One of PWP Nation’s newest writers Jason Burgos explains why after Bellator 153, Andrey Koreshkov is a “made man” in the world of MMA.
This past weekend saw an onslaught of high level fisticuffs. Friday was highlighted by Bellator 153, which was then followed by the debut of Bellator Kickboxing While on Saturday, Jon “Bones” Jones made his long awaited return to action at UFC 197. With this smorgasbord of fighting full of ramifications, the biggest story to come out of the weekend may be how Andrey Koreshkov is now a made man in the sport.
During the broadcast of the UFC 197 main event, current Light Heavyweight Champion and avid wrestling fan, Daniel Cormier, aptly noted the “rub” OSP would get from an opportunity to fight a man largely considered the best in the business. A “rub” is professional wrestling jargon for building popularity via matches and interactions with a top star. Under this theory, being matched-up with an opponent that attracts more eyeballs is beneficial to a career, win or lose. At Bellator 153, Koreshkov was in line to get the “rub” from Benson Henderson.
Going into the weekend, Koreshkov was considered a talented young fighter on the cusp of bigger things. He was headlining a Bellator card for just the third time. Even more noteworthy was that he was defending his newly won welterweight title against the best fighter he had ever stepped into a cage with.
Henderson switching sides and signing with Bellator was one of the biggest MMA stories of the year. It made his debut on Friday one of the more celebrated moments in the promotions history. However, while “Bendo” was the far more recognizable name, “Spartan” was the favorite. Mostly based off of the fact that Koreshkov had a serious size advantage over his ambitious opponent.
While Henderson has a hall-of-fame level resume at lightweight, his recent move to 170 pounds resulted in a 2-0 record. Though both bouts were closely contested and far from dominant performances by the former WEC and UFC champ. Yet, he is still Benson Henderson. He is a large lightweight, a former world champion, and a multiple-time headliner of nationally televised cards on FOX. He has headlined as many shows on just FOX, as Koreshkov has headlined Bellator shows in general.
So Andrey Koreshkov was placed in the role of playing foil to Henderson’s attempt at being a two-division champion. For many he was an afterthought, despite an 18-1 record. His notable wins against Lyman Good and Douglas Lima didn’t register with mainstream fans. At best he was another guy who got out-wrestled by Ben Askren, and at worst he was a fighter who never got tested against the best of the sport like Henderson has. It seemed for him, getting the “rub” from a big star was the consensus view of many fans.
Early on in the bout it became clear, it was Henderson who was getting the “rub”. And that rub consisted of being bombarded with over hand punches, scintillating kicks to the body and jumping knees from a Russian assassin.
Koreshkov put his name on the MMA map in a big way. From the first minute of round one to the last second of the final frame, Koreskov dominated Henderson. As the favorite he was expected to win, though few could have imagined him completely shutting down a talent of Henderson’s level like he did. There was no speed difference, “Spartan” used his length expertly and he made “Smooth’s” takedown attempts look amateur at best.
It was the type of performance that made even the most pessimistic of fans ponder what “AK” versus Lawler, MacDonald and Thompson could be like. That’s quite a shift change in a few days time.
Part of getting the rub and maintaining its benefits is to build off of it. Koreshkov has now claimed premiere star status in the company by dismantling, arguably, their best fighter. He will be an easy choice for main event inclusion on many Bellator shows to come.
If he continues his growth physically and mentally–he is only 25-years–he could become the best fighter in the promotion and one day aim for two-division, glory like his opponent attempted on Friday. Andrey Koreshkov got the “rub”, and now he is a made man.
Thanks for reading, everyone.
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