All the airhorns, gunshot effects and blasts of accordion-inflected hip-hop couldn’t boost Fight Nights Global 68’s main event.

Sergey Pavlovich and Mikhail Mokhnatkin fought for the promotion’s heavyweight title, but neither seemed particularly motivated to win it, engaging in a polite sparring match over five rounds.

The final scorecards were 48-47 and 49-47 twice for Pavlovich, whose frequent high kicks and forward motion gave the impression of cage control. But neither fighter gave a title-worthy performance. Even test commentator and UFC featherweight Artem Lobov scored the bout a draw, unimpressed by what he saw.

Fight Nights Global 68 took place at Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. The entire card streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.

After catching Pavlovich (10-0) with an explosive backfist, it took Mokhnatkin (9-1-2) another four rounds before he loosened up and started swinging with more than a punch or two. Pavlovich used the attempt to pick up his first takedown after half-hearted attempts to clinch earlier in the fight.

The rest was tit-for-tat punches and kicks, with none of the shots shifting momentum or causing either fighter to significantly change strategy.

The most compelling argument for gold came in the event’s co-headliner, which featured Vitaly Minakov vs. Antonio Silva. The former Bellator heavyweight champion lit up onetime UFC title challenger Silva before finishing the fight in the second round.

Minakov took full advantage of an edge in speed and Silva’s willingness to sit on his heels and take punches. The undefeated Russian dumped Silva to the mat in the second round and pounded away until referee Herb Dean had seen enough at the 1:37 mark.

After 19 fights, Minakov, who was stripped of the Bellator title after turning down several offers, remains unbeaten as a professional. He remains under contract with Bellator, however, according to promotion chief Scott Coker.

The skills on display Friday night are quite an enticement if the Viacom-owned promotion can get Minakov in its cage. He battered Silva against the fence and dumped him to the mat early, setting a one-sided rhythm Silva could scarcely break.

Silva managed to avoid his usual kryptonite, the overhand right, as he covered up and blocked most of Minakov’s winging attempts. But for much of the first round, he inched to the cage edge and tried in vain to catch Minakov on the counter. A hard calf kick was his best weapon, with a bruise rising quickly on Minakov’s lead leg.

Minakov’s (20-0) pace slowed slightly in the second frame as Silva got mobile. But he capitalized quickly on a body kick attempt. Standing over Silva, he fired off punches that bounced Silva’s head off the mat.

Silva (19-12-1) has now lost five straight fights, including a dubious decision to Ivan Shtyrkov in his promotional debut for Fight Nights Global this past November.

Krylov makes quick work of Bekavac in promotional debut

Having recently spurned a UFC offer to renew his contract, Nikita Krylov made a fresh start with Fight Nights Global and took home some easy cash to boot.

It took but 53 seconds for Krylov (22-5) to catch Stjepan Bekavac (19-7) in a guillotine choke, countering a takedown attempt with a neck crank that brought a quick tap.

Krylov picked up his 14th win by submission and also got a little sideways revenge after Misha Cirkunov ended his UFC stint on a guillotine loss.

Fight Nights Global 68 results include:

• Sergey Pavlovich def. Mikhail Mokhnatkin via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-47, 49-47)
• Vitaly Minakov def. Antonio Silva via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:37
• Nikita Krylov def. Stjepan Bekavac via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:53
• Tony Johnson def. Magomedbag Agaev via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:20
• Oleg Dadonov def. Jackie Gosh via unanimous decision
• Rustam Chsiev def. Giorgi Lobzhanidze via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:30
• Artur Guseinov def. Hasan Yousefi via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:52
• Vladimir Ivanov def. Dmitry Aryshev via unanimous decision
• Vasily Zubkov def. Islam Yashaev via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 5:00

For more on Fight Nights Global 68, visit the MMA Events section of the site.