Two-time Bellator tournament finalist Toby Imada got back on the winning track on Monday at FiteNite 14 in Costa Rica. The popular lightweight defeated Ludwing “El Perro” Salazar with a second-round armbar in the night’s main event. The win was Imada’s 12th in his last 14 bouts.
Also on the MMA portion of the card, undefeated judoka Reyna Córdoba moved her mixed martial arts record to 4-0 with a Unanimous Decision win over tough veteran Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel. Scores were 29-28 across the board for Córdoba, who picked up her biggest victory to date.
Imada (28-15-0) came up on the wrong end of a contentious Split Decision against Pat Curran in the final of Bellator’s second lightweight tournament at Bellator 21 in June. Many observers felt that Imada was robbed of a well-earned victory and judging issues affected the promotion again in its third season, which wrapped up in October. The bout with Salazar (12-10-0), a veteran fighter himself, was Imada’s first since his June war with Curran and he secured his 19th career submission win with the stoppage. Of Imada’s 28 wins, only two have gone the distance.
In the lone women’s bout, Córdoba (4-0-0) kept her unbeaten record intact with a close but Unanimous Decision victory over Helsel (8-10-1), who suffered her second defeat of 2010. Córdoba had previously scored a trio of stoppage wins over lesser opposition in three appearances for Costa Rican promotions dating back to her professional debut on October 31, 2009. The win was a big one for Córdoba, but it remains to be seen whether she will look to compete outside of her home country. Helsel will still have a chance to pick up her first win of the year when she faces Aisling Daly at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 39: “The Uprising” on November 27th in Cork City, Ireland.
Other winners at FiteNite 14 were Alejandro “Mandarina” Solano Rodriguez (first-round KO of Sebastien “The Linx” Garguier) and Jeffry Lopez (first-round TKO of Rudier Fuentes).
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)