Veteran Sergei Kharitonov scored a stoppage win on Friday night, defeating multi-combat sports veteran Tyrone Spong.
The fight headlined the U.S. debut of Eagle FC. The promotion, which is owned by former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, held its event at the FLX Arena in Miami, Florida, USA.
Kharitonov used his grappling and wrestling advantage against Spong, taking him down in both rounds to dominate the fight. The bout was able to be finished in the second round after Kharitonov landed a series of ground and pound shots from full mount.
Kharitonov, an MMA veteran of over two decades, is now on a two-fight winning streak. His previous fight was on a Parus FC card, where he beat Fabio Maldonado within a round.
Kharitonov’s last high-profile fight was a loss to Cheick Kongo last year in the main event of a Bellator card.
Spong was competing in his third MMA fight, returning to the sport after numerous years elsewhere. While Spong has a small MMA record, he does also have an incredibly vast amount of experience in kickboxing and boxing.
Evans Comes Out Of Retirement With Win
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans picked up a win when coming out of retirement, picking up a unanimous decision win over Gabriel Checco in the co-main event.
Evans had a successful opening round that saw him score a takedown early and earn control from a side position. Evans continued to succeed in the second round, although Checco was able to slow him briefly with leg submissions.
The third round was much like the rounds before, as Evans kept a favorable position on the ground.
Evans was making his first appearance since 2018 and was fighting outside of the UFC for the first time since 2005. The win not only was a successful return for him but snapped a five-fight losing streak that he took before.
Checco was coming off a first-round finish win he earned over Simon Marini in October.
Borg Earns Comeback Win Over Gibson
Ray Borg had a come-from-behind victory against fellow UFC alum Cody Gibson, getting past a rough first round to earn a unanimous decision win.
Gibson had a good opening round to the fight, unloading with strikes that landed clean on Borg. Many were convinced that he finished that frame with a solid lead.
Borg turned things around for the second round, starting to fight back on the feet. Gibson scored a takedown to stop the momentum of Borg, but Borg was able to quickly take top position on the ground.
Borg’s best round was the final frame, as he got Gibson down early and took control. While Gibson seemingly started to tire, Borg’s activity was heating up.
Borg was making his second pro appearance since having a 12-fight UFC run from 2014 to 2020. He won his return to the regional scene in June 2021, defeating Jesse Arnett via unanimous decision.
Gibson has been on the regional circuit since 2016. Despite a loss on Friday, he remains to have a strong record of six wins and two losses since departing the UFC roster.
Undefeated Kuramagomedov Defeats Howard
Ramazan Kuramagomedov extended his undefeated record to double digits on Friday night, going three rounds against UFC and PFL veteran John Howard for a unanimous decision victory.
Kuramagomedov had a dominant win over Howard, using his wrestling skills along with sharp striking to win all three rounds.
Kuramagomedov’s three more recent fights before this weekend came via submission.
Howard fought twice last year, defeating Ozzie Alvarez on a CES card and losing to Tyler Ray at XMMA 3.
Magomedaliev Stops Returning Veteran Njokuani
Raimond Magomedaliev scored a fast victory over a veteran, defeating Anthony Njokuani in the first round.
Magomedaliev got the fight down early, taking Njokuani down and taking a dominant position. Magomedaliev unloaded with ground and pound in the fight, causing the referee to step in and end the bout.
Magomedaliev was making his first appearance since a four-fight ONE Championship run that resulted in three wins and one loss.
Njokuani, a former UFC and WEC fighter, was competing in his first MMA bout since 2016. Despite being away from MMA, he has remained active in combat sports recently, fighting in kickboxing, Muay Thai and bare-knuckle MMA.
Lower On The Card
Dylan Salvador scored the biggest win of his career thus far in the final prelim, defeating PFL alum Arman Ospanov. The fight was finished after the second round, as Ospanov retired on the stool.
Former UFC fighter Yorgan De Castro scored a quick win on Friday, slipping in a guillotine choke to submit Shaun Asher in the first round. De Castro now has two wins since parting ways with the UFC.
Demarques Jackson handed Miles Hunsinger his first pro loss on the prelims, stopping him within a minute due to explosive strikes. The broadcast seemed somewhat up in arms about the stoppage, claiming it was too early.
Shawn Bunch overcame tough striking exchanges against Firdavs Khasanov, using his wrestling to work towards a unanimous decision win.
PFL veteran Loik Radzhabov put away Zach Zane in a round, submitting him with a standing guillotine choke. The fight was the first of the night to take place in Eagle FC’s 165-pound division.
Ayadi Majdeddine had a hard-fought win over Sitik Muduev to open the prelims, getting the decision nod after a back-and-forth battle.
Quick Results:
Main Card (GoFLX)
Bout 11: Sergei Kharitonov def. Tyron Spong via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:55)
Bout 10: Rashad Evans def. Gabriel Checco via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Ray Borg def. Cody Gibson via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Ramazan Kuramagomedov def. John Howard via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Raimond Magomedaliev def. Anthony Njokuani via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:49)
Preliminary Card (6:00PM EST) (GoFLX)
Bout 6: Dylan Salvador def. Arman Ospanov via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 5:00)
Bout 5: Yorgan De Castro def. Shaun Asher via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 1:04)
Bout 4: Demarques Jackson def. Miles Hunsinger via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:54)
Bout 3: Shawn Bunch def. Firdavs Khasanov via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Loik Radzhabov def. Zach Zane via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 3:23)
Bout 1: Ayadi Majdeddine def. Sitik Muduev via Decision, Unanimous
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