Sports
Fresno fighter beat up, yet wins
Posted:  11/06/2009 11:40 PM

By Jeff Davis / The Fresno Bee
Color the MMA Strikeforce Challenge main event Friday at the Save Mart Center bright red -- as in bloody and body bruised.

Fresno's Billy Evangelista and Jorge Gurgel of Cincinnati didn't spare the kicks and punches in the main event.

Evangelista left the cage with a bloodied face but with his unbeaten record intact after beating Gurgel's upper body red in a unanimous three-round decision. Two judges scored it 30-27 and the other 29-28.

"If it had gone two more rounds, he might have won," Evangelista (10-0) said after the 160-pound bout. "I worked more on technique than conditioning for this one."

Evangelista, the more accomplished boxer, made that work for him. After a tame first round, the two picked it up in the second with Evangelista getting a takedown.

The third round was a draw until Gurgel (13-6) tried a leg sweep. Evangelista grabbed the leg, threw his opponent down and threw a series of punches to seal the victory.