Bellator
MMA veteran Adam Keresh
disposed of Chad
Johnson with punches in the first round of their heavyweight
showcase at
PFL Challenger Series 6 on Friday at Universal Studios in
Orlando, Florida. Johnson (6-4) checked out 3:34 into Round 1, as
he suffered his third consecutive defeat.
Afterward, the
Professional Fighters League signed Keresh to its 2022
roster.
Keresh (5-0) tested the waters with a few kicks and waited for an
opportunity to present itself. He sprawled on Johnson, forced him
down to all fours and connected with a brutal right hand underneath
the armpit. The
Dana White’s Contender Series alum reacted immediately,
retreated to a belly-down position and ate a few more punches
before referee Andrew Glenn intervened on his behalf.
Meanwhile, Robert
Drysdale-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Marcelo
Nunes submitted Bevon Lewis
with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their heavyweight
co-feature. Nunes (8-1) drew out the surrender 2:39 into Round
2.
Lewis (7-4) landed a surprising takedown in the first round and
managed to navigate his counterpart’s venomous guard.
Standing-to-ground punches and more traditional ground-and-pound
tipped his spear and forced Nunes into survival mode. Lewis
delivered another takedown in Round 2, only to be swept by the more
decorated grappler. Nunes snuck into half guard, climbed to full
mount and eventually framed the choke. He then cleared his legs,
tightened his squeeze and forced the tap.
Elsewhere,
Sanford MMA export Daiqwon
Buckley put away Jon
Cunningham with punches in the second round of their
heavyweight attraction. Buckley (2-0) brought it to a close 1:46 into Round
2.
Cunningham (1-1) executed a takedown and briefly achieved full
mount early in the first round, but the well ran dry rather
quickly. Buckley turned the tide with his heavy hands, pairing
merciless pressure with three-, four- and five-punch combinations.
He struck for a takedown of his own roughly 30 seconds into the
middle stanza, climbed to full mount and applied his
ground-and-pound before flattening out Cunningham near the base of
the cage. From there, the result became a formality.
Finally, Giacomo
Lemos kept his perfect professional record intact, as he took
care of Billy
Swanson with punches in the second round of their heavyweight
pairing. Lemos (8-0) drew the curtain 33 seconds into Round
2.
Swanson (4-4) offered considerable resistance throughout a
competitive first round. He cornered Lemos in the clinch and
secured a takedown late in the period. Swanson progressed to side
control, chipped away at the Brazilian with punches and threatened
with a keylock in the waning seconds. Prosperity did not last.
Lemos backed up the Tennessee native with punches, pinned him to
the fence and floored him with a well-placed jab. He then swooped
into top position with hammerfists to prompt the stoppage.