Sholinian comes up short at RFA 31 against Velickovic

Fighting on his biggest stage against his most formidable opponent yet, Vardan “The Barbarian” Sholinian showcased the toughness and grappling that has made him a burgeoning mixed martial arts prospect.

But it was the stamina and striking of Bojan “Serbian Steel” Velickovic that won the day and every scorecard, as Velickovic defeated Glendale Fighting Club’s Sholinian via unanimous decision in a three-round 175-pound catchweight bout Friday night at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 31 from the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center.

Sholinian (5-2), who was originally slated to face the undefeated Cameron Diffley (4-0), reportedly took the bout on three weeks’ notice and Velickovic (12-3) was his third opponent.

Nonetheless, Sholinian came out firing, working the clinch and pressuring Velickovic while landing steady punches from the clinch. But Velickovic came on strong late in the first round and throughout the remainder of the fight to win his third straight bout, while delivering Sholinian his first loss since his pro debut in July 2013, a technical knockout due to injury. All three judges had it 30-27, while the Glendale News-Press had it 29-28 with the first round going to Sholinian.

The bout was the second on an AXS TV live telecast and came under the banner of RFA, which is one of the more prominent feeder organizations for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Sholinian wasted little time going for a takedown with a single leg. While he didn’t get the takedown, he clinched with Velickovic and delivered some right hands. After a brief reversal by Velickovic, Sholinian landed a brief takedown off a trip. He delivered more right hands and a solid right knee lift to the body. Velickovic was finally able to separate and the southpaw looked to establish range standing and landed a left kick to the face of Sholinian. Sholinian was able to clinch some more before Velickovic separated again. Sholinian shot in for a double-leg takedown, but Velickovic scrambled away and later landed some solid knees before another brief Sholinian trip takedown. In a late scramble, Sholinian landed a good right cross, his best shot that didn’t come from a grappling position.

More clinching along the cage came early in the second round and it seemed as if Sholinian was starting to tire. Velickovic then landed another big knee and clinched against the cage. Sholinian would duck down later right into another knee, but he kept walking through all the shots. Velickovic, primarily with his jab and knees, was clearly winning the striking battle and was also winning the clinch battle against the cage while fending off Sholinian’s takedown attempts. Velickovic’s best offense toward the end of the round was a mirror image of Sholinian’s in the first, as he clinched with one hand against the cage and delivered punches with the other. Thus, it was an easy round to score for Velickovic.

Velickovic was able to establish his range in the third, doing well until Sholinian landed a brief takedown. But it was brief and Velickovic separated and landed another high knee to Sholinian’s face. In terms of striking, Sholinian continued to wade forward, eating hard shots from his opponent while missing with big right hands. More left knees landed before Sholinian dropped down for a brief takedown and took the back of Velickovic. Sholinian landed a few left hands from the back and then notched another single-leg takedown, finishing the round with some ground and pound, but it was too little too late to take the round.