Ruth, a three-time NCAA titlewinner for Penn State, scored a TKO by strikes over Dustin Collins-Miles at 3:19 of the first round of their scheduled three-round middleweight (185-pound) bout… while Fortune, a junior college and NCAA Division II champ, defeated Cody Miskell by TKO by strikes at 2:22 of Round 1 of their three-round heavyweight match.
Collins-Miles, stepping in for Ruth's originally slated opponent, Mark Mangiardi, started the action by knocking Ruth onto his butt with a counter-right hand. However, Ruth popped up quickly, bringing his opponent to the canvas with a classic wrestling move -- a double-leg takedown. The former Nittany Lion mat champ rode Collins-Miles, landing several right hands to the side of his head. Collins-Miles suffered a cut from one of Ruth's shots, and began bleeding profusely. When Collins-Miles failed to protect himself, the referee called the match.
Ruth, who signed with Bellator in summer 2015, is now 1-0 in his professional MMA career, while Collins-Miles, who has been competing in MMA as a pro for nearly a decade, is now 13-9, having lost his last three consecutive fights.
Fortune, a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) heavyweight champ at Oregon's Clackamas Community College and 2013 NCAA Division II titlewinner at Grand Canyon University in Arizona, started his bout with a series of one-two jabs, backing Miskell into the fence. The Oregon native then rode Miskell near the fence, landing hard right hands and a knee to the body. The referee warned Miskell to defend himself, but moments later the match was halted about halfway into the first round.
Fortune, who like Ruth signed with Bellator last year, is also 1-0 with his successful pro debut, while Miskell, also making his first appearance in a pro MMA bout, is now 0-1.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now