Dabrowski Strikes Overeem into Submission at BOTE Premiere
Tomasz Marciniak Nov 15, 2009
GDYNIA, Poland -- Rafal
Dabrowski made a triumphant return to mixed martial arts on
Saturday, as he stopped Valentijn
Overeem in the first round at the inaugural Beast of the East
event.
Dabrowski, who missed four years while nursing various injuries, entered into a slugfest with the veteran Dutchman from the opening bell. After getting hit hard, the Pole was on his knees, but Overeem elected to let him return to a standing position. It was a decision he would live to regret, as Dabrowski rallied, muscled him down and unleashed his ground-and-pound, which forced the Golden Glory fighter to tap out after a few shots. The end came 1:17 into round one.
“This was my crowning moment,” the bloodied Dabrowski said. “I
didn’t expect [Overeem] to come out so aggressively. When my
trainers showed me some footage, he seemed to be more static, and
that surprised me.”
Originally scheduled as the main event, the Dabrowski-Overeem fight was moved further down on the card for reasons that remain unclear. The top spot in the lineup was instead taken by Robert Jocz and Kenji Nagai.
Elsewhere, Michal Fijalka secured the most significant win of his young career, as he choked out Dave Dalgliesh late in the second round.
The Pole endured a rough first five minutes during which he never really came close to a takedown and ate some stiff shots from Dalgliesh. The fight finally hit the mat early in the second round, when Fijalka scored with a takedown into half guard. He took full advantage of the position with some heavy-handed ground-and-pound. There were moments when a stoppage seemed imminent, but Dalgliesh held on until he surrendered his back. Not one to let such an opportunity slip away, Fijalka quickly applied a rear-naked choke for the win 3:46 into round two.
“I got hit in the head numerous times in round one,” Fijalka said. “I signaled the referee, but he ignored it. I got a bit dizzy but managed to survive those strikes. I was aware the first round didn’t go my way, but I knew that once I take him down, I will have my chance. I couldn’t let it go and hit him as hard as possible. I waited for the referee to stop the fight, but once he didn’t, I managed to win by choke.”
Fijalka’s teammate, Maciej Jewtuszko, spoiled Grzegorz Tredowski’s homecoming by submitting the Holland-based fighter. After spending round one mostly on his back, Jewtuszko went for a flying knee at the beginning the second. Tredowski tried to turn it into a takedown but exposed his neck and was caught in a guillotine choke. The submission ended the match 37 seconds into the second round.
Other Bouts
Jason Jones def. Sebastian Olchawa -- Submission (Guillotine Choke) 4:22 R2
Hans Stringer def. Arnoldas Joknys -- TKO (Punches) R1
Jedrzej Kubski def. Aleksejs Voronovs -- Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 0:41 R1
Marcin Gulas def. Marcin Elsner -- Submission (Omaplata) 1:19 R2
Piotr Hallman def. Krzysztof Adaszak -- TKO (Punches) R1
Dabrowski, who missed four years while nursing various injuries, entered into a slugfest with the veteran Dutchman from the opening bell. After getting hit hard, the Pole was on his knees, but Overeem elected to let him return to a standing position. It was a decision he would live to regret, as Dabrowski rallied, muscled him down and unleashed his ground-and-pound, which forced the Golden Glory fighter to tap out after a few shots. The end came 1:17 into round one.
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Originally scheduled as the main event, the Dabrowski-Overeem fight was moved further down on the card for reasons that remain unclear. The top spot in the lineup was instead taken by Robert Jocz and Kenji Nagai.
Nagai, a Deep veteran, offered little offense and was quickly
outstruck. Roughly two minutes into the match, Jocz connected on a
left straight that sent his opponent into the corner. From there,
he let go with a flurry of punches that put the Japanese fighter on
the ground in defeat 2:14 into the opening stanza.
Elsewhere, Michal Fijalka secured the most significant win of his young career, as he choked out Dave Dalgliesh late in the second round.
The Pole endured a rough first five minutes during which he never really came close to a takedown and ate some stiff shots from Dalgliesh. The fight finally hit the mat early in the second round, when Fijalka scored with a takedown into half guard. He took full advantage of the position with some heavy-handed ground-and-pound. There were moments when a stoppage seemed imminent, but Dalgliesh held on until he surrendered his back. Not one to let such an opportunity slip away, Fijalka quickly applied a rear-naked choke for the win 3:46 into round two.
“I got hit in the head numerous times in round one,” Fijalka said. “I signaled the referee, but he ignored it. I got a bit dizzy but managed to survive those strikes. I was aware the first round didn’t go my way, but I knew that once I take him down, I will have my chance. I couldn’t let it go and hit him as hard as possible. I waited for the referee to stop the fight, but once he didn’t, I managed to win by choke.”
Fijalka’s teammate, Maciej Jewtuszko, spoiled Grzegorz Tredowski’s homecoming by submitting the Holland-based fighter. After spending round one mostly on his back, Jewtuszko went for a flying knee at the beginning the second. Tredowski tried to turn it into a takedown but exposed his neck and was caught in a guillotine choke. The submission ended the match 37 seconds into the second round.
Other Bouts
Jason Jones def. Sebastian Olchawa -- Submission (Guillotine Choke) 4:22 R2
Hans Stringer def. Arnoldas Joknys -- TKO (Punches) R1
Jedrzej Kubski def. Aleksejs Voronovs -- Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 0:41 R1
Marcin Gulas def. Marcin Elsner -- Submission (Omaplata) 1:19 R2
Piotr Hallman def. Krzysztof Adaszak -- TKO (Punches) R1
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