Back at middleweight for Bellator 245, Ed Ruth was looking to get back in the win column, after coming up short against the undefeated Yaroslav Amosov in his last outing. Ruth, a decorated wrestler from Penn State, had been competing at welterweight since 2018, going 3-2 in the weight class.
Opposite Ruth on Friday, a fellow wrestler in Taylor Johnson. But one who had a wee bit of experience in the jiu-jitsu realm as well. That experience paid dividends on Friday.
If you thought Ruth was going to having a dominant performance falling back on his bread and butter, his wrestling, you were wrong. Early on, Johnson gripped on to a leg, and began hunting a submission. Ruth, try as he might, could not break free of the hold. Johnson latched on with a heel hook — an inverted heel hook to be exact — and before long, Ruth was forced to tap.
Taylor Johnson was not on the radar prior to Friday, but after submitting Ed Ruth win an inverted heel hook, he most certainly is now. A big win for Johnson, and a rude welcome back to the middleweight division for Ed Ruth.
Official Result: Taylor Johnson def. Ed Ruth by submission (inverted heel hook), Round 1, 0:59
