High Fives: Finishes Galore

UFC 225 in Chicago was not the only big event taking place this past weekend. There were pivotal clashes at Friday’s LFA 42 in Missouri, and at KSW 44 in Gdansk, Poland, on Saturday. Here are five of the highlights:



KIMURA FINISH … Two Polish heavyweights went head to head in the KSW 44 main event, with Karol Bedorf facing former strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski. The early going saw Bedorf throwing numerous low kicks, which had the 41-year-old Pudzianowski limping, and it came as no surprise when he shot for a double leg, which his opponent easily sprawled on. Bedorf quickly secured a kimura from top position in half guard that elicited the tap at the 1:51 mark of round one. Bedorf improved to 15-3. “Pudzian” dropped to 12-6.



MOUNTED CRUCIFIX … In KSW 198-pound catchweight action, former KSW middleweight champ Michal Materla met German Martin Zawada. Materla dominated the first stanza. In the second, he secured a double leg takedown before transitioning soon after to his favored mounted-crucifix position and dishing out the fight-ending punches. The finish came 2:59 into round two. In victory, “Magic” upped his record to 26-6. “King Kong” slipped to 28-15.



SUBMISSION SAVANT … The KSW 44 undercard featured a 150-pound catchweight clash between Japan’s Kleber Koike Erbst and Poland Top Team representative, Marian Ziolkowski. Having judo tossed his opponent to the canvas, Erbst stepped over from side control to mount. When the Pole started rolling to his front, Erbst grabbed his left arm and applied the winning armbar. The tap came 3:44 into the first frame. The now 24-4 Japanese grappling ace has won six straight, five by submission. “Golden Boy” fell to 19-7.



SPLIT DECISION … In the LFA 42 main event on Saturday night, Derrick Krantz was pitted against fellow welterweight Kassius Holdorf. This closely-contested, back-and-forth affair saw Holdorf throwing heavy leather on the feet, which had his adversary reeling on several occasions. However, Killa Kayne’s over aggression resulted in him giving up takedowns and ultimately the fight via split decision. In victory “D-Rock” improved to 21-10. The 10-5 Holdorf has lost two of his last three.

Jaleel "The Realest" Willis improves to 9-1, making quick work of Chel Erwin-Davis in R1. Nasty knee against the cage. #LFA42 pic.twitter.com/W05tLTTM4w

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 9, 2018

FIRST ROUND KO … The LFA 42 co-main event was contended between welterweights Jaleel Willis and Chel Erwin-Davis. Having backed his opponent up against the fence, Willis delivered a knee to the chest, followed by heavy right hands that resulted in his adversary collapsing to all fours. Several more punches ensued before the referee stepped in. With his first-round win, “The Realist” upped his record to 9-1. In defeat, “The First Sun” slipped to 5-2.