Adam Borics Takes Phone Booth War Over Burnell
Bellator 276’s main event was a scrap between two of Bellator’s best as Adam Borics (18-1) took a unanimous decision over Mads Burnell (16-4). The judges scored the fight 49-46, 50-45, and 49-46 for the Hungarian Borics.
Burnell went straight for the leg kicks, and Borics began his attack with a flying knee. Burnell slipped the punches of Borics well and landed a counter left hook at stung Borics. The volume began to pour from Borics and kept Burnell on his back foot.
Combinations continued from Borics in round two, landing with flying knees and leg kicks. Borics then drug Burnell to the mat and worked from the half guard. Burnell was able to stand without taking punishment from Borics, who started landing with the uppercut and elbows. The tide seemed to change a little bit when Burnell landed a sick uppercut to the body and the guard of Borics dropped. With the guard down, the jab of Burnell began landing in greater frequency.
Round three saw the two continue to work at a phone booth distance, but Mads began to dictate the pace and direction of the fight. The volume dropped off from Borics slightly Burnell landed an overhand right and a rip to the body. Despite the dip from Borics, the fight continued to move at an insane pace without pause.
The championship rounds began with Burnell and Borics throwing in close range and Borics throwing a knee. Borics kept working the jab but stayed on his bike as Mads continued to pressure. Borics appeared to hit his second wind and find a rhythm, damaging Burnell with combinations and a right hand. A takedown late in the round likely sealed it for Borics.
In the final round, the aggressive footwork of Mads Burnell continued, but it was Borics that outlanded the Dane. The two slugged it out in the center of the cage with neither man gaining a clear advantage. At the end of the fight, each man tried to leave their own impression on the judges, with Burnell shooting unsuccessfully for a takedown and Borics throwing a flying knee.
Davis Dominates Again, Eblen Smothers Salter
In the co-main event, Phil Davis (24-6) continued to prove himself as one of the most consistent fighters in Bellator with a clean sweep win over Julius Anglickas. As the round opened, Anglickas (10-3) began working the jab against Davis. “Mr. Wonderful” tried to trip the Lithuanian to the mat, but Julius’ hips were strong and the two reset. Phil was able to take Anglickas down, however, with a blast double that put in side control. At the end of the round, Davis worked toward a kimura, but Anglickas kept his arm tight to his body until the round expired.
The second round saw Anglickas have more success with the jab until Davis took him down and immediately began working the shoulder. A scramble landed Phil in half guard, where he dropped punches down on Julius. Davis spun around at the end of the round and landed big punches until the end of the second round.
In the last round, Anglickas felt a sense of urgency and pressured Davis with strikes, but Davis evaded and fought again for the takedown. Julius was wise to it at first, but Davis was relentless and unloaded a huge slam on Anglickas. Davis passed from half guard to mount and started again to work toward shoulder lock. Again and again Phil Davis drug Anglickas back to the mat and left no doubt who the better man was. The judges all gave Phil Davis every round for a unanimous decision.
Johnny Eblen found himself in deep water against number contender John Salter, but ultimately suppressed the Utah native. Eblen (11-0) took Salter down in the first round, but Salter (18-6) fought back with a triangle armbar from his back. From there, Eblen stalled in Salter’s full guard for the rest of the round.
The second round saw Eblen, conditioning wane slightly, as John Salter began to time counters until being taken down again. The two once again stalled in a 50/50 position, and after a scramble returned to the feet.
Eblen may have felt some pressure to finish the fight in the third, as the combinations started flowing. While Salter was able to land a counter right hook on occasion, it was Eblen’s jab that did the most damage. With a minute left, Eblen likely sealed the round and the fight with a double-leg takedown against the cage, finding openings for punches and elbows until the end of the fight. The judges all scored the fight for Johnny Eblen, who potentially takes Salter’s number one contender spot.
Gadzhi Rabandov (17-4) spoiled “The Maori Kid” Jay Jay Wilson’s lightweight debut, notching a unanimous decision. Jay Jay (8-1) started off aggressive, hammering Gadzhi with a head kick. After instruction from his corner to slow down, Wilson became more measured with strikes, racking up calf kicks. Rabadanov charged forward at the bell, with Wilson landing a knee well after the end of the round.
The second round saw more of the feeling out process, with the two fighters eventually clinching against the cage. Wilson connected on a separation, but was soon taken down by Rabadanov. From Wilson’s full guard, Rabadanov struggled to separate from Wilson’s grip.
In round three, Wilson looked to charge forward with combinations, but Rabadanov proved defensive and he was able to time a takedown. While Rabadanov wasn’t able to mount any offense on top, he was able to control Wilson for the rest of the fight. The judges all gave the fight to him, handing Jay Jay Wilson his first loss.
In prelim action, Alex Polizzi (10-1) tapped Jose Augusto (7-4) in a punishing affair where both men took massive damage. After timing a takedown shot under an Augusto combination, Polizzi picked up Augusto and slammed him onto his back. From there, he worked from side control before being reversed and pulled back to the feet by Augusto. The striking exchange wouldn’t last long, as Polizzi was able to drag the Brazilian back to the mat and take mount, dropping big punches until the end of the round.
Augusto returned with a fury in round two, dropping Polizzi with a ferocious flying knee. The two traded positions on the ground for the next few minutes, before Augusto locked in a deep armbar from the guard. Polizzi eventually rolled out and regained the mount against the cage. Polizzi likely stole the round with battering punches for the rest of the round.
The third round would end quickly, as Polizzi took the back of Augusto during a scramble and got the tap from the rear naked choke forty-nine seconds into the last round.
Romero Cotton improved to 6-0 with a devastating win over Freddy Sandoval (5-7). Cotton attacked Sandoval with a huge knee to the gut to start the fight that appeared to wind Sandoval. Sandoval then dove for a takedown, and transitioned to a heel hook, but Cotton pulled out and took the back of Sandoval. From there, the Hutchinson, Kansas, native rained down missiles to the side of Sandoval’s head, prompting the stoppage at 1:39 of round 1.
Diana Avsaragova (5-0) fought late-notice opponent Kyra Batara (8-5) to a decision, fending off the rhino-like advances of the shorter Batara. Kyra knew she had to get the fight to the ground where she’s more skilled, but Diana was able to sprawl and punish her with counter punches upon entries. Batara’s gas tank emptied by mid-way through the third, and Avsaragova pecked away at range until the end of the fight. None of the judges seemed to value the pressure of Batara, giving Avsaragova all three rounds.
Cody Law continued to shine with a quick KO of James Adcock (7-5), extending his undefeated record to 6-0. Law quickly stung his opponent with a right hand, following it up with a head kick and a right cross that left Adcock stiff. The end came at just 1:17 into the first round.
Roman Faraldo knocked out his latest victim in 44 seconds when he finished Kelvin Rayford (5-4) with ease. Faraldo (7-0) knocked him down with a jab, and immediately pounced with finishing blows. Having knocked out every opponent he’s faced, a step up has to be next for the ATT product.
Find full Bellator 276 results below.
BELLATOR 276 RESULTS
Main Card (Showtime, 9pm EST / 6pm PST)
Adam Borics def. Mads Burnell via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45, 49-46)
Phil Davis def. Julius Anglickas via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Johnny Eblen def. John Salter via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Jay Jay Wilson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Prelims (MMAJunkie YouTube, 6pm EST / 3pm PST)
Alex Polizzi def. Jose Augusto via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at :49 of round 3
Romero Cotton def. Freddy Sandoval via TKO (Ground and Pound) at 1:39 of round 1
Diana Avsaragova def. Kyra Batara via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Cody Law def. James Adcock via KO (Right Cross) at 1:17 of round 1
Roman Faraldo def. Kelvin Rayford via TKO (Jab to Punches) at :44 of round 1
Jordan Howard def. Trevor Ward via TKO (Elbows) at 3:24 of round 2
Amateur: Nico Alcarez def. Stanton Ketcherside via Submission (Kimura) at 2:00 of round 2
