The bout, which the fighters fought under kickboxing rules with MMA gloves, went all three rounds, with the judges giving Lionheart the win by majority scores of 29-27 twice and 28-28.
Ismagulov landed several accurate shots in the first round, including a dangerous right high kick to the head, but in the second three minutes Vartanyan stepped up the pressure and took away his opponent’s distance, relying on clinch work.
In the final round Ismagulov’s strength began to leave him, and in the second minute he was knocked down, in another clinch he missed a knee strike to the head, however, he disagreed with the fact that the referee opened the score. At the end of the match Ismagulov tried to take revenge in the final exchanges, getting Vartanian with a tight right, but the judges decided that it was not enough to win.
After the fight, AMC Fight Nights lightweight champion Alexander Sarnavsky entered the cage to challenge Eduard Vartanian.
“If we fight Edik under these rules, it’s going to be a very tough show,” stated “Tiger”.
“I’m ready for any challenge,” Vartanian replied.
Recall that Alexander Sarnavskiy became the AMC Fight Nights champion two weeks ago, finishing then current titleholder Magomed Sulumov with a rear-naked choke in the third round.