UNCASVILLE, Conn. – For her Bellator debut, Diana Avsaragova set out to prove she’s a combination of beauty and brawn, and she did just that. Only thing is, her fight with Tara Graff didn’t last 15 minutes like she expected.
“Obviously it didn’t go that way, and I’m very happy,” Avsaragova said Friday night through a translator.
The 22-year-old Russian prospect had every reason to be pleased after scoring a brutal 29-second knockout of Graff at Mohegan Sun Arena on the prelims of Bellator 256. Avsaragova (3-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) staved off a blitzing Graff in the early going to land a hard counter right hand that stunned and dropped Graff to one knee. When Graff popped right back up, she was met with another vicious right hand flush on the chin that put her out.
It was a scorching hot start to Avsaragova’s Bellator tenure. But if there was one drawback, it’s that she didn’t get to display her all-around skills, which include a wrestling foundation.
“I don’t think I showed everything I have to offer,” Avsaragova said. “The fight was very short, so I think I still have some tricks up my sleeve and something that will keep the fans happy.”
Speaking of fans, Avsaragova has earned a hefty following on Instagram, which was up to 166,000 as of Friday night and sure to keep growing. She told MMA Junkie prior to Bellator 256 that messages from men about her looks and relationship status are common.
After her win, she admitted that not everybody was rooting for her heading into her Bellator debut. She’s happy to have disappointed those people.
“I had a lot of people that cheered for me and wished me well, and then there were a lot of doubters that thought this was the highest level and I’m not ready for it,” Avsaragova said. “I think I’ve proven them all wrong. …
“I proved today that I belong here, that I can handle fighting at this level. You guys just watch. You’ll be surprised how far I can go.”
Diana Avsaragova after good looking Bellator debut KO: ‘I proved today that I belong here’
