After being dropped and nearly finished in the first round, Anatoly Tokov held on, and came back to submit Gerald Harris in the second at Bellator 218 in Thackerville, OK on Friday.
The multi-talented Gerald Harris was back in action at Bellator 218. There, the Ultimate Fighter 7 castmate, UFC/WSOF veteran, and occasional stand-up comic took on the dangerous Anatoly Tokov. Harris entered the night in serious need of a win, coming off a draw with Hracho Darpinyan. Tokov, meanwhile, sharing the card with brother Vladimir (who won a unanimous decision earlier in the night) entered the night on a three-fight win streak.
The middleweight battle kicked off with Harris on the outside, and Tokov moving in to close the distance, first with his hands, and later with a hard kick to the body. However, Harris then dropped Tokov! He faked the takedown, then unloaded with an overhand left. With the Russian face-planting, Harris moved in for the kill, landing several follow-up strikes — but somehow, Tokov survived. Moving back to his feet, Harris tied him up along the fence, but needed space to work that he didn’t have. Tokov would eventually reverse position, putting Harris against the cage. The pair traded short punches and knees, until Tokov dumped Harris on his back. Harris controlled the wrists, and quickly made it back up.
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With one last takedown off a trip to end the round, the biggest surprise after five minutes of Harris vs. Tokov was that Tokov had survived to make it to round two. It was Tokov landing early in the second frame, tagging his opponent with a combo following a body kick that opened Harris up to a guillotine. Harris was forced to tap, and Tokov had the comeback win!
A thoroughly entertaining fight, with Tokov showing why he’s one to watch in the division.
Anatoly Tokov def. Gerald Harris by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 0:37
