In a fight that could politely be described as “nothing to write home about,” Dragos Zubco got the better of fellow kickboxer Hesdy Gerges at Bellator 230.
The second of two heavyweight scraps on the Bellator 230 main card saw Dragos Zubco taking on Hesdy Gerges. Neither man was all that experienced in the MMA realm, but both had come over from kickboxing. For Dragos, it was his first MMA fight in years, while Gerges had competed for Bellator last December at Bellator 211, losing his pro debut, and only MMA fight, that night.
Gerges, taller and longer, held center early. Dragos caught a kick, however, dumping Gerges to his back and pouncing. Hesdy Gerges was able to make it back up, and the pair would tie up by the fence. Gerges added some knees to the thigh, and the pair reversed. Zubco looked to take the fight down, but Gerges show some decent balance and takedown defense, keeping it standing. That led to the ref restarting them, only for the pair to go right back to the fence. It was clear that Zubco was looking for the takedown, and he finally got it with about a minute remaining. Gerges simply powered up, however, which finally led to Zubco firing off some wild punches, uppercuts with huge swings behind them.
The second continued to be a plodding affair, until just before the midway mark. There, the pair opened up, exchanging wildly, with Zubco getting the better of things, tagging Hesdy Gerges! Gerges would end up on his back, Zubco in side control, working on a crucifix.
The third would see Gerges come on about ninety seconds in, connecting with a right. With Zubco on his knees, Gerges threw strikes from the back, hitting the side of the head. He tried to control the back, but Zubco was able to power up, and began letting his hands go. A couple of wide hooks connected. They’d go back to clinching, grinding into the fence, as the round wore on. For the second straight fight a heavyweight bout went the distance, never a good sign.
Official Result: Dragos Zubco def. Hesdy Gerges by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
