Yankova vs Arteaga Bellator 161 recap

Written by Derek Moody, September 20, 2016, at 12:22 a.m.

Bellator 161 Kongo vs Johnson had 50 percent of the fights end with a submission which needed to happen to rival the UFC that weekend. First of all, the main event put a damper on a successful night as Kongo laid on Johnson for the final four minutes of the fight not looking for a finish. The event should have been renamed to Bellator 161 Yankova vs Arteaga because they left everything in the cage.

Yankova vs Arteaga Bellator 161 Recap

The main card featured a very active women’s flyweight fight between Anastasia Yankova (4-0 2-0 BMMA) and Veta Arteaga (2-1 0-1 BMMA). The 25 year old undefeated Russian prospect representing AKA Thailand was making her U.S. debut seeking her second Bellator win. She may have been the only person not overlooking her opponent knowing Arteaga had other skills that she hadn’t acquired yet. This fight made the main card worth watching even though it ended in a controversial decision but proved to be a crowd pleaser.

Yankova struggled to make the 126 pound weight maximum so the fight was adjusted to a catchweight of 131 pounds. Initially this was another blow to Yankova’s credit as she has to often deal with the “just another pretty face” dilemma. In her first three fights she ended all three with submissions. It’s even more impressive that she’s only a white belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. More importantly was her fourth fight with Veta Arteaga that really showed her warrior spirit.

An Intense Battle

Both women were entering the Bellator cage for their second time victorious in their Bellator debuts. Round One started off quickly with Arteaga attacking completely bypassing a feeling out process because she needed to set the tone. The first shot Arteaga landed wobbled Yankova which she quickly followed up with a flurry of straights.

Willing to prove her chin was solid, Yankova didn’t defend the barrage, instead she punched her way through it and created some distance with the accurate punches and elbows she delivered. Less than a minute later, Arteaga was able to catch Yankova again with a similar combo set that was also defended by Yankova’s offense. The first five minutes of the fight was comparable to rock ‘em sock ‘em robots due to the lack of blocking.

More Caution

Round Two the pace slowed down as we saw a bit more of the clinch game and finally a feeling out process. The two flyweights now know what the other packs in their punch so they were cautious the first half of the second round. The Russian Muay Thai Champ Yankova was able to find success with her kicks and cage control. The round could have went either way as both women found success at different moments.

The final round was similar to the second but it was much clearer due to the effective striking of Yankova. In addition, the rising star was able to display her Muay Thai clinch and work the knees to the body. The display of heart, chin, and determination showed these female combatants aren’t just where they are because of looks but rather skills.

True grit was on display no matter who would have won the controversial split decision. Round Two was the deciding factor swaying one of them to have a 29-28 edge consequently creating the controversy. Furthermore, when Yankova had won there was several boo’s which is always awkward because it’s the judges not the fighter. She was very humble and even acknowledged that she didn’t feel she clearly won that fight which showed her character.

Fight Finale

When the bell rang at 15 minutes, without a doubt, these two warriors left everything in the cage. The crowd may have snoozed during a couple other fights but they were wide awake for this one.

As for the main event, they surely snoozed again as the lay and pray was on full display. Its hard for Cheick Kongo to make a case for a title fight when his victory wasn’t at all impressive.

MAIN CARD

• Cheick Kongo def. Tony Johnson via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Joe Warren def. Sirwan Kakai via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 1:04
• Anastasia Yankova def. Veta Arteaga via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Derek Campos def. Djamil Chan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Garrett Scott def. Waylon Bronstrup via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:50
• Emily Ducote def. Kenya Miranda da Silva via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 4:37
• Daniel Pineda def. Mark Dickman via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:07
• Armando Villareal def. Tommy Burghardt via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:08
• Nick Gonzalez def. Warren Stewart via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Rey Trujillo def. Deuce King via submission (reverse arm triangle) – Round 1, 1:20
• Matt Mazurek defeated Jose Guerra via split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
• Sean Clements def. David Ramirez via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)