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Patricio Freire (22-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) used a few key knockdowns to avenge an earlier defeat and to claim the Bellator MMA featherweight title from now-ex-champ Pat Curran (20-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA).
The title fight, which saw “Pitbull” finally earn an elusive belt, headlined tonight’s Bellator 123 event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com
Curran, ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, earned a narrow split-decision win over Freire, ranked No. 11, in their first championship meeting in January 2013. But in the rematch, Freire earned some hard-fought redemption.
The first round served largely as a feeling-out process as both fighters traded low kicks, Freire got a brief takedown, and then traded punches with Curran. However, the action picked up in the second round when Freire staggered the champ with a combination and forced Curran to look for a takedown while he tried to recover. Curran answered with a leaping knee before the round ended, but neither fighter had a clear edge in the opening 10 minutes.
In the third round, the strikes became more frequent from both fighters, who traded low kicks and jabs. Freire, though, landed the first big blow when he dropped Curran with a counter left. Curran was quickly back up, but Freire continued chipping away with punches and scoring points as the round ended.
Heading into the championship rounds, the action tightened up, and the fourth proved exceptionally competitive. Freire got a quick takedown to open the fifth round, but Curran swept, and they returned to their feet. The fighters then went punch for punch until Freire again dropped the champ later in the round. He didn’t get the finish, but it was blow he needed to ensure himself a victory.
In the end, the judges scored it 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 for the new champ.
“It’s a dream come true,” Freire, a two-time tournament winner, said through an interpreter. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.
” … I have to think Pat Curran for another war, a second war, one of the hardest fights of my life. Luckily, I’m in one piece. A few scratches, but that’s all.”
Lawal stops Jacoby in second round
In the night’s co-headliner, light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal (13-4 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) used a second-round barrage of punches to score a decisive victory over UFC and GLORY vet Dustin Jacoby (10-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).
The first round played out as expected: Lawal scored takedowns, and Jacoby occasionally got back to his feet. However, “King Mo” kept his hands high, avoided punches and mixed in a few shots of his own during a fairly composed opening round.
Lawal, though, wasn’t as reserved with his striking in the second round, and it quickly paid dividends. A few jabs and overhand punches connected crisply, and Lawal staggered Jacoby with a right hand and and forced him to the mat. After a quick barrage of Lawal’s follow-up shots, Jacoby was told to fight back. But trapped against the cage with little room to recover or escape, Jacoby was stuck, and the bout was waved off shortly after.
The ref halted the action at the 1:13 mark of the second round.
“I was trying to feel him out, and he started getting reckless, so I was like, ‘This is a fight,'” Lawal said about his second-round charge.
Lawal, who suffered a controversial decision loss to Quinton Jackson earlier this year, gets back in the winner’s column and now has 10 knockouts in 13 career wins. Jacoby halts a two-fight winning streak.
‘Barncat’ returns with vicious knockout win
In his first fight since August 2009, Tamdan McCrory (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) showed off remarkably crisp boxing as the “Barncat” bulldozed middleweight Brennan Ward (9-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) via vicious first-round knockout.
McCrory, who went 3-3 in the UFC before leaving the sport for five years, used a massive reach advantage and superior striking skills for a short night of work in his return bout. His first few punches landed crisp, and then he dropped Ward with a powerful combination.
The shots were so accurate that McCrory even landed a flush right as Ward was falling to the mat. Once the blow landed, he walked away knowing the win was secure.
The ref waved off the fight after 21 seconds.
“Backstage I was actually feeling a bit uptight,” said McCrory, who assured fans he wasn’t “sitting on the couch drinking beers” during his time off. “Everybody asks, ‘Why take five years off?’ Life throws you circumstances, and what it’s about is overcoming adversity. It’s great to be back.”
McCrory (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) picks up his first win since March 2009 and records with 11th stoppage in 12 career wins. Ward, a former tournament winner who lost a title fight to champ Alexander Shlemenko in his most recent bout, has dropped two straight.
Lashley submits Burns in Bellator debut
Bobby Lashley (11-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) scored a dominant win in his Bellator debut, and though heavyweight opponent Josh Burns (8-8 MMA, 0-5 BMMA) initially proved resilient, he ultimately tapped out in the second round.
Lashley, a standout amateur wrestler who’s also performed for the WWE and TNA pro-wrestling organizations, returned to the cage from a 10-month layoff and looked rusty at times. But the win was never in any real doubt.
The first round was all Lashley, who used an early-fight clinch to score a takedown and immediately move to side control. However, despite constant keylock and kimura attempts, as well as some ground and pound in between, he couldn’t force the tap-out during his nearly five minutes on the mat.
The pace then slowed in the second round as the fighters traded occasional jabs, but Lashley eventually got the takedown and returned to the familiar side-control position. After a scramble, he took Burns’ back and forced a quick tap-out at the 3:54 mark once he secured a rear-naked choke.
“I wanted to do a little more with the striking, but I always have to go to my go-to,” he said.
Lashley has now won four straight while Burns falls to 2-5 in his past seven and remains winless in Bellator.
Kongo taps out Johnson
Bellator officials kicked off the night’s main card with an expected heavyweight slugfest that instead resulted in a quick submission victory as Cheick Kongo (22-9-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) capitalized on a gaffe from fellow UFC vet Lavar Johnson (18-10 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).
Johnson had some early success and appeared to stagger Kongo in the opening seconds of the fight, but after he winged a big punch and slipped to the mat, he never got back up.
Kongo quickly pounced, worked some ground and pound, and then moved to mount to deliver more punishment. Then, as Johnson tried to escape to his feet, Kongo quickly quickly hopped on his back and slapped on a rear-naked choke. Despite not having his hooks secured, Kongo squeezed the choke and got the tap-out shortly afterward.
The tap-out came at the 3:27 mark of the opening frame.
“From the beginning he tried to rush me because he thought I wasn’t warmed up enough, but I was,” he said.
Kongo, who picked up the fourth submission win of his career, moves to 4-1 over his past five fights. Johnson falls to 1-5 in his past six bouts.
Official Bellator 123 results include:
MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)
- Patricio Freire def. Pat Curran via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) – to win featherweight title
- Muhammed Lawal def.Dustin Jacoby via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:13
- Tamdan McCrory def. Brennan Ward via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:21
- Bobby Lashley def. Josh Burns via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:54
- Cheick Kongo def. Lavar Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:27
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)
- Pete Rogers def. Phillipe Martins via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 0:11
- Blair Tugman def. Brandon Fleming via unanimous decision
- Mike Mucitelli def. Mark Griffin via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 0:37
- Dan Cramer def. Perry Filkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Scott Cleve def. Matt Bessette via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Josh Diekmann def. Mike Wessel via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:47
- Steve Garcia def. Kin Moy via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Rico DiSciullo def. Marvin Maldonado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on Bellator 123, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.
