Bellator 120 results, photos: Kongo stops Smith to cap Spike TV prelims

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – After a bit of a scare in the opening round of his bout with Eric Smith (6-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), heavyweight favorite Cheick Kongo (21-9-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) dominated the second frame to score a TKO win.

The contest served as the final preliminary bout of Saturday’s Bellator 120 event at Landers Center in Southaven, Miss. The fights aired on Spike TV following additional prelims on Spike.com and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Kongo was patient to open, and Smith walked forward but was careful not to overcommit to an attack. Kongo worked a few kicks from range, but Smith actually landed with a few right hands and was able to wrap the body and take the action to the floor. When Kongo looked to move to his feet, Smith unloaded a furious barrage of punches that were largely blocked. The attack seemed to invigorate Kongo, who unleashed with a furious flurry of punches, elbows and knees.

Smith pushed forward again in the second, but he lacked the energy necessary to truly capitalize. Kongo eventually drug him to the floor and looked to rack up points with top time and short punches from the position. Smith showed absolutely no capability of getting back to his feet, and Kongo just grinded away with short shots until referee “Big” John McCarthy waved off the fight with 25 seconds left in the frame.

Held impresses in submission win

Grappling specialist Marcin Held (19-3 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) was as much as a 17-to-1 favorite according to oddsmakers in his bout with Nate Jolly (13-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). When the bell rang, he showed why.

Jolly pressed forward from the opening bell but was clipped by a well-placed knee to the chin that slowed his attack. As Held worked into a clinch shortly after, he transitioned almost immediately to Jolly’s back and began to look for a choke. Jolly defended well, but Held simply transitioned to mount and then looked for a potential arm-triangle choke. Jolly continued to defend, and he appeared to break free in the final minute. But just as Jolly started to attack with punches from the top, Held kicked his legs up and trapped the right arm, scoring a beautiful submission by armbar with 40 seconds left in the first round.

Guerreiro scores devastating submission win over Shamhalaev

While he entered the fight as substantial underdog, Fabricio Guerreiro (20-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) looked incredibly impressive in a first-round submission win over Shahbulat Shamhalaev (12-2-1 MMA, 3-2 BMMA)

Shamhalaev started with his hands low, baiting his opponent into wade inside and trade. Instead, Guerreiro stayed at range and looked capitalize with kicks from distance. Eventually, the two worked into the clinch, and while Shamhalaev looked for an opportunity to drop down and work to top position, Guerreiro alertly stalled in a switch position before turning his attention to a nasty kimura that forced the tap and appeared to severely injure the limb in the process.

Yamauchi edges Richman in three-rounder

In the night’s first Spike TV-aired prelim, Goiti Yamauchi (17-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) scored a narrow decision win over Mike Richman (16-5 MMA, 5-4 BMMA).

The early action was marred by a near-immediate Yamauchi kick to the groin. Fortunately, Richman was able to continue following the illegal blow and mount some offense of his own on the feet. Yamauchi was happy to answer back, and they traded shots until the bell in a closely contested frame.

Yamauchi picked up the pace in the second, firing off flurries and landing with a sneaky front kick to the face. Richman stood firm in the pocket and looked to answer with big left hands, but Yamauchi’s speed and movement gave him the advantage on the feet.

Richman nearly secured a guillotine choke in the opening seconds of the final round. While he missed on the choke, he was able to secure top position in the ensuing scramble. Yamauchi stayed relatively active from his back, but it was certainly Richman who was racking up points with his time in the position. The pair was brought to their feet in the final minute, but neither really took advantage of the opportunity. In the end, judges awarded Yamauchi the opening two rounds, giving him the fight 29-28 on all three cards.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 120 results include:

• Cheick Kongo def. Eric Smith via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:35
• Marcin Held def. Nate Jolly via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:20
• Fabricio Guerreiro def. Shahbulat Shamhalaev via submission (kimura) – Round 1, 3:29
• Goiti Yamauchi def. Mike Richman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Austin Lyons def. Zach Underwood via unanimous technical decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Mike Wessel def. Justin Frazier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:28
• Ben Brewer def. Andy Uhrich via knockout (strikes) – Round 2, 2:40
• Codie Shuffield def. Anthony Lemon via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:15
• Brian Hall def. Cortez Phelia via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:24

For complete coverage of Bellator 120, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

Matt Erickson contributed to this report on-site in Southaven.