Jordan Rinaldi Choke Cans Clay Harvison in Legacy Fighting Championship 47 Headliner
Jordan Rinaldi fought like a man who had an appointment to keep.
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This was a rout. Rinaldi (10-4) masked his takedowns with feints, leg kicks and a stiff jab, as he kept the Ultimate Fighting Championship vet off-balance. Harvison grew more and more unsure of himself as the fight progressed. Rinaldi camped out on his back for the better part of four minutes in the first round and picked up right where he left off in the second. There, the Resurrection Fighting Alliance and World Series of Fight alum secured a takedown, transitioned beautifully to Harvison’s back when he attempted to scramble to his feet and cinched the fight-ending choke in one fluid motion.
The 28-year-old Rinaldi will march into his next appearance on the
strength of three straight wins.
Related » Legacy FC 47 Play-by-Play
In the welterweight co-main event, Bellator MMA veteran Dave Vitkay recorded his sixth consecutive victory with a second-round technical knockout against Wesley Barnes. A rib injury forced Barnes (3-2) to retire in his corner in between the second and third rounds.
Vitkay (16-12-1) chipped away at the Savannah, Ga.-based fighter with takedowns, ground-and-pound and relentless aggression. Barnes had his moments -- he maneuvered onto the journeyman’s back in the first and second rounds -- but ran aground in the middle frame. After a Viktay takedown, Barnes was in visible distress and motioned to his corner and the referee. Between rounds, it became clear he was in no shape to continue.
Meanwhile, C.J. Hamilton disposed of American Top Team Atlanta rep Brantley Furr with a second-round knee strike and follow-up punches in a bantamweight showcase. Furr (2-2) met his end 20 seconds into round two.
A decorated amateur wrestler, Hamilton (5-4) put his base skills to use in the first round, where he lured his adversary into the clinch and later executed a pair of takedowns. Furr never managed to fully exploit the holes in Hamilton’s standup defense. Early in round two, Hamilton sent his knee crashing into Furr’s face, followed him to the canvas and sealed the deal with subsequent punches.
The victory snapped a three-fight losing streak for Hamilton.
Elsewhere, Champions Training Center export Josh Blyden remained undefeated, as he submitted Nick Sprayberry with a first-round guillotine choke in a featured scrap at 145 pounds. Blyden (4-0) brought it to a close 4:26 into round one.
Sprayberry (1-2) controlled much of the encounter but failed to net the desired result. He swept Blyden off his feet during their opening exchange, passed to side control and eventually achieved full mount before wheeling to the back. Blyden kept his composure and escaped to his feet. There, Sprayberry was victimized in a brief moment of weakness. Blyden caught the guillotine in response to an ill-advised takedown attempt and coaxed the tapout.
In other action, Jamie Pickett (5-2) disposed of Doug Usher (4-3) with a short right hook 2:32 into the second round of their middleweight encounter; Chazz Walton (2-0) tapped Joshua Millwood (0-2) with a rear-naked choke 68 seconds into round one of their lightweight battle; and Jared Gooden (2-0) submitted Brad Taylor (3-4) with an armbar 2:01 into the third round of their catchweight clash at 181 pounds.
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