Tag: Bellator 239

Twitter reacts to Yaroslav Amosov’s victory over Ed Ruth at Bellator 239

See the top Twitter reactions to Yaroslav Amosov’s win over Ed Ruth at Bellator 239.

Yaroslav Amosov earned the most significant victory of his career so far on Friday when he defeated Ed Ruth in the Bellator 239 main event.

Amosov (23-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) extended the unreal winning streak to start his career when he beat Ruth (8-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) by unanimous decision in the headlining matchup, which took place at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., and aired on Paramount.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Amosov’s victory over Ruth at Bellator 239.

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Bellator 239 results: Yaroslav Amosov outpoints Ed Ruth, remains unbeaten

Yaroslav Amosov remained unbeaten and made a statement in the Bellator welterweight division.

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – In a battle of world-class sambo vs. world-class wrestling, sambo emerged victorious.

[autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] made a statement in Bellator’s deep welterweight division on Friday night by nothing one of his biggest career victories, as he won a battle of attrition over [autotag]Ed Ruth[/autotag] in the main event of Bellator 239.

The judges’ scores were 29-28 across the board in favor of Amosov (23-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA).

A competitive first round was Ruth’s best. Amosov threw Ruth in the clinch, but Ruth (8-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) got back to his feet and took Amosov down with a double. The rest of the way Ruth got the better of things in a round mostly contested in the clinch.

Amosov dug down in round two, though, and turned the fight in his favor. He widely outstruck his opponent the rest of the way, finding a home in particular with crisp left hands, and got the better of the grappling game to boot, giving him the advantage everywhere the fight went. It was a rinse-and-repeat performance over the fight’s final 10 minutes as Amosov cemented the victory.

With his fifth career decision win, the Ukrainian Amosov improved to 5-0 in Bellator. Ruth, the former NCAA champion at Penn State, had a two-fight win streak snapped for his first career decision loss.

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The welterweight bout was the Bellator 239 main event at WinStar World Casino. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 239 results include:

Bellator 239 results: Myles Jury outworks Brandon Girtz, calls for title shot

Myles Jury called for a title shot, new contract and commentary gig after beating Brandon Girtz in the Bellator 239 co-main event.

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – [autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] earned his first Bellator victory Friday when he defeated [autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] in the Bellator 239 co-headliner.

Jury (19-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) snapped a three-fight losing skid and registered his first victory since December 2017 when he outworked Girtz (16-9 MMA, 8-7 BMMA) to a unanimous decision in a largely uneventful contest.

The lightweight bout was the Bellator 239 co-main event at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Girtz wasted little time pressing the action on Jury and landing some solid strikes in the opening minute of the fight. Jury worked behind his jab and tried to stay on the outside as the most aggressive Girtz did his best to close the distance. There was mixed success from both sides, but neither man was able to do anything to badly hurt the other and overtake momentum coming out of the round.

The beginning of the second frame was a different story, however, because Girtz was able to get inside Jury’s range within the first minute and secure a takedown. He spent the next several minutes there, inflicting minimal damage but burning clock and controlling Jury, who seemed content on bottom, from inside the guard. The referee didn’t enjoy it, though, and intervened with a standup with a little more than 90 seconds remaining.

Moments after, Jury poked Girtz in the eye, forcing another break in the action. Once the fight resumed, Jury got a grappling advantage when he took Girtz’s back from a standing position near the fence. Unfortunately, there was short time and he couldn’t get into a fight-finishing position.

With the fight potentially up for grabs going into the final frame, both men looked to force their strategy. Girtz used his forward movement and pressure to attack with big strikes, but he had trouble hurting Jury, who was content to counter with his boxing. Jury secured a takedown in the late stages of the round and took the back again, but he couldn’t finish the fight and left the result to the judges.

In the end, the judges ruled it in favor of Jury.

“I feel like I’m a counter fighter, and this time I had to break in and bring out the dog a little bit,” Jury said during his post-fight interview. “First win finally in Bellator. What do I want next? I want a title shot, I want a new contract and I want a little gig in the side of the booth with you here, ‘Big John.'”

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 239 results include:

  • Myles Jury def. Brandon Girtz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Timothy Johnson def. Tyrell Fortune via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:35
  • Valentin Moldavsky def. Javy Ayala via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 30-24)
  • Grant Neal def. Claude Wilcox via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 3:37
  • Josh Hill def. Vinicius Zani via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Solo Hatley Jr. def. Gaston Bolanos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Denise Kielholtz def. Kristina Williams via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:15
  • Teejay Britton def. Gabriel Varga via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Keith Lee def. Shawn Bunch via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 39-27)
  • Christian Edwards def. Marco Hutch via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

Bellator 239 results: Timothy Johnson knocks out previously unbeaten Tyrell Fortune

Timothy Johnson knocked Tyrell Fortune from the ranks of the unbeatens with a hellacious knockout.

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] raised eyebrows during Bellator 239 fight week by proclaiming himself the best heavyweight in the world.

[autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] had something to say about that when they got into the cage together Friday night.

Veteran Johnson (13-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA), who was previously winless in Bellator, used a hellacious right hand to knock Fortune (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) cold in the opening round of their main card bout. The knockout came at the 2:35 mark of the round.

There wasn’t much going on up until the fight’s climactic moment. The duo stalked one another and tried to figure out their ranges.

Johnson plainly found his first, as he flicked a left and then landed his bomb flush on the jaw. Fortune was out by the time he hit the mat and the fight was waved off.

The Las Vegas-based competitor had been in a bad way in recent outings, dropping five off his past eight and losing his first two bouts after leaving the UFC for Bellator. It’s almost needless to say he was thrilled with the result.

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“It feels weird – it’s been a while since I’ve been in the win column,” Johnson said after his sixth career KO/TKO victory. “That was definitely what I needed. I needed to come out and make a statement.”

Fortune, whose entire career has been with Bellator, was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten.

The bout was part of the Bellator 239 main card at WinStar World Casino. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 239 results include:

Bellator 239 results: Valentin Moldavsky mauls Javy Ayala to pair of 30-24 scores

Valentin Moldavsky used his grappling to overwhelm Javy Ayala at Bellator 239 and move his record to 4-0 with the promotion.

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] continued the strong start to his Bellator career Friday when he used his grappling to overwhelm [autotag]Javy Ayala[/autotag] en route to a victory at Bellator 239.

Moldavsky (9-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) used a takedown-heavy attack for all three rounds to take the wind and the will out of Ayala (11-8 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) and earn a dominant unanimous decision win by scores of 30-25, 30-24 and 30-24

The heavyweight bout opened up the Bellator 239 main card at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

There was little feeling out process from Moldavsky to start the fight. He immediately initiated a grappling situation and got himself on top of Ayala within the first minute. Ayala found his way back to his feet, but was quickly taken down again. Moldavsky moved to the arm-triangle choke position and nearly finished the fight, but Ayala somehow escaped and got back to his feet. From there, it was a relentless onslaught of trips and takedowns from Moldavsky, who seemingly was willing to let his opponent get up only to slam him back to the ground again. Somehow, though, Ayala lasted the round.

It was more of the same in the second frame. Ayala couldn’t create enough space to keep Moldavsky away from him, and he ended up being tossed to the ground over and over. Ayala tried valiantly to keep his back off the canvas, but his efforts were futile as Moldavsky stayed true to his strategy and dominated in the grappling positions. There was no offense mustered by Ayala, but again, he managed to make it to the end of the round.

In need of a critical swing in momentum to get back in the fight, Ayala came out in the third round as much urgency as he could after getting beaten down for 10 minutes. Moldavsky was having none of it, though, because he tied his opponent up and dragged him down to the canvas. Moldavsky worked for chokes and attacked with ground-and-pound, but Ayala squirmed just enough to avoid getting stopped, surviving until the final bell.

The result at the end was clear, though, and that was a lopsided victory for Moldavsky, who remains unbeaten dating back to his only loss, a split decision against Amir Aliakbari under the Rizin FF banner in December 2016.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 239 results include:

  • Valentin Moldavsky def. Javy Ayala via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 30-24)
  • Grant Neal def. Claude Wilcox via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 3:37
  • Josh Hill def. Vinicius Zani via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Solo Hatley Jr. def. Gaston Bolanos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Denise Kielholtz def. Kristina Williams via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:15
  • Teejay Britton def. Gabriel Varga via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Keith Lee def. Shawn Bunch via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 39-27)
  • Christian Edwards def. Marco Hutch via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

Bellator 239: Denise Kielholtz full post-fight interview

Bellator 239: Denise Kielholtz full post-fight interview

Bellator 239: Denise Kielholtz full post-fight interview

Keith Lee, brother of Kevin Lee, wins debut at Bellator 239

Keith Lee, the younger brother of UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee, won his promotional debut at Bellator 239.

[autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] had a strong start to his Bellator career on Friday when he earned a notable victory in his promotional debut at Bellator 239.

Lee (6-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who is the younger brother of UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee, earned a unanimous decision win over a game Shawn Bunch (9-5 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) in their bantamweight matchup.

Kevin was in Keith’s corner for the fight, rooting on his 23-year-old sibling through a largely dominant performance in which he was one step ahead of Bunch in the striking and grappling department.

The end result was the decision by scores of 30-26, 29-28 and 29-27, giving Lee his third consecutive win in the matchup at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla.

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Although Bunch had his moments, Lee was never seriously threatened. He turned the fight permanently in his favor in the second round when he rocked Bunch with a big knee that connected on the jaw as Bunch attempted to shoot for a takedown.

It was the second career decision win for Lee, while Bunch, for his part, dropped his second straight fight.

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Medical issues force Jamese Taylor from Bellator 239 fight with Lucas Brennan

Just hours before the start of the event, Bellator 239 has lost one of its preliminary card fights in Thackerville, Okla.

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Just hours before the start of the event, Bellator 239 has lost one of its preliminary card fights.

The featherweight fight between [autotag]Lucas Brennan[/autotag] (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Jamese Taylor[/autotag] (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has been removed from Friday’s card due to medical issues concerning Taylor, a Bellator official told MMA Junkie.

Taylor failed to make weight at Thursday’s official weigh-ins. He arrived a few minutes after the one-hour fighter window to step on the scale, and when he did, he came in at 148.2 pounds. The fight stayed intact at the time, though, and Taylor was going to forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse.

But instead, above five hours before the event’s start time, the bout is off.

Bellator 239 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Brennan was set to make his third appearance for Bellator. He went to the University of North Texas in Denton, about 45 minutes south of Thackerville. In his first two pro fights in 2019, he picked up first-round rear-naked choke finishes of Thomas Lopez and Jacob Landin, both in Thackerville.

Taylor made his pro debut at Bellator 224 in Thackerville this past July and suffered a second-round knockout loss to kickboxing champion Gabriel Varga, who was making his pro MMA debut, as well.

Lucas Brennan vs. Jamese Taylor

The Bellator 239 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Ed Ruth vs. Yaroslav Amosov
  • Brandon Girtz vs. Myles Jury
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Timothy Johnson
  • Javy Ayala vs. Valentin Moldavsky

PRELIMINARY CARD MMA Junkie, 6:15 p.m. ET)

  • Davion Franklin vs. J.W. Kiser
  • Chris Gonzalez vs. Aaron McKenzie
  • Adil Benjilany vs. Kevin Croom
  • Cris Lencioni vs. Salim Mukhidinov
  • Kyle Crutchmer vs. Scott Futrell
  • Grant Neal vs. Claude Wilcox
  • Josh Hill vs. Vinicius Zani
  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Solo Hatley Jr.
  • Denise Kielholtz vs. Kristina Williams
  • Teejay Britton vs. Gabriel Varga
  • Shawn Bunch vs. Keith Lee
  • Christian Edwards vs. Marco Hutch

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Bellator 239 live and official results (6:15 p.m. ET)

Bellator 239 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6:15 p.m. ET (3:15 p.m. PT).

Bellator 239 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6:15 p.m. ET (3:15 p.m. PT).

The event takes place at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, Ed Ruth (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) takes on Yaroslav Amosov (22-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a fight between welterweight contenders. In the co-feature, Brandon Girtz (16-8 MMA, 8-6 BMMA) meets Myles Jury (18-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at lightweight.

Official Bellator 239 results include:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Ed Ruth vs. Yaroslav Amosov
  • Brandon Girtz vs. Myles Jury
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Timothy Johnson
  • Javy Ayala vs. Valentin Moldavsky

PRELIMINARY CARD MMA Junkie, 6:15 p.m. ET)

  • Davion Franklin vs. J.W. Kiser
  • Chris Gonzalez vs. Aaron McKenzie
  • Lucas Brennan vs. Jamese Taylor
  • Adil Benjilany vs. Kevin Croom
  • Cris Lencioni vs. Salim Mukhidinov
  • Kyle Crutchmer vs. Scott Futrell
  • Grant Neal vs. Claude Wilcox
  • Josh Hill vs. Vinicius Zani
  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Solo Hatley Jr.
  • Denise Kielholtz vs. Kristina Williams
  • Teejay Britton vs. Gabriel Varga
  • Shawn Bunch vs. Keith Lee
  • Christian Edwards vs. Marco Hutch

Bellator 239 discussion thread

Bellator 239 takes place Friday in Oklahoma, and you can discuss the event here.

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s Bellator 239 event at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla., which kicks off at 6:15 p.m. ET (3:15 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our Bellator 239 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.

Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET for the preliminary card and 9 p.m. ET for the main card.