Mads Burnell overwhelms Emmanuel Sanchez with decision win at Bellator 263
In the co-main event of the evening of Bellator 263, Emmanuel Sanchez took on Mads Burnell in an instant classic. Between Sanchez’s striking and Burnell’s grappling prowess, this featured bout was nothing short of a well-rounded battle of technique.
Continue reading to see how this featherweight classic went down at Bellator 263 on Saturday, July 31.
Mads Burnell defeats Emmanuel Sanchez
Round 1: Both fighters waste no time getting to work in this co-main event. Exchanging jabs, Sanchez is getting the better of the two. Burnell is piecing together his own shots. However, Sanchez is beating him to the punch and offsetting his efforts. Sanchez is stringing together beautiful combinations between the body and head. Burnell gets Sanchez to the floor and gets into his comfort zone. Sanchez works his way to his feet and the pair get back to trading in the center of the cage. Sanchez is now working off of his back foot with Burnell putting the pressure on in the closing seconds. With 20 seconds left, Burrell scores another takedown to leave a lasting impression for the judges as Sanchez’s eye is split.
MyMMANews scores round 1 for Emmanuel Sanchez. 10-9
Round 2: Sanchez’s striking leads the front portion of the round, as his pinpoint precision is giving Burnell problems. Burnell pushes Sanchez against the fence looking for another takedown. Sanchez reverses and gets back to the center of the cage. Burnell scores another takedown and postures up for heavy ground and pound. Burnell passes to half guard in an attempt to gain full mount until the bell sounds.
MyMMANews scores round 2 for Mads Burnell. 10-9
Round 3: both fighters tough gloves and get to work. Burnell circles, looking for another takedown and scores 2 consecutively takedowns before rolling for Sanchez’s back as he looks for the rear-naked choke. Sanchez fends it off well and scrambles, scoring the reversal. Sanchez doesn’t keep positioning for too long before Burnell reverses Sanchez one more time and keeps him there for the remainder of the round and fight
MyMMANews scores round three for Mads Burnell. 10-9
Official result: Mads Burnell defeats Emmanuel Sanchez via unanimous decision [30-27 30-27 29-28]
