Bellator 276 results: Adam Borics wins thrilling decision over Mads Burnell after non-stop striking battle

Adam Borics looked spectacular in one of the hardest fought victories of his career.

“The Kid” won a unanimous decision over Mads Burnell (16-4) in the main event of Bellator 276 in St. Louis on Saturday, earning the nod after a brutal back-and-forth standup war. The scorecards (49-46, 50-45, 49-46) were decidedly in Borics’ favor, but they didn’t provide a full picture of how competitive the contest was.

He improved to 18-1 with his fourth straight win, and afterward he called for a shot at the Bellator featherweight title.

“Look, I’m not even breathing, so the hard work pays off, guys,” Borics said. “I’m next!”

A.J. is the Bellator champion featherweight. McKee first has to deal with a rematch against Patricio Freire, which is scheduled for Bellator 277 on April 15.

Borics displayed unreal cardio throughout the fight. He threw strikes at Burnell relentlessly and mixed up his Muay Thailand techniques perfectly to stop Burnell from attacking him. Burnell, despite taking an unbelievable amount of damage, was still able to throw precise combinations at Borics’ head and body.

The most notable strike of the fight — and there were many — occurred near the end of Round 2, as Borics caught Burnell with a right hand on the button that dropped the Dane. However, Burnell recovered quickly and the action continued from there.

Burnell marched forward in Round 3 and landed power punches around Borics’ head and to the body. Borics responded with strikes down the middle.

The intense duel was interrupted by a brief bit of levity in the fourth as Burnell broke out some dance moves.

Borics stuck with the game plan in Round 5, where he had an answer for every burst of offense that Burnell threw at him. He went on to take a convincing decision, though when the final strike count is tallied, it will likely reflect favorably on both fighters.

Phil Davis won his first career victory in the co-main. 24 with a dominant decision against Julius Anglickas. The well-rounded game of “Mr. Wonderful” was on full display as he controlled the distance on the feet before taking Anglickas down to the mat. The former Bellator light heavyweight champion scored at least one takedown in all three rounds and was rarely threatened throughout the contest.

Davis now has two consecutive wins and seven out of nine in his last nine. His only losses were against Vadim Nemkov, current Bellator light-heavyweight champion.

Also on the main card, middleweight contender Johnny Eblen (11-0) likely punched his way to a shot at champion Gegard Mousasi with a three-round shutout of one-time title challenger John Salter (18-6), and Gadzhi Rabadanov (17-4-2) won a decision to hand the previously unbeaten Jay Jay Wilson (8-1) his first loss.

See the full Bellator 276 results below:

Main Card

Adam Borics def. Mads Burnell via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 49-46)

Phil Davis def. Julius Anglickas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Johnny Eblen def. John Salter via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Jay Jay Wilson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

Alex Polizzi def. Jose Augusto via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 3, 0:49

Romero Cotton def. Freddy Sandoval via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:39

Diana Avsaragova def. Kyra Batara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Cody Law def. James Adcock via KO (punch) — Round 1, 1:17 | Watch finish

Roman Faraldo def. Kelvin Rayford via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:44

Jordan Howard def. Trevor Ward via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 3:24