M-1 Challenge made its Showtime debut TONIGHT (March 25, 2011) when it bought "Damkovsky vs. Figueroa" to the cable television network from the Constant Center in Norfolk, VA.
Leading the charge into "Old Dominion" was veteran M-1 fighter Artiom Damkovsky (8-4), as he battled American Top Team's Jose Figueroa (9-4) for the promotion's lightweight title. M-1's middleweight title was also on the line as champion Magomed Sultanakhmedov (15-5) attempted to defend his strap against Team Quest's Tyson Jeffries (7-4).
Fight fans looking for a familiar face likely recognized Ultimate Fighter season 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes (6-5), who looked to secure his third consecutive win when he took on the undefeated John Doerr (6-0).
And how did they all fare?
Complete M-1 Challenge results and play-by-play after the jump.
M-1: CHALLENGE: DAMKOVSKY VS FIGUEROA QUICK RESULTS:
Main Card (Televised):
155 lbs.: Jose Figueroa def. Artiom Damkovsky via TKO at 2:28 Round 2
185 lbs.: Magomed Sultanakhmedov def. Tyson Jeffries via TKO at 3:07 Round 2
205 lbs.: Vinny Magalhaes def. Jake Doerr via TKO at 1:47 Round 1
185 lbs.: Jason Norwood def. Mojo Horne via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Alexander Sarnavskiy def. Beau Baker via submission (RNC) at 2:32 Round 2Preliminary Card (May not be broadcast):
125 lbs.: Jessie Riggleman def. Jason Hillicker via submission (guillotine) at 3:13 Round 1
145 lbs.: George Sheppard def. David Derby via KO at 1:50 Round 1
265 lbs.: Johnny Curtis def. Bobby Gurley via submission (strikes) at 0:36 Round 1
185 lbs.: Colton Smith def. Brian Nielson via submission (RNC) at 4:19 Round 1
135 lbs.: Bethany Marshall def. Stacy Grant via submission (heel hook) at 1:39 Round 2
155 lbs.: Bryan Lashomb def. Marcus Daniels via TKO at 0:57 Round 1Undercard results via Ryan MacDonald
M-1: CHALLENGE: DAMKOVSKY VS FIGUEROA PLAY-BY-PLAY AND COMMENTARY:
Brian here!
155 lbs.: Artiom Damkovsky vs. Jose Figueroa
Round one: Figueroa takes command of the center of the cage and Damkovsky opens with a solid leg kick to get things started. Body kick from Damkovsky followed by a leg kick. He's really working his kicks early. Damkovsky starts working his punches and Figueroa shoots for a takedown but is stuffed. Leg kick from Damkovsky is countered by a Figueroa punch. Figueroa shoots for a takedown and lands in top position with Damkovsky turtled up. Damvosky uses an underhook to get back to his feet and eats a big low kick from Figueroa. Damkovsky responds with a 1-2 combination and some leg kicks. Damkovsky leaps forward with a flying knee and both men exchange in the center of the ring. Big head kick from Figueroa and Damkovsky catches the end of it. Damkovsky closes the distance with a superman punch but Figueroa takes him down and lands in his guard with a minute to work. Figueroa postures up and drops some nice left hands and Damkovsky is bloodied up. Nice ground and pound from Figueroa to finish the round and it was enough to take the round in my eyes. 10-9 Figueroa
Round two: Damkovsky opens with a beautiful straight left that snaps Figueroa's head back. Big flying knee from Figueroa and Damkovsky chops his leg out from under him. Figueroa dives for a takedown and he gets it. Figueroa is using his reach advantage to land some big ground and pound from full guard. Figueroa passes to side control and proceeds to full mount easily. Damkovsky attempts to escape but gives up his back as Figueroa has the hooks in. Figueroa goes back to full mount and starts unleashing some serious ground and pound on the champion. Damkovsky is only defending with some elbows over his face. Damkovsky has been opened up again and the ref steps in and stops the fight. Slightly early stoppage but I don't think Damkovsky could have improved his position. Figueroa does a little victory shimmy after the fight is stopped. Excellent performance by Jose Figueroa. Pure domination once the fight went to the ground.
Final result: Jose Figueroa defeats Artiom Damkovsky via TKO at 2:28 Round 2
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185 lbs.: Magomed Sultanakhmedov vs. Tyson Jeffries
Round one: Sultanakhmedov takes command of the center of the cage and Jeffries lands a few leg kicks to get things started. Jeffries wades in and lands a body kick but eats some big power shots from Sultanakhmedov. Sultanakhmedov is stalking Jeffries and lands two big body kicks. Another left body kick lands and he follows with a left hook to the body. They clinch and Sultanakhmedov hip tosses Jeffries to the canvas but lets the American back to his feet. Jeffries throws a body kick that misses and loses his balance. Sultanakhmedov lands a nasty body kick and the damage is starting to show already on Jeffries' torso. Sultanakhmedov corners Jeffries and lands some big blows. Another leg kick from the Russian and he backs off, avoiding a head kick from Jeffries in the process. Jeffries wades in with some wild hooks but they only hit air. Jeffries lands a left hook but Sultanakhmedov responds with multiple leg kicks that land with a sickening thud. More big leg kicks from Sultanakhmedov as the round ends. 10-9 Sultanakhmedov
Round two: Jeffries clinches and works for the takedown but Sultanakhmedov shrugs him off and pushes him down. Jeffries gets to his feet and Sultanakhmedov lands some punishing body shots. Jeffries again looks for the takedown and finally gets it. Jeffries passes to mount immediately and appears to be looking for the arm triangle. Sultanakhmedov has a grip on Jeffries' neck but he lets it go, twists, and escapes to his feet. Sultanakhmedov starts lighting Jeffries up with a flurry of strikes and he puts Jeffries in the Thai plum and hurts him with big knees. Sultanakhmedov is really turning it up and he unleashes big punches and kicks with Jeffries pinned against the ropes. Jeffries is absorbing a ton of strikes but he's still standing. Sultanakhmedov again puts Jeffries in the Muay Thai plum and finishes Jeffries off with some powerful knees to the body that finally drop him.
Final result: Magomed Sultanakhmedov defeats Tyson Jeffries via TKO at 3:07 Round 2
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205 lbs.: Vinny Magalhaes vs. Jake Doerr
Round one: Magalhaes blitzes Doerr with a big takedown to get things started and passes to side control. Doerr retains half guard but Magalhaes immediately passes to mount. Beautiful guard pass from Magalhaes. Magalhaes glides to Doerr's back and latches on a body triangle. Doerr turtles up and Magalhaes drops big bombs to both sides of his head. The ref asks if Doerr is ok and Doerr doesn't have anything here and the ref steps in and stops the fight. Very impressive showing from Vinny Magalhaes.
Final result: Vinny Magalhaes defeats Jake Doerr via TKO at 1:47 Round 1
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185 lbs.: Mojo Horne vs. Jason Norwood
Round one: Horne opens with a body kick but Norwood immediately takes him down and passes to side control. Knees to the body from Norwood and Horne finally hip escapes to half guard after over a minute. Short punches from Norwood and he postures up with stronger punches as Horne escapes to his feet. He's not up for long as Norwood picks Horne up and slams him with authority into the north-south position. Horne attempts an inverted triangle but Norwood escapes to side control. Knees and elbows to the body from Norwood as he passes to the opposite side. More punches to the body from Norwood and Horne escapes to his feet only to be slammed yet again. The round ends and Norwood dominated it with his big takedowns and top control. 10-9 Norwood.
Round two: Both men trade short blows inside and Norwood shoots for a takedown but eats a big knee from Horne. Horne takes top position temporarily but Norwood reverses him quickly and passes to half guard. Horne gets to his feet and lunges at Norwood with a big knee but Norwood takes him down with ease. Norwood takes side control and after some hesitation, finally opens up with some big strikes to the body. Norwood searching for a possible kimura but the referee stands them up. Horne throws a knee to the body and stuffs Norwood 's first takedown. Norwood shoots against the ropes and Horne attempts a guillotine, pulling guard in the process. Norwood easily slips out and takes top control. Not the best decision by Horne there. Norwood rises to his feet and eats two big upkicks from Horne. Norwood dives back into Horne's guard and finishes the round in side control. More positional domination from Norwood. 10-9 Norwood
Round three: Norwood immediately takes Horne down to start the round as Norwood is content to lay on top of him. The referee separates them and Norwood shoots in, slamming Horne to the canvas yet again, this time passing to side control. Norwood passes to full mount with 2:30 left in the fight but Horne is holding him close with both hands wrapped around his back. Norwood briefly postures up but goes back down and actually gives up the mount for some reason. After riding Horne for 30 seconds, Norwood passes to mount. He postures up with some decent strikes but a Horne hip bump pushes him forward throwing him off balance. The fight ends with Norwood opening up with decent strikes from mount. 10-9 Norwood and he should easily take a 30-27 decision here.
Final Result: Jason Norwood defeats Mojo Horne via unanimous decision
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170 lbs.: Alexander Sarnavskiy vs. Beau Baker
Round one: Baker immediately shoots for a takedown. Body kick by Sarnavskiy lands but Baker absorbs it and clinches Sarnavskiy against the ropes. Big knees to the thigh from Baker against the ropes. Sarnavskiy backs away and lands a big wild hook. Sarnavskiy has the inside position and he unloads several big strikes. Body kick by Sarnavskiy and Baker shoots for another takedown but he's stuffed. Sarnavskiy lands two huge uppercuts that stun Baker but he recovers and puts Sarnavskiy in the Muay Thai clinch but Sarnavskiy escapes. More big strikes from Sarnavskiy but Baker is absorbing them and pushing forward. Baker wades forward and eats more strikes from Sarnavskiy. Baker clinches but Sarnavskiy lands some nice short uppercuts. Another takedown attempt by Baker is stuffed and Baker misses with a knee from the Thai plum. he round ends with Sarnavskiy outlanding Baker in a big exchange. 10-9 Sarnavskiy
Round two: Flying knee from Sarnavskiy to open the round and Baker clinches him against the ropes, pushing him into the corner. Baker really working for the takedown and he almost has it but Sarnavskiy immediately pops back to his feet as both men trade knees in the clinch. Sarnavskiy corners Baker now and lands a big uppercut. Baker responds with a knee and Sarnavskiy responds with another uppercut. Takedown attempt by Baker is stuffed and he gives up his back as he tries to create distance. Sarnavskiy leaps on Baker's back. Baker falls and Sarnavskiy has the hooks in searching for the rear naked choke and he gets it!
Final result: Alexander Sarnavskiy defeats Beau Baker via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:32 Round 2
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