Bulgaria vs. Russia!
The Bellator heavyweight tournament final concluded this past Saturday night (May 17, 2014) at the Bellator 120: "Rampage vs. King Mo" pay-per-view (PPV) inside Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi, featuring the undefeated Blagoi Ivanov taking on former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov.
Well, formerly undefeated.
The majority of the first frame was spent jockeying for position against the fence. Ivanov wanted the takedown so that he could work his Sambo submission skills, while Volkov wanted to remain upright to open up his hands. He got a few in toward the end, but it was still a snoozer.
Then came a big surprise.
The second stanza started much like the first, but Ivanov was actually successful in getting his opponent to the ground. Unfortunately, the Blugarian went with him and ended up underneath Volkov, back and neck fully exposed. That was a silver platter for even a beginning fighter, and the Russian wasted little time in locking up the rear-naked choke.
Alexander Volkov def. Blagoi Ivanov via submission (rear-naked choke)
For complete Bellator 120: "Rampage vs. King Mo" results and live play-by-play click here.