Mixed martial arts heavyweight Dan Evensen (6-2-0) needed a win in Costa Rica and he got it. Coming off two losses, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Norwegian giant put an end to his losing streak by defeating Jeremiah Constant (4-2-0).
From the start of the fight it was obvious that Evensen wanted to strike while Constant, a wrestler from Team Quest, wanted to take the fight to the mat. Shooting immediately, "The Good Ole Boy" struggled to get a take down and seemed to gas. Chopping punches to the head and hard knees to the body took their toll and, at 3:30 in the first round, Evensen unleashed a series of hammer-fists and the referee stopped the fight, declaring “The Viking” the winner by TKO.
“I knew he was going to shoot,” Evensen said after the fight. “I thought he was going to surprise me with the standup but as soon as I hit him he went right for it and I laid down the horsepower.”
In other action, Pennsylvania’s Stephen Haigh (4-2-0) went to war against Takuya Wada (13-8-8). In the first round, Haigh threw hard shots and dropped Wada once with an overhand right. Using kicks, Wada set up his takedown and scored with a throw with a minute left in the round. Throwing hard kicks in the second round, Haigh continued to wear down his Japanese opponent. A botched takedown attempt early in the third round left Wada on his back and from there on it was all Haigh, who began raining down punches on his Japanese opponent. Moments later, he had the choke and the fight was over.
“I don’t know if I dominated per se,” he said later. “I definitely kept the pace where I wanted it. I didn’t feel like I was scoring enough to be a decisive winner, so I had to make something happen. I had the choke at first but with the sweat he was able to wiggle his chin in but I knew that I had it. I just couldn’t give up on it, and I was able to sink it.”
Bodog Fight: Costa Rica Combat continues Tuesday, May 8 at 11 p.m. / 10 p.m. Central on ION Television.
New episodes air every Tuesday on ION, with replays every Saturday.
All episodes are also available online. Visit Bodog Fight for previews, recaps, behind-the-scenes exclusives, fighter bios and all your MMA action.
Source: sports.bodogbeat.com
