M-1 lightweight champion Artiom Damkovsky (8-4) took on Jose Figueroa (9-4) in the main event of Showtime Presents M-1 Challenge. It was the capper on a pretty entertaining night in the first effort of M-1 on premium cable.
Damkovsky looked to use his striking early but was taken down by Figueroa. It didn't take long for Artiom to find his way back to standing but Figueroa was able to hold his own standing, landing a head kick that caused the champ to start bleeding. A takedown by Figueroa had Damkovsky in a bad position eating big shots and coating the mat with blood. SB Nation scored the round 10-9 Figueroa.
The champion came out aggressive in the second looking to throw heavy strikes but Figueroa got a takedown and started to let his hands go from inside the guard again. A failed triangle choke attempt by Damkovsky allowed Jose to pass and end up in full mount before taking the back and locking in a body triangle. Figueroa ended up back in full mount and unloaded with punches. Damkovsky was covering up but wasn't doing anything else and the ref jumped in to stop it.
Jose Figueroa became the new M-1 Global lightweight champion with the victory.
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