Kickboxing champion Denise Kielholtz proved too much for Petra Castkova to handle at Bellator 196 in Hungary.
At Bellator 196, which aired Friday night on the Paramount Network, kickboxing champ Denise Kielholtz returned to MMA action. Taking on the 3-2 Czech fighter Petra Castkova, Kielholtz was expected to have a clear advantage on the feet. And despite being the younger fighter by several years, she had a clear experience advance thanks to her kickboxing career.
Kielholtz showed some flash on the feet, but looked equally at ease when the fight went to the ground early. Petra Castkova found herself on her side against the cage. While she was able to escape, she was rocked by a punch off the break, somersaulting backwards. Castkova stayed on the outside, looking to keep distance between her and the kickboxing ace. However, each and every time Kielholtz moved in, she threatened to drop the Czech fighter. Kielholtz relied on her counters, and got the better of each and every exchange.
The second round saw this approach continue. Kielholtz was flashing dangerous counters; Petra Castkova mixed in some spinning back fists, but was nowhere close to doing any damage with them. Castkova’s biggest strength was her height, which gave Kielholtz a bit of trouble closing the distance. The Czech finally managed to score a takedown, via a throw, with just over a minute left in the second. However, Kielholtz refused to stay down long.
Round three saw Kielholtz land a combination early. The biggest surprise was that Petra Castkova was still in it. However, she had little more than a puncher’s chance, and was swinging wildly. When it went to a decision, there was no surprise whatsoever that all three judges saw it 30-27 for Kielholtz.
Denise Kielholtz def. Petra Castkova by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
