Tonight Costa Ioannou became the first fighter in EFC history to defend his EFC title twice when he defeated Adam Speechly via unanimous decision at EFC Africa 14. Ioannou, a huge favourite, was put to the test by a determined Speechly and was forced to dig deep to grind out the win and retain his lightweight title. A great main event, Costa Ioannou and Adam Speechly showed what MMA is all about.
Costa Ioannou vs Adam Speechly EFC 14 fight breakdown
Costa Ioannou took control of the fight early, taking the fight to the ground and maintaining a dominant position for the better part of the first two rounds. Ioannou was able to land some vicious ground and pound and attempt near submissions, looking every bit the dominant champion we are used to. Though Speechly worked hard off his back, the grappling wunderkind couldn't seem to find an answer.As round two drew to a close, Ioannou looked worn out. Speechly took this opportunity and pressed the action in round three, taking the top position and landing some shots of his own. The fight had taken a huge turn and Ioannou looked in real trouble for the first time in his professional career.
Costa Ioannou bounced back in round four, and though he looked gassed for the remainder of the fight, was still able to land effective take downs, control the fight and nearly land a fight finishing rear-naked choke. Speechly for his part was competitive in the latter rounds, but never looked as threatening as he had in the third.
The fight went the distance and Costa Ioannou was awarded a well deserved unanimous decision victory to retain his EFC Africa lightweight title.
Full EFC 14 fight results
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