Damkovsky, Figueroa On Weight for M-1 Challenge 24 Main Event
Mike Whitman Mar 24, 2011
Artiom Damkovsky (left) and Jose Figueroa will headline M-1
Challenge 24. | Photo Courtesy: M-1 Global
All eight main-card competitors made their contracted weights for Saturday's M-1 Global Challenge 24.
The event, which goes down March 25 from the Ted Constant Convocation Center on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Artiom Damkovsky (155) and challenger Jose Figueroa (155).
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Not all event participants came in on point, however, as Stacy Grant came in overweight for her 135-pound affair against Bethany Marshall. The bout will go on as planned, but Grant will reportedly give 20 percent of her fight purse to her opponent due to the weight issue. Additionally, an undercard bout between Max Martyniouk and Phillip Wyman was canceled for undisclosed reasons.
Only 26 years old, Damkovsky has won five straight fight. The
Belarusian earned three consecutive unanimous decisions in 2010 to
capture the M-1 Selection Eastern European lightweight tournament
title and capped the year with a TKO over Mairbek
Taisumov in October to win the promotion's world title.
Damkovsky's fight against Figueroa marks his first defense of his
championship belt.
Figueroa represents Damkovsky's American counterpart, having won the M-1 Selection Americas lightweight tourney last year. A Bellator veteran, Figueroa has finished all but one of his career victims, earning five submission wins to his credit. The American Top Team Orlando product most recently earned a win in the aforementioned tournament's final round, notching a TKO over George Sheppard just 34 seconds into their championship fight.
Full M-1 Challenge 24 Weigh-In Results:
Artiom Damkovsky (155) vs. Jose Figueroa (155)
Tyson Jeffries (184.2) vs. Magomed Sultanakhmedov (183.2)
Vinny Magalhaes (204.4) vs. Jake Doerr (204.2)
Alexander Sarnavskiy (155.4) vs. Beau Baker (154.6)
Jason Norwood (184) vs. Mojo Horne (185)
Marcus Daniels (135) vs. Bryan Lashomb (134.6)
Bethany Marshall (133.4) vs. Stacy Grant (138.4)
Colton Smith (170) vs. Brian Nielson (169.6)
Bobby Gurley (230) vs. Johnny Curtis (233)
David Derby (150.2) vs. George Sheppard (155.6)
Jason Hillicker (135) vs. Jessie Riggleman (135.4)
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