V. Nemkov remains Bellator light heavyweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
The light heavyweight division (up to 93kg) continues with an absolute champion. In the main fight of Bellator 297, which took place this Friday (16), the Russian Vadim nemkov defeated the veteran Yoel romero for points in an unusual fight to say the least and defended the category belt for the fourth time. The show was held at the Wintrust Arena, in Chicago (USA).
The victory over Romero consolidated Nemkov at the top of the category and shows that it will be difficult to end the Russian's reign, at least for now. The pupil of Fedor Emelianenko He went on to record 17 triumphs and two setbacks as a mixed martial arts professional.
The 'endless' Yoel romero He is defeated in yet another title fight in his career and should leave a question mark hanging in the air in the coming days about his future in the sport. The 46-year-old Cuban now has a record of 15 positive results and seven negative results in professional MMA.
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THE FIGHT
Nemkov started the duel by moving forward and trying to corner Romero with jabs and low kicks. The Russian exploded onto his rival, pressed again with punches and high kicks and the Cuban seemed lost in the confrontation. Nemkov continued to strike and continued punishing Yoel, who couldn't find any answers. The duel continued at the same pace until the first gong sounded.
The second round started in the same way: Nemkov punishing Romero with his striking and the Cuban having difficulty finding the distance time, however, the Russian showed respect for the challenger's heavy hand. The duel continued like a monologue by Fedor's pupil, who continued beating the Cuban veteran.
Romero returned more aggressively, using a stomp on the foot to try to take down Nemkov, however, the Russian proved to be smart and soon dodged it. Nemkov exploded, landing a beautiful sequence of blows that shook the Cuban and made the crowd stand up in the arena in Chicago. The champion continued to punish the veteran, who, trapped against the fence, only 'defended himself with his face'. Insistently hit, Yoel started to joke and pretend he was being knocked out, however, the Russian maintained his seriousness. Despite standing firm, Vadim was surprised and received a heavy blow that led to his knockdown in the final minute of the match.
In the opening minute, Nemkov once again worked well on his combinations and circulated around the cage to keep Romero at bay and with no chance of getting the 'snake kill'. Yoel's face began to become slightly deformed due to the heavy sequence of blows applied by the champion. In order not to be surprised again, Nemkov stayed away and out of Romero's hands until the end of the stage.
The last round followed the script of the previous ones: Nemkov beating Romero in his striking and the Cuban remaining firm on his feet and looking for a 'snake kill' to knock out the champion. Yoel hit a direct hit, which gave the Russian a slight jolt. The Cuban sticks to Nemkov, pins the champion close to the fence and manages to take down the Russian. Romero still seemed willing and was looking for ground and pound or submission, while Nemkov just tried to hold the Cuban while he was hit on the belt until the bell sounded.
Corey Anderson nullifies Phil Davis' wrestling and wins on points
C. Anderson dreams of the light heavyweight belt again. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
A clash between two athletes specializing in Wrestling, it was expected that there would be balance in the grappling match and that the clash would be decided down to the smallest (or other) details. Anderson proved to be sharper in his striking, working his combinations well and frustrating Davis' takedown attempts, especially in the second round.
In the third part, Davis still tried to loosen up his striking, working on his jabs, however, he once again showed his lack of aptitude in the stand-up fight. In the final half of the round, Anderson began to circulate more around the octagon, releasing blows to score points, but avoiding close range and open fighting as much as possible until the end of the confrontation.
With the positive result, Anderson recovers from the defeat to the champion Vadim nemkov, dreams again of a new title fight and now has 17 wins and six losses as an MMA professional.
Yes, Phil Davis sees his streak of two consecutive victories being broken and will need to take a few steps back in his dream of a light heavyweight title fight. The 'Marvelous Lord' now boasts a record of 24 triumphs and seven setbacks in the sport.
In a warm fight, Gokham Saricam defeated Daniel James on points
G. Saricam at the weigh-in Bellator 297 (Photo: Instagram/@bellatormma)
The duel that opened the main card of the Bellator 297 It's one of those fights that fans will remember for a long time, but not for a good reason. After a start with the two heavyweights exchanging positions in the grappling fight, Saricam took James down and even without much force, he kept his rival down in the first two rounds, using his weight and not very powerful ground and pound.
In the last part, James tried to be more aggressive and explode on top of Saricam, however, the Turk soon got stuck again and the two athletes returned to the fight close to the fence, until the referee interrupted, due to the lack of action. The scenario of the confrontation did not change until the last bell sounded.
With the triumph, Saricam returns to the path of victories after being defeated by Oleg Popov, in March 2023. The Turk now has a record of nine triumphs and two setbacks.
On the other hand, Daniel James sees his incredible streak of five consecutive victories being broken and now has a record of 15 positive results and just one negative result.
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