Ilja Dragunov vs. Malik

[7.0] "Good match. It was maybe a little bit too long and not always very exciting, but overall Dragunov and Malik offered some solid stuff together here. There were good sequences and good nearfalls, with a rather receptive crowd. It was the first time I saw Malik in action since it was his PROGRESS debut and I think he couldn't have dreamed a better debut, he had the best possible opponent to make him shine and he realized a really convincing performance. Great showing for him, and as always Dragunov is a joy to watch. (***œ)"

[8.0] "Malik had a breakout performance here against Dragunov, one of the MVPs of the previous 18 months of PROGRESS. Even better was Eddie Kingston's attack on Dragunov and subsequent promo - a match was planned for Tampa, but did not happen, and now can't happen due to both of them being on TV on different sides."

[7.0] "Nothing extraordinary. Malik is good, I guess he tried to emulate the Dragunov/Cara mindgames a little bit, but it didn't feel earned. Overall good action, he brought the fight to Dragunov and it was great seeing him struggle to get the win. ***1/2"

[8.0] "Dragunov has been one of the most consistent and charismatic performers in progress for the past months, so putting him against a newcomer in an exciting back and forth match is the way to go if you want to help someone make a good first impression. And Malik really did, he was presented as a threat and a more than competent fighter. He and Ilja had an energetic and hard hitting battle and both men came out of this as winners as far as stock goes."