LINCOLN, R.I. – John Gotti III is five-for-five.
The grandson of the infamous mobster, Gotti III (5-0) saw the judges’ scorecards for the first time in his career at CES 60 on Friday. The undefeated New York-based welterweight edged out an unanimous decision over Marcos Lloreda (7-6), taking the win with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.
A back-and-forth affair saw Gotti overcome adversity in his longest pro fight to date. A back-and-forth first round was largely contested on the feet. Florida’s Lloreda didn’t shy away from the power puncher.
Gotti’s ground game was publicly put on display for the first time in Round 2. Escaping a handful of submission attempts from Lloreda, Gotti was able to get the fight back to the feet. From there, Gotti landed a hard punch. When Lloreda attempted a flying knee, he leapt over Gotti’s back. The action landed with Gotti on top.
Both men were visibly exhausted in Round 3. After he grabbed a hold of Lloreda, Gotti mustered the fight to the ground. Working from the back, Gotti lost position and was eventually mounted. With the raucous crowd behind him, Gotti rallied to regain control before the fight’s end.
Gotti, 26, ran through his first four opponents to date with relative ease. Training under UFC veteran Ryan LaFlare at Long Island MMA, Gotti had passed each test via TKO or knockout – but not at CES 60.
CES 60 took place at Twin River Casino. The main card streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
