Lausa falls to late replacement Ibraimov

Brave CF

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Jenel Lausa's mixed martial arts return was spoiled early Friday (Philippine Time) after bowing to replacement fighter Ryskulbek Ibraimov of Kyrgyzstan via unanimous at Brave CF 47: Asian Invasion in Seef, Bahrain.

Stepping in to replace Afghan pugilist Rahmatullah Yousufzai on a one-day notice, Ibraimov seemed like he properly studied Lausa's tendencies for a long period, slowing him down with his efficient ground game.

Lausa, an undefeated professional boxer, tried to display his striking brilliance against Ibraimov in the first two rounds.

But the Kyrgyz fighter achieved multiple takedowns on the Iloilo native, frustrating him in the process.

Lausa seemed to have finally found a chance to finish Ibraimov after almost knocking him down with a right hook early into Round 3.

However, Ibraimov found an opening after a missed Lausa haymaker for a crucial takedown later in the final round that put him in a dominant spot of pulling the shocker.

One judge had it 29-28, while the other two scored 30-27 all in favor of Ryskulbek, who moved up to 19-8.

Lausa, on the other hand, dropped to 7-6, losing his fourth straight MMA fight overall dating back to 2017.

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