Bellator 218: Anatoly Tokov doesn't remember much about Gerald Harris nearly finishing him
THACKERVILLE, Okla. – As best as Anatoly Tokov can remember, he had this sudden feeling he better get up and do something, or suffer the consequences.
The consequences Friday night would’ve been a TKO loss at Bellator 218. Tokov (28-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) said he realized Gerald Harris (25-8-1 MMA, 0-3-1 BMMA) was hitting him, and something clicked in his head that he needed to get up and get moving. The punch that Harris landed to begin with, and the follow-up shots on the canvas, Tokov doesn’t much remember.
“I didn’t see the punch,” Tokov told MMA Junkie through a translator. “When I started to stand up, that moment, I understood I took a shot to the head. I should get up as soon as possible. That’s it.”
Tokov easily could’ve found the middleweight fight stopped by referee Kerry Hatley. Another referee, a couple punches more, things could’ve been different. But Hatley saw enough to let Tokov try to recover, and after he survived the first round, he picked up a quick guillotine choke win in the second frame.
Bellator 218 took place Friday at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out the full interview with Tokov in the video above, and don’t miss highlights of his win below.
And for complete coverage of Bellator 218, check out the MMA Events section of the site.