Ed Ruth (Photo/Bellator)Former college wrestling champs Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune came out winners at the Bellator 178 mixed martial arts event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on Friday, the same venue which hosted their first pro MMA appearances at Bellator 163 back in November 2016.
Ruth, three-time NCAA Division I titlewinner for Penn State, scored a technical knockout at 3:13 of the second round in his middleweight bout vs. David Mundell, replacing Aaron Goodwine only a few days ago ... while Fortune, a two-time junior college champ and NCAA Division I titlist, earned a unanimous decision over Branko Busick in a three-round heavyweight bout.
In its play-by-play coverage of the Ruth-Mundell fight, MMAmania.com awarded Ruth the first round, as the former Nittany Lion had his opponent on the mat up against the fence, reporting that towards the end of that round "Mundell is eating a lot of left hands." In the second, Ruth scored two takedowns ... then finished off Mundell with a knee to the body that he was unable to defend against, forcing the referee to stop the action.
Here's what Ruth said on Facebook: "Walked away with another "W" , KO via Knees, it's already history time to get back in the gym. #bellator178 #knee #undefeated"
“I thought it was a good fight and a solid win for me. There were definitely some areas where I could've been faster and I could've been sharper,†Ruth said in a post-fight interview. “I felt like I missed a lot of openings, but I'll go back to work and train some more and be ready to go again soon.â€
Ruth now improves to 3-0 in his professional MMA career. None of his bouts has gone the distance, with the first two ending in the first round.
Fortune, NJCAA champ at Oregon's Clackamas Community College and Division II titlewinner at Grand Canyon University in Arizona, won Round One, according to MMAmania.com's live play-by-play ... which then declared the second round to be a tie. The former wrestling champ continued to land blows with his fists and knees throughout the bout, with Busick's corner yelling "low blow" toward the end of the final round - a claim denied by the referee. MMAmania.com awarded the third round to Fortune. The three official scorers unanimously scored it 29-27 for Fortune.
It was the first time Fortune had to go the distance, as he scored first-round TKOs in his previous two Bellator appearances.
“I thought it was great for me to go out and get three rounds in,†Fortune said following his Bellator 178 win. “I felt like I utilized my jab and my knees really well. Obviously I'm still pretty too, no bumps and no cuts. I dominated the fight.â€
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