff a subsequent Karakhanyan takedown attempt. The remainder of the round was spent on the feet, with a final flurry just before the bell.
Round two saw Corrales work to lure Karakhanyan into a firefight. ‘Insane’ was wise enough to avoid this pitfall, and again went for a takedown. Corrales, however, proved his defense was up to snuff, and stayed on his feet. Karakhanyan than pulled guard in a guillotine attempt, but didn’t have it. That gave Corrales the opportunity to work from within Georgi’s guard. He stayed heavy on his opponent, though Karakhanyan did threaten briefly with an arm-bar. With just over a minute remaining in the second, he regained his feet, throwing an upkick to create space. Corrales would finish the frame with a pair of uppercuts in the clinch followed by a knee, and off to the third they went.
In the third, Corrales continued to control pace and position. A Karakhanyan takedown attempt resulted in him being muscled onto his back. While Corrales was unable to do much while on top, he was handily controlling the round. Back on the feet, it was Corrales pushing forward, attacking Georgi’s legs. Karakhanyan would drive Corrales into the fence as time work down, looking for a takedown and attacking with knees. He would attempt to take the back of Corrales as the clock wound down, but ultimately ran out of time.
Henry Corrales def. Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
