Bellator 239 looked to be a sort of proving ground for a pair of the promotion’s top prospects. Both Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune were looking at steps up in competition at the event in Thackerville, Oklahoma on Friday — and both fighters suffered setbacks.
None more so than Fortune, the previously undefeated heavyweight who is a big part of the division’s future. Fortunes went south for the wrestler early, as opponent Tim Johnson pressed the attack and connected with a knockout right hook in the first round. It will likely be a few fights for Fortune to work his way back to getting that next step up, while Johnson, a UFC veteran, finally gets his first win in the Bellator cage.
That knockout was unquestionably the star of the show on Friday. The main event, meanwhile, was a much closer affair. The undefeated Yaroslav Amosov improved to 23-0 in the end, with a unanimous decision win over Ed Ruth. Yet overall, it was a close, measured affair, one that shouldn’t set Ruth too far back in the welterweight division.
For Amosov, the win likely won’t be enough for a title shot — especially given champ Douglas Lima will be moving up to vie for the vacant middleweight title against Gegard Mousasi.
Full results from the event, and photo highlights, can be found below!
Bellator 239: Ruth vs. Amosov Results:
Main Card
Yaroslav Amosov def. Ed Ruth by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Myles Jury def. Brandon Girtz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Tim Johnson def. Tyrell Fortune by KO (punches), Round 1, 2:35
Valentin Moldavsky def. Javy Ayala by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 30-24)
Preliminary Card
Davion Franklin def. J.W. Kiser by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:30
Chris Gonzalez def. Aaron McKenzie by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Kevin Croom def. Adil Benjilany by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cris Lencioni def. Salim Mukhidinov by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Kyle Crutchmer def. Scott Futrell by submission (anaconda choke), Round 1, 2:58
Grant Neal def. Claude Wilcox by TKO (punches), Round 3, 3:37
Josh Hill def. Vinicius Zani by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Solo Hatley Jr. def. Gaston Bolanos by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Denise Kielholtz def. Kristina Williams by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:15
TeeJay Britton def. Gabriel Varga by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Keith Lee def. Shawn Bunch by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27)
Christian Edwards def. Marco Hutch by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
