DENISE KIELHOLTZ TAKES HOME INAUGURAL WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT CROWN
FLORENCE, ITALY — (December 16, 2016) — A sellout crowd at Nelson Mandela Forum witnessed a night of action they won’t soon forget during “Bellator Kickboxing: Florence.”
In the main event, Giorgio Petrosyan (83-2-2, 1 NC) reminded people why he’s widely regarded the greatest kickboxer alive today, with a TKO stoppage of Jordan Watson (49-12-2) 53 second into the third and final round of their clash.
The ultimate birthday present to himself, “The Doctor” landed a vicious right hook following a standing eight count that ended the night for Watson, who until the final frame really was holding his own with the superstar.
“Miss Dynamite” Claims Flyweight Gold Via Split Decision
Bellator has a new flyweight kickboxing champion, as Denise Kielholtz (46-3) took home a split decision (49-46, 47-48, 50-45) over Gloria Peritore (11-2-1), much to the chagrin of the thousands of fans in attendance.
With the victory, “Miss Dynamite” did her part to level out the ladies record against one another at one apiece, both via split decision. That being said, Kielholtz returns home to Holland as the first-ever women’s flyweight champion.
With how much action both bouts between the two ladies provided, surely a trilogy contest is in the future?
Schilling Knocks Out Lermano in First-Round Blowout
Just like the saying “Can’t Stop Crazy” goes, Joe Schilling (20-9) could not be stopped at “Bellator Kickboxing: Florence,” knocking Victorio Lermano (30-9) down not once, but twice, forcing the referee to wave off the action at 2:43 of round one.
With the win, “Stitch Em’ Up” put an end to his losing streak and reaffirmed himself as the man to beat at middlweight in Bellator Kickboxing. As if one sport wasn’t enough already, Schilling also re-opened the door to mixed martial arts, telling the crowd that if the matchup made sense, he’d trade in the the kickboxing gloves for some smaller ones.
Ghajji Rebounds From Title Defeat With Win at ‘Bellator Kickboxing: Florence’
Karim Ghajji (97-13-1) bested Luca Novello (22-5-2) via split decision in his third appearance for Bellator Kickboxing and first since dropping the welterweight title to Zoltan Laszak at “Bellator Kickboxing: Budapest.”
With 2017 right around the corner, “GadjetBoy” is only a win or so away from putting himself right back into title contention.
Kevin Ross Knocks Out Italian Opponent With Head Kick
Donning his colorfully loud signature ring attire, it took Kevin Ross (32-9) a round to warm up, but when he did, “The Soul Assassin” knocked out Alessio Arduini (26-15-2) with a headkick at :42 of the second round.
After the contest, Ross was asked what he feels 2017 holds and he pulled no punches when letting Bellator President Scott Coker aware of his intentions: “I’ve always been known to come back from hard punches, unfortunately it doesn’t always work out for me, but it’s exciting and it’s what the people want to see,” Ross added. “I want that belt Scott, I want that belt.”
