Rivalries: Andrey Koreshkov

The fact that Andrey Koreshkov has become something of an afterthought in the Bellator MMA welterweight division makes him no less of a threat to those with whom he comes into contact.

Koreshkov will return to the Scott Coker-led promotion for the first time in nearly two years when he meets Sabah Homasi in three-round Bellator 264 showcase this Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. “Spartan” has rattled off 10 victories across his past 13 appearances—a run that includes five first-round finishes. Koreshkov last competed at a Fight Nights Global event in February, when he submitted Adriano Rodrigues de Oliveira with an armbar in his native Russia.

As Koreskhov prepares for his confrontation with American Top Team’s Homasi, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Ben Askren

The two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner put away the previously unbeaten Koreshkov with punches in the fourth round of their Bellator 97 co-main event on July 31, 2013 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Askren drew the curtain 2:58 into Round 4 after administering a comprehensive beatdown. Koreshkov, who entered the cage with a perfect 13-0 record, was barely allowed to breathe. Askren closed the distance, executed repeated takedowns and went about suffocating the Russian from top position. He applied his ground-and-pound with varying intensity, slowly but surely wearing down Koreshkov with sustained offense until referee Jason Herzog mercifully stepped in to prevent further abuse. It was Askren’s final appearance in the Bellator cage, as he entered free agency and agreed to terms with One Championship some three months later.

Benson Henderson

The MMA Lab ace found himself woefully outgunned in his promotional debut opposite Koreshkov in the Bellator 153 headliner, as he bowed to the reigning Bellator MMA welterweight champion in a one-sided unanimous decision on April 22, 2016 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. All three cageside judges scored it 50-45. No one previously had bullied Henderson for such an extended period of time. Koreshkov squashed the former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder’s takedown attempts and systematically dismantled him from the outside, utilizing his superior height and reach. He had “Smooth” teetering on the brink more than once and nearly finished him with an expertly placed flying knee late in the first round. Only Henderson’s guile and heart kept him around for the full 25 minutes.

Douglas Lima

The Brazilian shined in his rubber match with Koreshkov at Bellator 206, where he throttled the Alexander Shlemenko protégé unconscious with a rear-naked choke in the fifth round of their Bellator MMA welterweight grand prix quarterfinal on Sept. 29, 2018 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The end came 3:04 into Round 5. After a slow start, Lima picked up speed in the second, third and fourth rounds with a sustained kick-heavy assault on the Russian’s body and legs. Koreshkov ultimately broke in the fifth. There, Lima controlled the center of the cage, pieced together punching combinations and sprawled out of an attempted takedown before moving to his rival’s back. He then secured his position with hooks, snaked his arms in place and allowed his squeeze to cut off blood flow to Koreshkov’s brain. The two men had met twice previously: Koreshkov took a unanimous decision at Bellator 140 in 2015 before Lima rebounded with a sensational third-round knockout at Bellator 164 a little more than a year later.

Lorenz Larkin

“The Monsoon” took a step forward in the welterweight pecking order, as he eked out a split decision over Koreshkov in the Bellator 229 main event on Oct. 4, 2019 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. All three judges scored it 29-28: Ron McCarthy for Koreskhov, Michael Bell and Luis Cobian for Larkin. Koreshkov had his chances. He floored Larkin with wheel kick in the first round, but the Strikeforce and UFC veteran managed to survive the onslaught that followed, owing to his stout chin and high-level experience. Round 2 was a different story. Larkin pushed the Russian backward and uncorked a flying knee that altered the direction of the fight. Koreshkov hit the deck, and though he regained his footing, he was knocked down a second time with another knee strike. Larkin poured on the punishment with elbow-laced ground-and-pound in a bid to finish, but referee Mike Beltran kept his finger off the button. The third round was largely uneventful outside of an attempted guillotine from Larkin. Koreshkov escaped the choke, but his desire to wrestle and an unwillingness to exchange caution for aggression proved costly.