Joey Davis (Bellator)Former wrestling superstars Ed Ruth, Tyrell Fortune and Joey Davis -- with a total of ten college titles among them -- came out winners at Bellator 201: MacFarlane vs. Lara at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. Friday night.
One fighter with amateur mat credentials -- Ryan Couture, son of Oklahoma State wrestling great and UFC legend Randy Couture -- was on the losing end of a first-round TKO.
Ruth "toys with his prey before devouring it"
Ed Ruth -- three-time NCAA Division I champ for Penn State -- disposed of veteran Andy Murad with a TKO by punches at 4:59 of the second round of a preliminary bout which served as the former Nittany Lion's debut at welterweight (170 pounds), having fought until now at 185 (middleweight).
"Ed Ruth toys with prey before devouring it" was the headline for the write-up at CagedInsider.com. The article described Ruth's pro mixed martial arts career to date as being "like an alpha predator strolling through a herd of unsuspecting dinner."
"For nearly two full rounds Murad ate punches. On the feet, it was courtesy of Ruth's one-two combos that repeatedly knocked his head back; on the ground, it was while on all fours as Ruth hammered away.'
"The ending sequence came when Ruth began to connect with his punches at will, and Murad did nothing but stumble around."
The website MMA Today posed this question: "Could a shot in the upcoming Bellator welterweight Grand Prix be in store for Ruth after this strong showing?"
With the win, the 27-year-old Ruth -- who signed with Bellator in May 2015 -- is now 6-0 overall and in Bellator, while Murad drops to 15-3.
Good fortune smiles on Tyrell Fortune
Tyrell Fortune -- a two-time junior college champ who became an NCAA Division II heavyweight champ for the now-defunct mat program at Arizona's Grand Canyon University -- "dominated an outmatched Giovanni Sarran" (to quote MMAjunkie.com) with a second-round TKO in their preliminary heavyweight bout.
"Fortune was patient to start, setting up in the center and calmly walking forward and looking for opening, eventually grabbing a Thai clinch and pushing the action to the cage," MMAjunkie.com continued. "Sarran tried to create space to escape, but Fortune battered him with several big knees inside before changing levels and dragging the action to the canvas. Sarran tried to grab the neck as he fell to his back, but Fortune quickly pulled free and started to deliver massive punches to his grounded opponent."
The end came at 4:35 of Round 2.
With the win, Fortune now improves to 5-0 as a pro (and 5-0 in Bellator), while Sarran drops to 5-3.
Davis remains perfect with unanimous decision
Joey Davis, undefeated four-time NCAA Division II champ for Notre Dame College of Ohio, stayed perfect in his young MMA career with a unanimous decision over Craig Plaskett in a welterweight bout.
All three judges scored it 30-26 for the former Falcon mat champ.
"After proving his wrestling dominance early in round 1, Joey Davis elected to return to his feet and show off his striking skills with a number of spinning back kicks," according to MMA Today. The former ex-NCAA champ Davis sealed round 1 with a second spate of top control and ground-and-pound. The Team Bodyshop rep didn't mess around in the later rounds as he dumped Plaskett right back to the mat…"
Davis improves to 4-0 in his burgeoning career, while Plaskett is now 2-3.
Ryan Couture TKO victim in co-main event
Ryan Couture -- son of Randy Couture, recently installed in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and himself a state placer at the high school state championships in Washington State -- suffered a TKO loss to Saad Awad in the opening round of his lightweight bout at Bellator 201.
"Saad Awad had an obvious confidence in his power against Ryan Couture, and he showed why with a first-round TKO win in the Bellator 201 co-main event," according to MMAjunkie.com.
"After landing his right hand multiple times in the opening round, Awad connected clean on Couture late in the frame for a resounding TKO finish."
The 35-year-old Couture -- who launched his MMA career nearly a decade ago -- is now 11-6 overall, and 3-3 in Bellator, while Awad improves to 23-9 overall, and 11-6 in Bellator competition.
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