Former TUF 24 competitor Yoni Sherbatov put in a solid and convincing performance to take a unanimous decision upset win over UFC and Bellator veteran Zach Makovsky in the flyweight main event of ACB 72 on Saturday night.
ACB 72 took place on Saturday, October 14 at the Tohu Circus Arts Hall in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and marked the premier Russian promotion’s first-ever event in the North American country. The card was decimated prior to fight night however with many of the Russian fighters booked on the card again struggling to get visas just as they have for the U.S. shows. This left a schedule of only seven fights on the evening’s card.
In the first round of the main event, “Fun Size” was very obvious in his intentions to go for the takedown however Sherbatov would do a fantastic job scrambling out or stuffing any attempts that came his way. Keeping the fight on the feet, the Russian would find a home for plenty of counters including a snapping left hand that rocked the American.
During the second stanza, Makovsky would try to implement more forward pressure and striking as he still looked for opportunities to change levels. However, Sherbatov would remain patient and landed the hardest shots of the fight as he threw switch kicks at the stooping Makovsky which landed flush more than once. The 34-year-old would react by finally landing a takedown on his younger opponent however Sherbatov was once again able to pop back up unimpeded.
Yoni Sherbatov with the switch kicks #ACB72 pic.twitter.com/Qe6xqn3wIp
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 15, 2017
The third round saw the Russian visibly slow as Makovsky had a much better round. Able to initiate more clinches and be the aggressor, the former Bellator bantamweight champion was still unable to keep Sherbatov down with any takedowns. Despite taking the round by being the fresher and more active fighter, it was too late for Makovsky as he lost the unanimous decision by scores of 29-28 across all three judges scorecards.
Although Makovsky (20-9) was heralded as a shrewd free agent signing for ACB, he has now lost four of his last five fights and is 1-1 with the promotion. Meanwhile, Sherbatov (7-0-1) continued to keep his undefeated record in tact with this successful showing on his promotional debut.
Local talent Ronson makes it three consecutive wins
Two stars of local promotion TKO met in a lightweight bout prior to the main event as Jesse Ronson would add to his previous two wins with a second round rear-naked choke victory over fellow local fighter Jeremie Capony.
After dominating the exchanges in the opening round, it was only a matter of time before “The Body Snatcher” found a path to victory. Marching down his less experienced opponent, Ronson (18-8) would unload on Capony (5-2) against the cage which forced him to fall. From there, Ronson worked to a tight rear-naked choke submission giving him his third finish in three fights.
smoothly from body shoot to RNC. Nice Jesse Ronson ! (sub. Jeremie Capony in 2R) #ACB72 pic.twitter.com/PRFW0MouFg
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) October 15, 2017
Meanwhile, British welterweight Mark Glover, known best for his stint on TUF 15 and losing to Lewis Long at Cage Warriors 54, was on the losing end of a one-sided unanimous decision after stepping in on extremely short notice to face Tristar’s Davis dos Santos.
Despite having fought only two weeks previously at UK Fighting Championships 5, Glover (7-3) took the opportunity to get on this card but looked a step behind throughout and was lucky on more than one occasion not to have been finished by the Brazilian (4-1).
Finally, Canadian Taekwondo champion Bakary Sakho (1-0) had a professional MMA debut to remember as he scored the ‘KO of the Night’ in the evening’s opening bout against Blake Nash (3-3). The intimidating heavyweight took just under 90 seconds to dispatch of his fellow rookie with a picture-perfect spinning hook kick in a performance which is sure to have caught the attention of the ACB top brass.
Huge spinning kick KO by Bakary Sakho at #ACB72#acbmma pic.twitter.com/ZyveZl4noj
— ACB Fighting League (@ACB_League) October 15, 2017
ACB 72 Results
Flyweight Main Event: Yoni Sherbatov def. Zack Makovsky via Decision (Unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight Bout: Jesse Ronson def. Jeremie Capony via Submission (Rear-naked Choke) (Round 2 – 1:20)
Bantamweight Bout: Edgar Skrivers def. Xavier Alaoui via Decision (Split) (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Heavyweight Bout: Tanner Boser def. Dave Cryer via KO (Punches) (Round 2 – 4:19)
Welterweight Bout: Davis dos Santos def. Mark Glover via Decision (Unanimous) (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Featherweight Bout: Darren Smith def. Gleidson Cutis via Decision (Unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 28-27)
Heavyweight Bout: Bakary Sakho def. Blake Nash via TKO (Spinning Hook Kick) (Round 1 – 1:32)
