Ed Ruth survived a brief scare in the third round of his Bellator 196 fight, along the way to a unanimous decision over Ion Pascu.
Undefeated wrestling standout Ed Ruth headed over to Hungary, taking on Romania’s Ion Pascu in welterweight action (actually a contracted catchweight at 175lbs). The bout went down at Bellator 196, airing Friday night on the Paramount Network.
Ruth took to the outside once the bell sounded, while Pascu worked his jab. Pascu worked in some kicks, while Ruth stayed patient. Ruth then launched a few kicks to the body, only for Pascu to answer back with a crisper one. Ruth definitely felt that left kick. The wrestler then picked up the pace, pressing the action, as the pair exchanged fire. As the round progressed, Ruth flashed a head kick, then finally managed to land a takedown with just over a minute left in the frame. Pascu refused to stay down long, however, and landed an inside knee once the duo were back up. Ruth then peppered Pascu with a pair of uppercuts as the clock wound down. Yet it was Pascu who finished the round with an explosive takedown, only to be unable to keep Ruth grounded.
Round two saw Pascu launch a heavy leg kick early, but he was still being backed up off the end of Ruth’s combinations. Before long, Pascu was covering up when Ruth came in, and that’s when he remembered to keep his hands up. Pascu was still in it, but he was definitely trailing. Another Pascu leg kick actually tripped Ruth up, and a head kick followed which Ruth blocked. The leg attacks continued to work for Pascu, but Ruth answered back with his own head kick, and tried to follow with another. A straight right from Pascu caught Ruth’s attention, though he tried to mask the effect. Ruth would finish the round on top of Pascu, however, finally getting some ground n’ pound in.
It was Ion Pascu opening the third with a takedown; from there, they worked their way up and as Ruth looked to shoot, Pascu was able to catch him in a guillotine attempt. Ruth defended well, however, and was eventually able to free himself. From there, he was able to control his opponent from the top, and it felt like the affair was going to the scorecards. Which it did, with Ruth earning a clear decision.
Ed Ruth def. Ion Pascu by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
