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ACB 61
ACB 61 poster.

ACB featherweight Champion Marat Balaev battled to a hard-fought split decision victory, over top prospect Adlan Bataev, in front of his adoring hometown fans in the main event of ACB 61. Also on the card was former UFC top-15 welterweight Albert Tumenov, who enjoyed an emphatic knockout victory on his promotional debut.

ACB 61 took place on Saturday, May 20 at the Sibur Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia and featured undefeated 41-year-old Balaev’s first title defence since defeating Yusup Raisov for the vacant featherweight strap at ACB 50: Stormbringer.

In the main event, the champion dictated the pace over the much younger challenger from the offset. Balaev (8-0) would pursue the takedown, with numerous attempts and clinches, working the trademark style that’s seen him affectionately labelled the “Russian Darren Elkins”. Although Bataev (7-1) struggled against his opponents pressure, he did manage to do the heavier damage, making his power shots count and ensuring the champion went back to his corner battered and bloodied despite winning the round.

Undefeated challenger Bataev, who made his professional debut in ACB back in 2013, came into his own in round two and took control over “The Motivator”, who showed signs of feeling the damage incurred in the previous frame. Bataev controlled all the exchanges on the feet, avoiding takedown attempts and landing hard counter shots to the head and body when Balaev attempted any pressure.

Just as Bataev settled into a rhythm, Balaev stunned him with a hard overhand right at the start of the third stanza. The champion looked resurgent as he landed a big takedown, and although he did little with his relentless work at advancing position, he was able to hold Bataev down for the majority of the round.

The final two rounds saw the challenger fight in the back foot as he allowed Balaev to march forward and pressure him as he attempted to land counters. Taking his foot off the gas completely in the final round, Bataev allowed Balaev to be the aggressor and it was the champions tenacity and grit which would see him through to a split decision victory, retaining his title for the first time.

Butorin makes case for shot at vacant middleweight strap with first round TKO win

Middleweight contender Aleksei Butorin (12-1) pushed for his shot at the vacant gold as he scored a first round KO victory over Bulgarian veteran Nikola Dipchikov (15-5) in ACB 61’s co-main event.

Dipchikov started well, rocking the Russian twice with powerful combinations, however Butorin would hold on and manage to find the clinch. From there, the two traded heavy knees before Dipchikov got a short-lived takedown.

Butorin, who has finished all of his 12 wins inside the distance, would get back to his feet and land a massive overhand right which was followed by a left hook. This had Dipchikov wobbled and a series of uppercuts against the cage and a barrage of follow-up strikes was enough to keep the Russian’s 100 percent finish rate in tact.

Tumenov celebrates his highly anticipated homecoming with 46-second KO

Former UFC star Albert Tumenov (18-4) would mark his return to his home country of Russia with a spectacular first round knockout of Brazilian welterweight Ismael de Jesus (15-6) on his promotional debut at ACB 61.

“Einstein”, who was coming off the back of two straight defeats in his final two UFC bouts, was caught by surprise in the opening second of the first round as Jesus caught him flush with a stiff right hand. Tumenov remained patient however and landed a huge one-two counter which dropped Jesus stiff at the 46-second mark.

Tumenov, who has been outspoken about the UFC’s treatment of Russian fighters, looked happy to be fighting with the rising promotion and after such a highlight reel performance, will be hoping for a shot at ACB welterweight champion Brett Cooper sooner rather than later.

Elsewhere on the card, former UFC welterweight Elvis Mutapcic (36-9) did not enjoy a good ACB debut as he was quickly and soundly beaten in just 33-seconds by Russian MMA veteran Beslan Isaev (15-6).

Straight out the traps, Isaev hit the American with a powerful right hand and although Mutapcic recovered, he couldn’t hold on for long. A quick combination from Isaev connected with the chin of Mutapcic, collapsing him and giving Isaev the KO victory.

ACB 61 also saw a potential “KO of the Year” winner as undefeated featherweight Arman Ospanov (8-0) landed a beautiful spinning hook kick to score a second round knockout victory over former Pancrase star Taichi Nakajima (12-8).

The Kazakh prospect, who trains with UFC lightweight Lando Vannata and has fought under the Alash Pride FC banner, was in control and looked a class above throughout the fight. The 27-year-old would land throughout the fight before a well-timed execution at the perfect moment saw him get the highlight reel finish.

ACB 61 Full Results

Featherweight Title Main Event: Marat Balaev def. Adlan Bataev via Decision (Split)

Middleweight Bout: Aleksei Butorin def. Nikola Dipchikov via TKO (punches) (Round 1)

Welterweight Bout: Beslan Isaev def. Elvis Mutapcic via KO (punches) (Round 1 – 0:33)

Welterweight Bout: Albert Tumenov def. Ismael de Jesus via KO (punch) (Round 1 – 0:46)

Heavyweight Bout: Denis Smoldarev def. Tanner Boser via Decision (Unanimous)

Bantamweight Bout: Oleg Borisov def. Dukvaha Astamirov via Decision (Unanimous)

Featherweight Bout: Arman Ospanov def. Taichi Nakajima via KO (spinning hook kick) (Round 2 – 1:35)

Welterweight Bout: Alexi Martynov def. Vasily Palok via Decision (Unanimous)

Bantamweight Bout: Rustam Kerimov def. Tural Ragimov via TKO (punches) (Round 1 – 0:22)

Middleweight Bout: Mikhail Kolobegov def. Piotr Strus via Decision (Split)

Featherweight Bout: Luis Palomino def. Marcos Schmitz via Decision (Unanimous)

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