After meeting for the first time last December, Walter Pugliesi and Andrea Fusi collided once again at Bellator 230 in Milan, Italy on Saturday.
Starting off the Bellator 230 card in Milan, Italy was a welterweight scrap between a pair of Italian fighters. Walter Pugliesi and Andrea Fusi were tasked with kicking off the card, which aired in North America on both Paramount Network and DAZN. It was also a rematch of their earlier Bellator MMA fight, at Bellator 211 last December. That night, Fusi had come out on top.
In the rematch, Fusi held center early, forcing Pugliesi outside and throwing a kick to the body. Pugliesi answered with kicks of his own, both low and high. The pair tied up along the fence, but neither man was able to get the fight down. Back in the open, Fusi pressed forward, driving Pugliesi back to the fence as he attacked. Pugliesi, however, turned him, putting Fusi’s back to the fence. The pair would trade knees, then break; Pugliesi fired off a number of hooks and a head kick as they re-engaged. The latter was blocked, but Fusi was retreating. Pugliesi would land a number of heavy shots off the break, before they clinched once again. The clinch work, frankly, was giving him the edge.
Round two had Fusi on the offensive early, looking for the takedown. Pugliesi had other ideas, reversing the position and getting the fight down himself. They popped right back up, and faced off in the middle. The pair would battle it out much as they did in the first, clinching then separating. Pugliesi came on at the end of the first, firing a spinning back fist and elbows that bloodied Andrea Fusi.
The third frame had Fusi in need of a stoppage. He immediately found himself working on a weak guillotine attempt, which Pugliesi easily broke free of. Back on the feet, it was Pugliesi pushing forward, firing single strikes and occasional combos. The clinch allowed him to sneak in a knee, and overall, he was mixing up his striking nicely. Fusi would try a desperation kimura when they went back to the ground later on, but it simply wasn’t his night.
Official Result: Walter Pugliesi def. Andrea Fusi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
