Welcome to Fightful.com's live coverage & discussion for Absolute Championships Berkut 61. We'll be bringing you full, fight by fight coverage of every bout on the card. You can also send in your feedback on our Disqus boards below!
You can see the full results below!
Marat Balaev def. Adlan Bataev by split decision to retain the ACB Featherweight Title
Alexey Butorin def. Nikola Dipchikov by TKO via strikes (R1)
Mikhail Kolobegov def. Piotr Strus by split decision
Albert Tumenov def. Ismael De Jesus by KO via strikes (R1)
Denis Smoldarev def. Tanner Boser by unanimous decision
Oleg Borisov def. Dukvaha Astamirov by unanimous decision
Beslan Isaev def. Elvis Mutapcic by KO via strikes (R1)
Luis Palomino def. Marcos Schmidtz by unanimous decision
Rustam Kerimov def. Tural Ragimov by KO via strikes (R1)
Alexei Martynov def. Vasily palyok by unanimous decision
Arman Ospanov def. Taichi Nakajima by KO via spinning heel kick (R2)
Round By Round Recap
Luis Palomino vs. Marcos Schmidtz
Round One: The round begins with Schmidtz attacking Palomino with leg kicks, Palomino responds by landing some leg kicks of his own. The fighters just start to swing wildly at each other, Palomino comes forward to crack Schmidtz with a right uppercut. Schmidtz and Palomino take turns attacking each other with two punch combinations, Schmidtz cracks Palomino with a leg kick followed by a right hook. Schmidtz looks for the takedown and Palomino blocks by going for a front choke, Palomino cracks Schmidtz with an uppercut followed by a knee strike. The fighters both drop each other simultaneously as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Palomino
Round Two: The round begins with Schmidtz attacking Palomino with a few kicks to the midsection, Schmidtz continues attacking Palomino with a variety of kicks. Schmidtz and Palomino have a wild striking exchange near the cage wall, Palomino tries attacking Schmidtz with a high kick. Palomino goes back to attacking Schmidtz with some leg kicks, Schmidtz eats a left as he attacks Palomino with a multiple punch combination. Schmidtz nails Palomino with a left after a failed takedown attempt, Palomino looks for a takedown and Schmidtz catches him in a front choke as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Schmidtz (Overall Score: 19-19 for Draw)
Round Three: The round begins with Palomino cracking Schmidtz with a few rights, Palomino then rocks Schmidtz with a two punch combination. Palomino backs Schmidtz into the cage wall while peppering him with jabs, Palomino rocks Schmidtz again with another punching combination. Schmidtz lands a combo of his own on Palomino after blocking a high kick, Palomino barely connects with a spinning heel kick on Schmidtz. Palomino drops Schmidtz and he pounces on him with strikes, Palomino settles in the half guard of Schmidtz. Palomino attacks Schmidtz with more strikes while on the ground, Schmidtz scrambles to his feet and he holds Palomino against the cage wall as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Palomino (Final Score: 29-28 for Palomino)
Official Result: Luis Palomino def. Marcos Schmidtz by unanimous decision
Mikhail Kolobegov vs. Piotr Strus
Round One: The round begins with Strus popping Kolobegov with a few jabs, Strus then attacks Kolobegov with a few right hooks. Strus starts catching Kolobegov with a few leg kicks, Kolobegov responds by nailing Strus with a left hook. Kolobegov grabs Strus and he clobbers him with a series of knee strikes, Kolobegov grabs Strus and he holds him against the cage wall. The fighters separate and Kolobegov rocks Strus with a right hook, Kolobegov continues attacking Strus with counter strikes. Kolobegov then cracks Strus with a two punch combination, Kolobegov backs up Strus after landing a pair pf left hooks. Kolobegov pops a swinging Strus with a counter left to the face as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Kolobegov
Round Two: The round begins with Strus attacking Kolobegov with some leg kicks, Kolobegov rocks a swinging Strus with a three punch combination. Strus responds by attacking Kolobegov with a combination of his own, Kolobegov rocks Strus again with a left hook followed by a right. Kolobegov grabs Strus and he holds him against the cage wall, Kolobegov scores a takedown on Strus and Strus gets right back up. Kolobegov scores another takedown and Strus gets right back up, the fighters break away from each other and Strus attacks Kolobegov with more leg kicks. Strus comes forward while throwing strikes at Kolobegov, Strus accidentally nails Kolobegov low and the fight is halted. The fight resumes with Strus attacking Kolobegov with more kicks, Strus goes back to peppering Kolobegov with a lot of jabs, the fighters just swing away at each other as well. Strus nails Kolobegov with an uppercut before scoring a takedown, Strus starts attacking Kolobegov with ground and pound as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Strus (Overall Score: 19-19 for Draw)
Round Three: The round begins with Kolobegov attacking Strus with some leg kicks, Strus comes forward while attacking Kolobegov with punching combinations. Strus goes for a takedown while holding Kolobegov against the cage wall, the fighters separate and Kolobegov nails Strus with a two punch combination. Kolobegov nails Strus with a two punch combination to the midsection, Strus accidentally nails Kolobegov low again and the fight is halted. The fight resumes with the fighters just swinging away at each other, Kolobegov scores a takedown on Strus and Strus gets right back to his feet. Strus then hits Kolobegov with a multiple punch combination, Kolobegov responds by attacking Strus with combos of his own. Kolobegov tries attacking Strus with a flying knee strike, Strus comes forward while attacking Kolobegov with more strikes. The fighters just swing at each other as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Strus (Final Score: 29-28 for Strus)
Official Result: Mikhail Kolobegov def. Piotr Strus by split decision
Tural Ragimov vs. Rustam Kerimov
Round One: The round begins with Kerimov attacking Ragimov with leg kicks, Kerimov scores a takedown on Ragimov and he immediately postures up. Kerimov nails Ragimov with a few punches until he goes out cold.
Official Result: Rustam Kerimov def. Tural Ragimov by KO via strikes (R1)
More action on Page Two...
Vasiliy Palyok vs. Alexei Martynov
Round One: The round begins with Palyok attacking Martynov with a front kick and some leg kicks, Martynov scores a takedown on Palyok and he gets side control. Martynov starts attacking Palyok with some strikes, Palyok catches Martynov in an arm triangle choke for a little while as he was on his back. Palyok also looks for a kimura while on his back, Palyok scrambles and he catches Martynov in his full guard. Martynov starts attacking Palyok with some ground and pound as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Martynov
Round Two: The round begins with Palyok attacking Martynov with a few leg kicks, Palyok then pops Martynov with a few lefts. Martynov comes forward while cracking Palyok with a right, Martynov scores a takedown on Palyok and he gets the open guard. Martynov scrambles to get the side control position on Palyok, Martynov starts attacking Palyok with a few strikes. Martynov gains back control on Palyok as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Martynov (Overall Score: 20-18 for Martynov)
(Note: My feed died during the third round of the fight.)
Official Result: Alexei Martynov def. Vasily palyok by unanimous decision
Arman Ospanov vs. Taichi Nakajima
Round One: The round begins with Nakajima attacking Ospanov with leg kicks, Ospanov nails Nakajima with a left hook. Ospanov starts attacking Nakajima with leg kicks of his own, Nakajima looks for a takedown and Ospanov gets back control instead. Ospanov then gets full mount on Nakajima after a brief scramble, Ospanov regains back control on Nakajima. Nakajima spins and he gets top position on Ospanov, Nakajima starts attacking Ospanov with some ground and pound. Ospanov creates space from Nakajima and both fighters get back to their feet, Ospanov comes forward and swings wildly at Nakajima. The fighters exchnange more leg kicks as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Ospanov
Round Two: The round begins with Nakajima attacking Ospanov with some leg kicks, Ospanov then cracks Nakajima with a few left hooks. Ospanov then pops Nakajima with a left to the midsection, Ospanov crushes Nakajima with a spinning heel kick to the head and Nakajima goes out cold.
Official Result: Arman Ospanov def. Taichi Nakajima by KO via spinning heel kick (R2)
Oleg Borisov vs. Dukvaha Astamirov
Round One: The round begins with Astamirov attacking Borisov with a front kick, Borisov scores a takedown on Astamirov and he gets the full guard. Astamirov scrambles to get the fight standing again, Borisov then catches Astamirov with a right to the midsection. The fighters clinch and Borisob nails Astamirov with a knee strike to the midsection, Borisov then pops Astamirov with a two punch combination. The fighters clinch and battle for position along the cage wall, the fighters separate and Astamirov nails Borisov with a punching combination. Borisov looks for a takedown and Astamirov nails him with a knee strike, Astamirov nails Borisov with an elbow strike while in the clinch. The fighters also exchnage knee strikes while in the clinch as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Astamirov
Round Two: The round begins with Astamirov attacking Borisov with some leg kicks, the fighters clinch up and little happens. Borisov starts attacking Astamirov with some leg kicks of his own, Borisov then cracks Astamirov with a left hook. The fighters start to just swing wildly against each other, Borisov then rocks Astamirov with a two punch combination. Borisov scores a takedown on Astamirov and he gets the open guard, Borisov starts attacking Astamirov with some ground and pound. Astamirov scrambles to his feet and Borisov puts him against the cage wall, the fighters separate and swing wildly at each other. Borisov again grabs Astamirov and puts him against the cage wall as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Borisov (Overall Score: 19-19 for Draw)
Round Three: The round begins with Astamirov nailing Borisov with a right during a takedown attempt, Borisov grabs Astamirov and he holds him against the cage wall. The fighters swing at each other and both land right hooks, the fighters clinch and exchange knee strikes. Astamirov cracks an incoming Borisov with an uppercut, Borisov scores a takedown on Astamirov and he gets the half guard. Astamirov scrambles to his feet with Borisov holding onto him, Borisov drags Astamirov to the ground again. Astamirov scarmbles to his feet as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Borisov (Final Score: 29-28 for Borisov)
Official Result: Oleg Borisov def. Dukvaha Astamirov by unanimous decision
The action resumes on Page Three...
Denis Smoldarev vs. Tanner Boser
Round One: The round begins with Smoldarev peppering Boser with a few jabs, Smoldarev charges at Boser while throwing some strikes. Smoldarev grabs Boser and he holds him against the cage wall, the fighters separate and take a few swings at each other. Smoldarev scores a takedown on Boser and he gets the half guard, Smoldarev attacks Boser with a few strikes. Smoldarev looks for a guillotine choke as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Smoldarev
Round Two: The round begins with Smoldarev attacking Boser with a high kick, Smoldarev nails Boser with a knee strike after a takedown attempt. Boser starts attacking Smoldarev with with leg kicks and a left hook, Smoldarev grabs Boser and he holds him against the cage wall. Boser eventually spins Smoldarev into the cage wall before a striking exchange, Smoldarev again grabs Boser and holds him against the cage wall. The fighters have another striking exchange near the cage wall, the referee eventually separates the fighters for inactivity. Smoldarev accidentally nails Boser low and the fight is halted, the fight resumes with the fighters circling each other until the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Smoldarev (Overall Score: 20-18 for Smoldarev)
Round Three: The round begin with Boser attacking Smoldarev with a two punch combination, Smoldarev nails Boser with a right after blocking a high kick. Smoldarev holds Boser against the cage wall while looking for a takedown, Smoldarev scores a takedown on Boser and he gets the half guard. Smoldarev starts attacking Boser with some ground and pound until the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Smoldarev (Final Score: 30-27 for Smoldarev)
Official Result: Denis Smoldarev def. Tanner Boser by unanimous decision
Albert Tumenov vs. Ismael De Jesus
Round One: The round begins with De Jesus charging at Tumenov while landing a right, Tumenov drops a swinging De Jesus with a combo and De Jesus goes out cold.
Official Result: Albert Tumenov def. Ismael De Jesus by KO via strikes (R1)
Beslan Isaev vs. Elvis Mutapcic
Round One: The round begins with Mutapcic attacking Isaev with leg kicks, Isaev then cracks Mutapcic with a straight right. Isaev drops Mutapcic with another right and he pounces on him with more strikes until the referee jumps in.
Official Result: Beslan Isaev def. Elvis Mutapcic by KO via strikes (R1)
Final fights are on the next page...
Alexey Butorin vs. Nikola Dipchikov
Round One: The round begins with Butorin attacking Dipchikov with leg kicks, Dipchikov rocks Butorin with a punching combination. Dipchikov briefly drops Butorin with a left before rocking him with a plethora of knee strikes, Butorin then cracks Dipchikov with a few knee strikes on his own. Dipchikov again cracks Butorin with some lefts, Butorin then cracks Dipchikov with a kick to the midsection. Dipchikov scores a takedown on Butorin and he gets the half guard, Dipchikov nails Butorin with a knee strike as he scrambled to his feet. Dipchikov then cracks Butorin with a multiple punch combination, Dipchikov scores another takedown on Butorin and they scramble right back to their feet. Butorin comes forward to crack Dipchikov with a right hook, Butorin follows that up by rocking Dipchikov with a left hook. Butorin rocks Dipchikov with knee strikes before dropping him with a combination, Butorin nails Dipchikov with more strikes until the referee jumps in.
Official Result: Alexey Butorin def. Nikola Dipchikov by TKO via strikes (R1)
ACB Featherweight Title Fight: Marat Balaev (Champion) vs. Adlan Bataev
Round One: The round begins with Bataev attacking Balaev with a left hook, Balaev scores a takedown and Bataev gets right back up. Balaev scores a takedown on Bataev and he gets the full guard, Balaev starts attacking Bataev with ground and pound. Balaev occasionally attacks Bataev with some knee strikes as well, the referee stands up the fighters for inactivity. The action resumes with Bataev nailing Balaev with a knee strike to the head, Balaev looks for a takedown as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Balaev
Round Two: The round begins with Bataev attacking Balaev with a few jabs and a straight right, Batave starts pot shotting Balaev. Balaev starts hunting for the takedowns against Bataev, Batave then nails Balaev with a shot to the midsection. Bataev continues catching Balaev with a series of rights, Balaev recovers and he cracks Bataev with a right hook. Balaev then cracks Bataev with a looping left hook, Bataev then cracks Balaev with a punching combination. Balaev then cracks Bataev with a knee strike after a takedown attempt, Balaev scores a takedown on Bataev as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Bataev (Overall Score: 19-19 for Draw)
Round Three: The round begins with Balaev nailing a swinging Bataev with a counter right, Balaev then scores a takedown on Bataev and he gets the open guard. Balaev starts attacking Bataev with some ground and pound, Bataev scrambles to his feet and Balaev puts him against the cage wall. Balaev scores another takedown on Bataev and he gets the open guard as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Balaev (Overall Score: 29-28 for Balaev)
Round Four: The round begins with Balaev coming forward and swinging away at Bataev, Bataev starts popping Balaev with a few jabs. Balaev scores another takedown on Bataev and he gets the open guard, Balaev attacks Bataev with some ground and pound. The referee stands up the fighters for inactivity, the action resumes with Bataev swinging away at Balaev. Bataev catches Balaev with a few punching combinations, Balaev then hits Bataev with an overhand right. Balaev looks for a takedown before landing a two punch combination, Bataev peppers Balaev with jabs as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Balaev (Overall Score: 39-37 for Balaev)
Round Five: The round begins with Balaev popping Bataev with a few jabs, Balaev starts hunting for more takedowns against Bataev. Bataev starts catching Balaev with a series of jabs as well, Balaev then cracks Bataev with an overhand right. Balaev continues looking for the takedowns against Bataev, Balaev puts Bataev against the cage wall while looking for a takedown. The fighters separate and Balaev nails Bataev with a right, the fighters swing away at each other as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Balaev (Final Score: 49-46 for Balaev)
Official Result: Marat Balaev def. Adlan Bataev by split decision to retain the ACB Featherweight Title