Veteran flyweight contender Julia Berezikova earned a dominant TKO win in front of a partisan crowd tonight at Eurasia Fight Nights: Saint Petersburg in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The popular Berezikova stopped Brazilian standout Rosy Duarte with punches and knees in the second round.
Tonight’s win was Berezikova’s second in a row since returning to MMA in March following a two-year hiatus. Earlier on tonight’s EFN card, Anastasia Yankova kept her perfect pro record intact with a first-round submission win over Thailand’s Chommanee Sor Taehiran in featured flyweight action.
Berezikova (10-4-0) picked her shots with single punches and left-right combos early in the first round, and she kept Duarte (8-3-0) on the defensive by repeatedly scoring with overhand rights. A left hook rocked Duarte and Berezikova swarmed on her with punches and knees, but Duarte recovered and she circled away. Berezikova cracked her with a hard right cross and initiated a clinch. A bloodied Duarte secured a takedown into side control, but Berezikova scrambled and worked for an armbar until the fighters were stood up, and both women landed right hooks late in the round.
Duarte flurried with punches in round two, but Berezikova backed her up with a counter combination. She dropped her with a right hook, but Duarte battled back to her feet. Berezikova sensed that the end was near and she unleashed a barrage of punches and knees that prompted the referee to stop the fight at the 1:08 mark of the second round.
Berezikova has tasted defeat just once in the past eight years, in a June 2013 bout against current UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, and she remains one of Europe’s top female fighters. She previously submitted Juliana Werner with a second-round kneebar in March.
Winner: Julia Berezikova by TKO (Punches & Knees) at 1:08 of round two. She improves to 10-4-0.
Yankova (2-0-0), who is primarily known for her striking skills, once again showcased her underrated ground game in her quick victory tonight. She punched her way into a clinch right away and secured two takedowns against the cage in the opening minute. The fighters were quickly stood up and Yankova stunned Taehiran (0-1-0) with a body kick. She threw Taehiran to the mat and transitioned to an armbar, but Taehiran escaped and wound up on top. Undeterred, Yankova attacked with a triangle choke and then a second armbar that forced Taehiran to submit at the 2:31 mark.
Just as she did in her pro MMA debut two years ago, Yankova proved that she is a threat on the ground as well as on the feet. At just 24 years of age, she is one of Russia’s brightest female prospects and a welcome addition to the developing flyweight division.
Winner: Anastasia Yankova by Submission (Armbar) at 2:31 of round one. She improves to 2-0-0.