Regional MMA tends to get scored on a curve, but Eagle FC 44 was a different sort of animal. It’s hard to call the outfit, known as Gorilla FC prior to Khabib buying it up, truly “regional” given its Russian footprint. At the same time, it’s not the UFC, not Bellator, not the PFL or ONE — but in terms of overall production quality, the card was right up there. It all stream lived (and free) on the FLXcast app, which looked sharp, smooth and glitch free.

When it comes down to it, however, it’s the fights that matter most. Those delivered for the most part on Friday, with plenty of stoppages, plenty of action, and a number of notable names competing.

Eagle FC 44’s main event saw kickboxing champ Tyron Spong return to the cage for the first time since 2012, taking on the hulking Sergei Kharitonov. While Spong fired off a few low kicks early, Kharitonov easily got the striker to the ground, sinking in a head lock from side control. From there, Kharitonov transitioned to mount, with three and a half minutes remaining in the opening round. An awful lot of time to have the Russian “Paratrooper” on top of you. Somehow, Spong made it out of the round, but not before eating a healthy portion of ground n’ pound.

https://twitter.com/EagleFightClub/status/1487269126171148295

Looking to duplicate the success he had in round one, Kharitonov immediately dropped for a takedown in the second. This time, Spong stayed upright. They’d battle it out on the feet, but Kharitonov would get Spong on his back, and make it to mount, with more than two minutes left in the round. This time, Spong was going nowhere, and couldn’t run out the clock. Kharitonov had one of Spong’s arms trapped, putting him in a dicey spot. The ground n’ pound brought in the ref, and that was all she wrote.

The Russian improved to 34-9, 2NC with the TKO victory. For Spong, his first loss as a mixed martial artist puts him at 2-1 in the sport.

Rashad Evans returned to action for the first time since his retirement in 2018 in the co-main event of Eagle FC 44.

Entering as an underdog against the little-known Gabriel Checco, the former UFC light heavyweight champion found his groove early. If there was any rust, it seemed to have been shaken off by the second round. While Evans ate an early spinning high kick, he got Checco on the mat early in the frame. After avoiding a few leg locks, “Suga” moved to side control. Checco would briefly turn the tables, and went after a heel hook later in the round, but Evans had plenty of top time.

The third round opened with an Evans front kick, followed by a right hand. Checco wound up stunned, going to the ground with Evans looking to take the back. Checco went back to his leg lock game, but Evans was having none of it, and was soon back in side control. His control time would earn him the decision win on all three scorecards.

Following the fight, the 42-year old Evans said the key to his return was finding love for the sport again. And he’s looking to fight again moving forward, promising he’d be in better shape for the next outing.

Earlier in the night, an early onslaught from Cody Gibson had things looking dicey for fellow UFC alum Ray Borg. But Borg would survive the storm, and fall back on a solid gas tank to mount an impressive comeback. By the third round, he had Gibson on his back, battered and bloodied. Borg did just about everything he could to find the finish, landing elbows and hammerfists and briefly moving to mount. While he couldn’t put Gibson away in the end, he did take the unanimous decision victory in the bantamweight fight.

Full results from Friday’s Eagle FC 44 card can be found here.

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A card littered with familiar names, Nurmagomedov’s burgeoning promotion brought with it a heavyweight main event featuring Tyrone Spong against Sergei Kharitonov.

A veteran of PRIDE, Bellator MMA, and everything in between, Kharitonov was set to welcome Spong back to the the cage after an eight-year absence. During his time away from MMA, Spong, a decorated kickboxer, had amassed a 14-0 record in boxing.

The evening’s co-main event featured the return of Rashad Evans. The UFC Hall of Famer and former light heavyweight champion had retired following a 2018 loss to Anthony Smith. But as is often the case with MMA retirements, it didn’t stick. Evans was set to face Gabriel Checco on the card.

Also in action, former UFC title challenger Ray Borg, against fellow UFC alum Cody Gibson, and other notable names including John “Doomsday” Howard, Anthony Njukuani, Shawn Bunch, and Yorgan De Castro.

The Eagle FC 44 card takes place Friday, January 28, 2022 at the FLX Arena in Miami, Florida. The event streams live on FLX Cast.

Eagle FC 44: Kharitonov vs. Spong

Main Card

Sergei Kharitonov  def. Tyrone Spong by TKO, Round 2, 2:55
Rashad Evans def. Gabriel Checco by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ray Borg def. Cody Gibson by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)
Ramazan Kuramagomedov def. John Howard by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Raimond Magomedaliev def. Anthony Njokuani by TKO, Round 1, 2:49

Preliminary Card

Dylan Salvador def. Arman Ospanov by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 2, 5:00
Yorgan De Castro def. Shaun Asher by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 1:04
Demarques Jackson def. Miles Hunsinger by TKO, Round 1, 0:54
Shawn Bunch def. Firdavs Khasanov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Loik Radzhabov def. Zach Zane by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:23
Ayadi Majdeddine def. Sitik Muduev by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The promotion, led by former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is making its U.S. debut with the event, set to go down January 28, 2022 in Miami, Florida.

Kharitonov (33-9, 2NC) is the very definition of a prize fighter, competing all over the globe while still under contract with Bellator MMA. The 41-year old Russian known as “Paratrooper” (he actually was one as a member of the Russian Airborne Troops) last competed for Parus FC in Dubai, where he finished UFC veteran Fabio Maldonado. Next stop, Miami— though he’s grateful to Bellator for allowing him this opportunity.

“Currently, I’m a Bellator fighter. I’m a current Bellator fighter, but Bellator was gracious enough to let me fight with Eagle FC. They gave me permission right away,” a “very appreciative” Kharitonov told Cageside Press on Wednesday in Miami. “For now, I’m doing one fight here, and I’m honored to be the main event for the Eagle FC debut here in America.”

Tyrone Spong is a legend in the striking world, with multiple kickboxing accolades, not to mention a 14-0 record in the boxing ring. But January’s contest with Kharitonov, of course, is a mixed martial arts fight. Asked what he has to watch out for from Spong with that in mind, Kharitonov said he expects a knockout — one way or the other.

“My main focus is, I’m considered to be someone who’ll always stand and fight. Tyrone is for sure someone who stands and fights. That’s what he prefers,” Kharitonov explained. “My style of fighting, I go out every time to either knock the person out, or when trying to knock somebody out, I get myself knocked out. So this is the type of fight that all the fans should watch for. We’re just going to stand and bang. At least my plan is just stand. It’s going to be a great feather in my cap to have a knockout win against Tyrone Spong, so that’s my plan.”

Watch our full interview with Eagle FC heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov above.

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Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva’s involvement on the card raised eyebrows the moment it was announced earlier this month. Paired up against decorated kickboxer Tyrone Spong, it felt like a bad night at the office was awaiting Bigfoot. That’s thanks to the hulking Brazilian posting a 1-9, 1NC record in MMA since 2013 — not to mention losing bouts in bare knuckle boxing and kickboxing as well.

Spong, meanwhile, ran up a record of 14-0 in the boxing ring during that same span. As the main event of Eage FC 44, the promotion’s North American debut, the booking was a questionable one. With Bigfoot’s withdrawal, however, a more suitable opponent has been found: Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, and PRIDE standout Sergei Kharitonov.

Kharitonov (33-9, 2NC) is a tough night at the office for any heavyweight. A longtime veteran of the sport, he’s coming off a win over Fabio Maldonado (who, for the record, seems game to fight just about anyone at this point). Prior to that, he fell via submission to Cheick Kongo this past August at Bellator 265.

ESPN was first to report news of the opponent change. Eagle FC has caught the eye of western fight fans thanks to the involvement of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC lightweight champion. Nurmagomedov took control of the promotion in 2020; the outfit was formerly known as Gorilla Fighting Championship. Rizvan Magomedov, Pressident of Dominance MMA Russia, who helped manage Nurmagomedov’s fighting career, serves as CEO of Eagle FC.

Eagle FC 44 takes place January 28, 2022 in Miami, FL. In addition to Sergei Kharitonov vs. Tyrone Spong, former UFC champions Rashad Evans and Renan Barao are also expected to compete at the event.

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The heavyweight veterans, 46 and 41 years young, respectively, remained two of the hardest hitting, most dangerous big men in the promotion. But with father time closing in, a win was crucial for both fighters.

The opening minutes of Friday’s main event played out on the feet, with Kharitonov getting his jab going early. Kongo showed solid footwork, and rather than tying up with the Russian, opted to box with him. Eventually, Kongo found his range, and began landing his jab, his sizeable reach advantage serving him well. Kharitonov did manage to keep Kongo’s back to the fence a fair bit, but “The Darkness” was able to circle out of harm’s way.

The entire opening round played out this way, until Kharitonov caught Kongo in the final thirty seconds or so. Moments later, Kongo appeared to suffer a toe poke; Kongo turned and walked away, but no foul was called and the action was not stopped by the ref. That allowed Kharitonov to rush in, looking for a surprise KO, but the buzzer hit before the knockout did.

The stand-up battle continued in the second, until Kongo finally opted to change levels a minute in. Kharitonov stuffed the attempt, and again backed Kongo up. The toe poke from the opening round seemed to be bothering Kongo, who appeared tentative at times in the second. Still, he pressed on, firing a knee, and landing his left hand.

With ninety seconds remaining, Kongo caught the Russian with a punch, then tried for a bodylock takedown. When that didn’t work, Kongo went to work in the clinch with knees, before finally getting the hulking Kharitonov down. Kongo began dropping blows from half guard, then moved to mount. Kharitonov nearly gave up his back, and before long, Kongo had a choke in. In what was a common occurrence at Bellator 265, the tap was a buzzer beater, coming just before the end of the frame.

In the end, Cheick Kongo walks away with win number 31, and is back in the mix in Bellator’s heavyweight division.

Official Result: Cheick Kongo def. Sergei Kharitonov by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:59

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The heavyweight headliner promised fireworks, to be certain. But the co-feature saw Jay Jay Wilson and Adam Borics face off in a legitimate featherweight title eliminator. With true number one contender’s fights few and far between in modern MMA, Bellator had bucked the trend and promised the winner of Borics vs. Wilson a title shot.

Just one problem: at Thursday’s official weigh-in, Wilson blew weight. For the third time in his professional career, Wilson was heavy for a fight. This time by 4.4lbs. The bout was cancelled, with Borics paid his show money.

Logan Storley’s fight with promotional newcomer Dante Schiro was promoted to the co-feature slot in its place.

Also on Friday’s card in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, undefeated bantamweight prospect Jornel Lugo faced Keith Lee in a catchweight affair, while local hero Logan Storley returned against newcomer Dante Schiro.

Full results from Bellator 265 can be found below. A live stream of the preliminary card can be viewed above; where available, the Bellator 265 main card live stream can also be found below.

Bellator 265: Kongo vs. Kharitonov Results

Main Card

Cheick Kongo def. Sergei Kharitonov by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:59
Logan Storley def. Dante Schiro by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Marcelo Golm def. Billy Swanson by TKO, Round 1, 4:57
Jornel Lugo def. Keith Lee by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 5:00

Preliminary card

Fabio Aguiar def. Taylor Johnson by unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Mike Hamel def. Bryce Logan by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Archie Colgan def. Ben Simons by TKO, Round 1, 4:04
Duane Johnson def. Deven Fisher by submission (d’arce choke), Round 1, 1:04
Bailey Schoenfelder def. Kory Moegenburg by TKO (punches), Round 1, 4:11

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Cheick Kongo last fought in November, losing at home in Paris to Tim Johnson, who would go on to fight for interim gold in the promotion. Now, for his first fight of 2021, the 46-year old heavyweight was booked opposite a fellow veteran of the sport in Sergei Kharitonov.

Kharitonov was stepping into the Bellator cage for the first time since 2019, after winning two fights outside the promotion during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At 41, the Russian was the younger fighter in this hard-hitting affair.

The co-main event at Bellator 265 was unquestionably the more relevant fight. Adam Borics and Jay Jay Wilson were set to throw down in a featherweight fight, announced as a bonafide title eliminator for the 145lb weight class.

Of course, new champ A.J. McKee’s next move was still anybody’s guess.

Weigh-ins for Bellator 265, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, took place Thursday. Results can be found below.

One fighter of note came in heavy on Thursday. Co-main event featherweight Jay Jay Wilson has once again missed weight, by 4.4lbs for what was supposed to be a title eliminator.

Bellator 265: Kongo vs. Kharitonov Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Heavyweight: Sergei Kharitonov (264.8) vs. Cheick Kongo (247)
Featherweight: Ádám Borics (145.6) vs. Jay Jay Wilson (150.4)*
Welterweight: Logan Storley (170.4) vs. Dante Schiro (170)
Heavyweight: Billy Swanson (265.6) vs. Marcelo Golm (252)
Catchweight (140lbs): Keith Lee (140) vs. Jornel Lugo (137.4)

Preliminary card

Middleweight: Taylor Johnson (185.8) vs. Fabio Aguiar (184.6)
Lightweight: Mike Hamel (155.4) vs. Bryce Logan (155.8)
Welterweight: Archie Colgan (169) vs. Ben Simons (170.4)
Middleweight: Duane Johnson (185) vs. Deven Fisher (184.4)
Catchweight (225lbs): Bailey Schoenfelder (224) vs. Kory Moegenburg (214.8)

* Wilson misses weight by 4.4lbs for what was to be a featherweight title eliminator

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In the main event of Bellator 265, the Russian veteran takes on fellow long-standing big man Cheick Kongo. The pair have four full decades of MMA experience between them.

“I’m very happy that Bellator gave me a third ranked opponent,” Kharitonov told Cageside Press during Wednesday’s media day. “I’m very excited to be back, and I’m looking forward to come back for the title.”

You read that correctly. Kharitonov has the title in mind, after spending the early part of his career with the promotion seemingly as a mercenary.

“Yes of course, that’s why I’m here. I’m here to win, and come after the title,” he said Wednesday. He’ll enter the fight off two straight wins, albeit outside the promotion. Both saw him win regional titles.

This Friday, Kharitonov is expecting a “dirty fight” where Kongo leans him up against the cage. Still, he’s ready for anything — and at 41, has seen it all. Yet despite his age, Sergei Kharitonov will be the younger fighter in the cage on Friday. Opponent Kongo is the oldest athlete on the promotion’s roster at 46.

“I’m at that point of my life where I don’t know how long I’m going to compete for,” Kharitonov said on the age front. But “The Paratrooper” does believe he can continue to compete at a high level for a while longer. “Cheick Kongo is a great example. He’s 46, I’m 41. He’s a great example that heavyweights can fight until they’re 50. So I have a good amount of plans, and I’m looking to go on nicely until I’m 50 years old.”

Watch the full Bellator 265 media day appearance from Sergei Kharitonov above. The event takes place this Friday, August 20 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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Kongo (30-11) is coming off a split-decision loss to Timothy Johnson at Bellator 248. Before facing Ryan Bader at Bellator 226, which was declared a No-Contest due to an eye poke, he held an 8-fight win streak dating back to 2016.

Kharitonov (30-1) is making his return to Bellator after a one-off for Parus Fight Championship in November. Kharitonov holds wins over Matt Mitrione and Roy Nelson under the Bellator banner. He also holds wins over Joey Beltran, Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.

Also on the card is a #1 contender bout at featherweight featuring Adam Borics and Jay-Jay Wilson.

Borics (17-1) is coming off a decision win over Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator 256 in April. He holds wins over Erick Sanchez, Pat Curran and Aaron Pico.

Wilson (8-0) is undefeated at just 23-years-old and has fought most of his career in Bellator. Coming off a TKO win over Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 257 he holds wins over Sergio de Bari, Mario Navarro and David Conte.

Alejandra Lara and DeAnna Bennett will also be featured on the card.

Bellator 265 will take place in Sioux Falls, S.D. at the Sanford Pentagon on Aug 20.

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Bellator 234 went down Thursday in Tel Aviv, Israel, airing a day later in North America. The promotion’s fourth trip to Israel, the event was headlined by a heavyweight tilt featuring the powerful Sergei Kharitonov taking on ex-light heavyweight title challenger Linton Vassell.

While Kharitonov was the betting favorite heading in, things did not go as planned. Vassell was able to get him to the ground in the second round, and work him over to the point that he was no longer defending.

The win snapped a three-fight losing skid for Vassell, the worst of his career (and only time ‘The Swarm’ had lost consecutive fights).

Results from Bellator 234, plus video and photo highlights, can be found below.

Main Card

Heavyweight Bout: Linton Vassell def. Sergei Kharitonov by TKO (strikes) at 3:15 of Round 2
Lightweight Bout: Sidney Outlaw def. Roger Huerta by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Lightweight Bout: Aviv Gozali def. Zaka Fatullazade submission (anaconda choke) at 0:56 of Round 1
Welterweight Bout: Haim Gozali def. Artur Pronin by submission (heel hook) at 4:12 of Round 1
Middleweight Bout: Austin Vanderford def. Grachik Bozinyan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

Featherweight Bout: Sinead Kavanagh def. Olga Rubin by TKO (strikes) at 4:37 of Round 2
Welterweight Bout: Robson Gracie Jr. def. Ameer Bashir by submission (triangle choke) at 4:39 of Round 1
Heavyweight Bout: Adam Keresh def. Vladimir Fedin by TKO (strikes) at 3:29 of Round 1
Welterweight Bout: Shimon Smotritsky def. Illia Hladkii by TKO (strikes) at 2:10 of Round 1
Lightweight Bout: Vuqar Keramov def. Gustavo Wurlitzer by KO (strike) at 1:29 of Round 1
157-lb. Contract Weight Bout: Kirill Medvedovsky def. Akhmed Fararzha by submission (guillotine) at 0:46 of Round 2
Bantamweight Bout: Raz Bring def. Naziri Daniliuk by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
Lightweight Bout: Mikail Dulgher def. Ofir Leibel by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bantamweight Bout: Ron Becker def. Artem Kazartsev by TKO (strikes) at 2:57 of Round 1
Bantamweight Bout: Ben Cohen def. Maksym Tkachuk by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:19 of Round 1
Light Heavyweight Bout: Eli Aronov def. Sari Hleihil by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 28-27)
Flyweight Bout: Itay Lipszyc def. Itzik Yakobov by submission (straight ankle lock) at 2:51 of Round 1
220-lb. Contract Weight Bout: Noam Voldman def. Nisim Rozalis by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Featherweight Bout: Itay Tratner vs. Elias Mamadov ends in a split draw (28-27, 28-29, 28-28)
Welterweight Bout: Tomer Maslis def. David Malka by TKO (strikes) at 1:32 of Round 3

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