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#4 Emmanuel Sanchez (17-4) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (28-8-1) (Featherweight)
The second fight between Emmanuel 'El Matador' Sanchez vs. Georgi 'Insane' Karakhanyan main evented Bellator 218. Sanchez was coming off a loss against Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Freire while Georgi's last outing against Timur Nagibin for Absolute Championship Akhmat ended in a no-contest.
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The fight began with both the Featherweights engaging in a stand-up battle. Left hooks and kicks were some of the highlights of the exchange as Karakhanyan got in a takedown at the end. He remained on top of Sanchez for a majority of the round and kept chipping away with strikes.
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Karakhanyan got in a successful takedown early into the second round but Sanchez was smarter this time and positioned himself with his back against the cage. Due to inactivity, the referee called for a stand-up and Sanchez wasted no time in taking Karakhanyan down to the mat. Sanchez attempted to set up a rear-naked choke but Karakhanyan defended admirably well, which was expected of the Armenian who has rarely found himself in a position of bother on the ground. It was an even fight as both men had one round each in the books.
A similar pattern repeated itself as Karakhanyan went for an aggressive takedown at the beginning of the third round but Sanchez defended with conviction. Sanchez upped the tempo as the round progressed. He reversed a single leg takedown from Karakhanyan and connected with some solid shots from top position.
Karakhanyan ate some big shots but somehow survived until the final bell as Sanchez looked to unsuccessfully close the fight with a kimura.
Result: Emmanuel Sanchez def. Georgi Karakhanyan via Unanimous Decision (29-28-29-28-29-28)
Sanchez 2 - Karakhanyan 0, and that's all there is to this rivalry. Sanchez showed more focus as he weathered the storm and smartly imposed his will to get back into the winner's column.
