The
Bellator 276 headliner between Adam Borics
and Mads
Burnell was billed as a No. 1 contender’s bout, and both men
fought with those stakes in mind.
Ultimately, Borics battled his way through five-rounds of
back-and-forth standup with Burnell to capture a hard-fought
unanimous decision triumph. It was the fourth straight victory and
ninth in 10 Bellator appearances overall for the 28-year-old
Hungarian, who believes he proved that he is capable of challenging
for featherweight gold.
“It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it,” Borics said at
Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It makes me confident
after five rounds. I wasn’t tired, and it was a high pace. A lot of
people were talking about I can’t go a high pace, and I think I
showed everyone I’m ready for the title. I can do five rounds easy,
so let’s go.”
Borics had success landing multi-punch combinations to the head and
leg kicks. He even dropped Burnell with a right hook late in the
second round, though he was never close to achieving a finish.
“I thought I could finish him, but he’s a tough dude. Did you see
his left or right eye? He ate a lot of shots, he ate a lot of
knees, he’s a tough dude,” Borics said. “I am happy. I showed I’m a
(well-rounded) MMA fighter. My wrestling defense is so much better.
I could take him down. I am so happy with my performance.”
It appears that Borics will need some time to heal. He was seen
visibly limping leaving the cage and as he took his seat at the
post-fight press conference.
“It’s horrible,” Borics said. “I thought if I could kick one more
or two more calf kicks, he’s done – but I couldn’t kick. I think I
broke my foot. He’s a tough dude, man.”
A.J.
McKee and Patricio
Freire are scheduled to rematch for the featherwight title at
Bellator 277 on April 15. Borics is confident that he’ll be ready
to face the winner later in 2022.
“Second part of the year, I’m ready,” Borics. “They’re fighting in
April, and after that, they need the rest – like two, three
months, also. So I will be ready.”