Sergei Kharitonov Stops Tyrone Spong in Second in Eagle FC 44 Main Event

The Paratrooper drops HAMMERS on Spong and finishes him in round 2! #EagleFC44 pic.twitter.com/4KwK0CO6eS

— Eagle Fight Club (@EagleFightClub) January 29, 2022

Sergei Kharitonov, one of the best fighters from the glory days of Pride Fighting Championships, continues to stay afloat in the mixed martial arts world at the ripe old age of 41. Kharitonov trounced fan-favorite striking powerhouse Tyrone Spong Friday night in the main event of Eagle FC 44 in Miami, Fla. Friday night and escaped the skirmish with only a few scratches.

Kharitonov (32-8) absorbed powerful leg kicks and jabs early in the first, but his veteran instincts allowed him to take “The King of the Ring” down easily and dominate from mount position. Spong (2-1) tried to stay on his feet in the second and did well behind the jab, but “The Paratrooper” scored another takedown at the midway point and immediately moved to mount. From there, Kharitonov unloaded punches until referee Andrew Glenn had seen enough and stopped the bout at the 2:55 mark.

After the fight, Kharitonov stated that he plans on fighting again and prefers to fight for the Eagle FC heavyweight title down the road.

Looking back at Rashad Evans’ career and everything he’s accomplished inside the cage, it’s shocking to realize it’s been nearly a full decade since he last had his hand raised. “Suga” had lost his last five fights and then stepped away from combat nearly four years ago. However, in the co-main event on Friday night, Evans (20-8-1) was dominant against Gabriel Checco and won a lopsided unanimous decision.

Checco (12-6) started off well, landing several stinging kicks to the leg and body, but once Evans caught a kick and slammed Checco to the canvas, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion controlled the action until the end. Checco tried in vain to land submissions - primarily leg locks - but Evans snaked out of each and every one. Evans never had Checco in serious trouble, but the UFC Hall of Famer did virtually whatever he wanted on the ground against a fierce jiu-jitsu black belt. Evans won 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards and stated after his triumph that he plans on fighting again.

In a bantamweight matchup of two UFC veterans, it was Ray Borg who had to dig deep and rally en route to a unanimous decision win over Cody Gibson. Borg (15-5) ate a plethora of jabs and kicks throughout the first round and it seemed like it was going to be a long night for the Albuquerque fighter, but he stormed back into the fracas in the second. Gibson (18-8) slowed his pace a bit and was taken down repeatedly in rounds two and three. Borg dominated in the third and had Gibson nearly out with an up-kick to the jaw just before the final bell. Borg wound up winning via scores of 29-27 and 29-28 (twice).

Unbeaten welterweight prospect Ramazan Kuramagomedov looked solid against grizzled veteran John Howard en route to a unanimous decision win. Howard (29-18-1) was hoping to display his jiu-jitsu prowess inside the cage, but Kuramagomedov scored repeated takedowns and nullified everything “Doomsday” tried. In the end, Kuramagomedov (10-0) was dominant and won easily via tallies of 30-27 (twice) and 30-26.

Longtime veteran Anthony Njokuani was hoping to revamp his MMA career, but he ran into a freight train in Raimond Magomedaliev and wound up getting stopped in the first. Magomedaliev (9-1) came right at Njokuani with thudding kicks to the legs and body, but once he got close enough, he easily took the Las Vegan down. Njokuani (17-13) appeared to have suffered some sort of injury on the second takedown and simply turtled up while Magomedaliev unloaded punches from on top. Referee Glenn intervened eventually, ending the welterweight tussle at 2:49 of the frame.

Dylan Salvador and Arman Opsanov fought two grueling rounds rife with leg kicks and plenty of low blows from both men. Ospanov was effective on the inside, but Salvador (3-1) went to town on his legs with heavy kicks. Ospanov (11-5) was hobbled at the conclusion of the second and his corner stopped the fight just before the third was set to begin, giving Salvador the TKO victory.

Heavyweight prospect Yorgan De Castro made quick work of Shaun Asher, submitting him in just 64 seconds. Asher (13-5-1) shot in for a takedown as soon as the duel began, but De Castro (8-3) stuffed him. When Asher pressed him up against the cage, De Castro shifted to a guillotine choke, torqued his hips and forced the tap.

In early preliminary action, Demarques Jackson picked up a quick TKO victory over Miles Hunsinger after just 54 seconds; Shawn Bunch won a unanimous decision over Firdavs Khasanov; Loik Radzhabov submitted Zach Zane with a guillotine choke; and Majdeddine Ayadi picked up a unanimous decision over Sitik Muduev.