It was a red panty night for the New England region when it came to combat sports last night, as Ras Hylton, Chris Sarro, and Fabio Cherant all represented under the bright lights and took W's back north.
Ras Hylton Picks Up the Biggest Win of His Career at Bellator 242
Hylton (6-2, #9 HW) kicked off the festivities by outworking a tough Team Quest fighter, Rudy Schaffroth (6-2), over the course of 3 rounds and taking home a unanimous decision victory. Schaffroth won the first round by dropping Hylton with a right hook, but that proved to be all that he had in the tank, as he gassed in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, leaving the door open for "Rasquatch". The First Class MMA product showed very good cardio, incorporated a lot of movement, and used his reach to his advantage. Ultimately, it came down to Hylton's cardio being the difference, as he was able to stay active with short elbows from the bottom as Schaffroth held on for dear life without throwing many strikes towards the end of the fight. The judges made the right call and gave the deciding 3rd round to the New England native, and that was enough to earn him the decision 29-28 across the board.
By far the biggest win of his career, Hylton now looks to stay active and get back in the cage as soon as possible. Rumors are swirling that Bellator has already signed him to a multi-fight deal, but Ras shot down that theory pretty quickly on social media. This may be a tactic of the deal not being made public yet, and both parties trying to protect the news until a more appropriate time - only time will tell. Regardless, Hylton should be elated to capture such a big win with a major promotion on just 3 days notice. The 6'6" Hylton let his emotions out in what was a pretty inspirational post-fight interview that you can check out below. Congrats on a huge win Ras, and keep the train rollin'!
Chris Sarro's Red Right Hand is Too Much for Victor Jones at BKFC 11
Ras Hylton's BFF, Chris "Golden Gloves" Sarro (2-0 BKFC, #8 HW), entered the squared-circle in Oxford, MS only 10 or so minutes after Hylton was getting his hand raised in Connecticut. Sarro was bidding for his 2nd Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship win in as many chances, and he didn't disappoint, picking up a 1st round KO victory over Michigan's Victor Jones (0-1 BKFC). Sarro and Hylton have been seen training together often over the past few months, so for these two to pick up the biggest wins of their respective careers on the same night so close together, is a pretty special thing to see.
Sarro's victory didn't come without its share of trials and tribulations though. Hylton was tapped to be one of his corners in Mississippi, but his plans obviously changed with the booking of the Bellator fight, and Sarro's coach tested posted for Covid-19 before he was scheduled to travel down south for the fight, thus eliminating him from cornering Sarro as well. "Golden Gloves" called on a buddy from Wisconsin, Brandon Lambert, to step up and make the 10 hour drive down to Mississippi to help him prepare for the biggest fight of his life. It was a cluster-fuck to say the least, but it wasn't much different for his newly found opponent, Victor Jones, as he entered the squared-circle sporting basketball shorts, a borrowed cup, and some fresh Asics.
Sarro made quick work of Jones, landing a right hook flush to Jones left eye towards the end of the first round and sending the mid-westerner crumbling to the canvas. Once Jones felt Sarro's power you could tell that he didn't want any more, and it looked like he strategically waited for the 10 count before returning to his feet, as he ultimately wanted to fight waived off, which he got.
Sarro is building a fanbase, and with his charismatic, positive outlook on life, there's no telling the following he may garner. He's a blue-collar, hard-working Mainer who's built like a brick shit-house, and is quickly moving his way up the BKFC LHW and HW rankings. He even got a call out from current BKFC heavyweight champ, Joey Beltran (3-1 BKFC), on social media, requesting that BKFC President Dave Feldman line up a fight with Sarro. This is a big deal, and I'm sure Sarro could hold his own, but I'd love to see him get at least one more bare knuckle fight under his belt before challenging for the belt, if that's what Beltran really wants.
The "Water Buffalo" was Hungry, and He Got a Chance to Eat
Sityodtong fighter, Fabio "The Water Buffalo" Cherant (5-1, #3 LHW), got a call from a mid-major promotion in Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) to take a trip out to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to take on Erick Murray Jr. Cherant hadn't fought in almost a year, last stepping into the cage on the last season of the Contender Series, losing by TKO to current UFC light heavyweight, Aleksa Camur (6-0). The business trip didn't start out great for Cherant, as he tipped the scales 6.5 lbs over the allotted limit of 206 pounds. Regardless of the weight discrepancy, the fight was still on, and Cherant had something to prove.
Cherant rocked Murray only :40 into the fight, sending him back-peddling to the cage. Fabio engaged in some grappling, grabbed a standing anaconda choke, and wrestled his foe to the ground. The tap came quickly thereafter, and Cherant had proven to himself and many others that his last loss was only a fluke. An emotional Cherant got some shine after getting his hand raised, and broke down on air when chatting with Pat Miletich and Ron Kruck on the FightPass broadcast. This one obviously meant a lot to Cherant, and he capitalized, and he now sets his sights on getting a call from the big boys. He'll need to get his weight issues under control, but it was an impressive performance that the major organizations should be paying attention to.
We came. We sought. We conquered. It was that simple. 3-0 and barely a scratch on 'em! Who's next?
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