The “fight card of the century” went down today in Riyadh, topped by Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s undisputed championship rematch. MMA News has you covered with all the action!
A stacked lineup took place in Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Arena on Saturday, February 22. In the headlining act, Beterbiev and Bivol ran back their undisputed light heavyweight title fight from last October.
First time around, the 40-year-old Russian-Canadian fell on the right side of a highly debated majority decision verdict. Bivol successfully achieved redemption after having his previously undefeated record blemished, outpointing his rival to secure undisputed champion status and perhaps set up a trilogy.
Before they went battle, the co-main event saw Joseph Parker and Martin Bakole collide on just days’ notice. The New Zealander was originally slated to challenge IBF Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois before the Brit fell ill during fight week. With that, he successfully defended his WBO interim title with a second-round knockout.
With the event concluded, see below for the full results, followed by all the highlights.
Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 Results & Highlights
Fight Card:
- Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship Main Event: Dmitry Bivol def. Artur Beterbiev via majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 116-112)
- WBO Interim Heavyweight Championship Co-Main Event: Joseph Parker def. Martin Bakole via KO: R2, 2:17
- WBC Lightweight Championship: Shakur Stevenson def. Josh Padley via TKO (corner stoppage): R9, 3:00
- WBC Middleweight Championship: Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz ends in a split draw (115-114 Sheeraz, 118-110 Adames, 114-114)
- WBC Interim Super Welterweight Championship: Vergil Ortiz Jr. def. Israil Madrimov via unanimous decision (117-111, 115-113, 115-113)
- Vacant WBC Interim Heavyweight Championship: Agit Kabayel def. Zhilei Zhang via KO: R6, 2:29
- WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Championship: Callum Smith def. Joshua Buatsi via unanimous decision (119-110, 115-113, 116-112)
