Weekend Rundown: Emelianenko Makes Triumphant Return

Aleksander Emelianenko, the younger brother of the world’s top-ranked heavyweight, made his first appearance in more than a year on Friday, as he stopped Eddy Bengtsson on a first-round technical knockout at ProFC “Commonwealth Cup” in Moscow. The bout lasted just 40 seconds.

Bengtsson, a two-time Olympic wrestler, clinched early but could not withstand Emelianenko’s considerable firepower. A straight left hand backed up the Swede and dropped him facedown near the ropes in what can best be described as a late reaction. A puzzled Emelianenko stood over him, as the fight ended in anti-climactic fashion.

Unbeaten in the last three years, the 6-foot-6 Emelianenko has rattled off seven straight victories, all of them first-round finishes, since his submission defeat to the world-ranked Fabricio Werdum in November 2006.

MacDonald Avenges Horwich Loss

UFC veteran Jason MacDonald outpointed former International Fight League middleweight champion Matt Horwich en route to a unanimous decision in the Let’s Get It On MMA 1 headliner on Friday at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in MacDonald’s favor.

MacDonald sealed the deal on his victory in the third round, as he threatened Horwich with an arm-triangle choke and chipped away at him with elbows and punches on the ground. The win, MacDonald’s third straight, avenged his 2004 submission loss to Horwich.

Released by the UFC following decision defeats to Dan Miller and former middleweight King of Pancrase Ricardo Almeida, the 31-year-old Horwich has lost four of his last five fights.

Severn Posts 93rd Victory

UFC hall of famer Dan Severn submitted Sam Flood with a first-round front choke at King of the Cage “Fearless” on Saturday at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. The end came 3:57 into round one.

Severn has won 22 of his last 25 fights. The 52-year-old Coldwater, Mich., native now has 93 professional victories on his resume, and more than half of them have come since he turned 50. Severn was inducted into the UFC hall of fame on April 16, 2005.

Other winners at KOTC “Fearless” included UFC veteran Bill Mahood, who struck Shannon Ritch into submission 60 seconds into their main event matchup. Mahood, 43, will carry a three-fight winning streak into his next appearance.

Farrar Takes Desert Rage Title

Chance Farrar captured the Desert Rage Full Contact Fighting featherweight championship in a five-round unanimous decision over Ernie Davila at Desert Rage 7 on Saturday at the Cocopah Casino in Yuma, Ariz. The victory avenged Farrar’s 18-second knockout loss to Davila in May.

Farrar, who once challenged Urijah Faber for the World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title, controlled rounds four and five. He took down Davila in the fifth and dropped elbows from top position. By the end of it, Davila was bleeding heavily.

Pruned from the WEC roster following his knockout loss to American Top Team’s Micah Miller in February 2008, Farrar has won two of his last three fights.