Connecticut hosted a loaded card of MMA fights during Friday's night Bellator 123, highlighted by a heated title bout between Pat Curran and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire.
The 11th season started strong with four marquee bouts highlighting the main card. Along with the Featherweight Championship clash, TNA Wrestling star Bobby Lashley entered the octagon with resounding results.
Bellator, aired on Spike TV, went up against rival UFC during an eventful Friday night for MMA fans. Time will tell how that bold move paid off in the ratings.
Let's take a look at the results from Mohegan Sun Arena.
| Matchup | Result | Weight Class |
| Cheick Kongo def. Lavar Johnson | Round 1 Submission | Heavyweight |
| Bobby Lashley def. Josh Burns | Round 2 Submission | Heavyweight |
| Tamdam McCrory def. Brennan Ward | Round 1 TKO | Welterweight |
| Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal def. Dustin Jacoby | Round 2 TKO | Light Heavyweight |
| Patricio Freire def. Pat Curran | Unanimous Decision | Featherweight Championship |
Bellator.com
Cheick Kongo def. Lavar Johnson (Round 1 Submission)
Lavar Johnson started Round 1 with a full head of steam, which caused his undoing once Cheick Kongo took him down.
After a furious start, Kongo subsided the fast pace by trapping Johnson on the mat. He kept his aggressive opponent at bay, lulling him to sleep before going for the kill.
Before the first round could close, Johnson gave Kongo an opening to apply his rear-naked choke hold. The 39-year-old heavyweight pounced, earning a quick submission victory.
Kongo sinks in the rear naked choke and submits Johnson to capture his second-straight Bellator victory #Bellator123
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) September 6, 2014
He had not won by submission since March 21, 2010, when he forced Paul Buentello to surrender at UFC Live 1. As noted by MMAJunkie's Mike Bohn, even that submission victory did not occur in the traditional sense. One must travel back over a decade to find the last one.
Cheick Kongo gets his first true submission win since 2003 with a tap-out of Lavar Johnson. He had a submission win via strikes in 2010.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) September 6, 2014
For Johnson, the loss continues a bitter rough patch. The 37-year-old striker has now lost five of his last six fights, three by Round 1 submissions.
Bobby Lashley def. Josh Burns (Round 2 Submission)
Masterfully transitioning back from professional wrestling to MMA, Lashley annihilated Josh Burns in a one-sided effort ended by a Round 2 submission.
Less than a minute into the opening round, Lashley scored a takedown. From there, he controlled the tempo throughout the fight, until Burns tapped out on a standing rear-naked choke.
After leaving MMA for nearly 10 months, Lashley returned to TNA, also aired by Spike TV, after an unsatisfying run with Strikeforce. His wrestling background has expanded his star power, which placed pressure on him early in his MMA career. He discussed those difficulties with Bohn.
I didn’t have to (sign with Strikeforce), and I wish I didn’t do it. I don’t think there are too many fighters who started their career and went straight to a major promotion like I did. It’s a double-edged sword. Me, coming from a wrestling background, of course everyone wants to throw me up there because – the promoters were like, ‘If we’re going to pay you more, you’ve got to fight on a bigger stage so we can get something out of you.’
He is now 11-2 in MMA action after winning his Bellator debut. The 38-year-old has ended four of his last six fights via submission, raising his stock after a lengthy hiatus from the octagon. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden joked that he still has some adjusting to do.
Old habits die hard: Bobby Lashley only working the left side #kayfabe
— Jonathan Snowden (@mmaencyclopedia) September 6, 2014
After suffering another loss, Burns remains winless at Bellator with a 0-5 record. "The Hammer" is now 8-8 overall and 3-5 over the past three years. The 36-year-old never stood a chance during his recent defeat.
Tamdan McCrory def. Brennan Ward (Round 1 TKO)
Well, that was quick.
Twenty-one seconds after the opening bell, Tamdan McCrory knocked out Brennan Ward with a vicious combination. So much for giving the fans their money's worth.
The 27-year-old hadn't competed in five years, but he showed no rust upon instantaneously seizing his 12th victory. After gaining such a convincing win over Ward during his Bellator debut, McCrory set the rest of the middleweight division on notice.
Ward, on the other hand, has dropped back-to-back bouts after starting his promising MMA career at 9-1. The 26-year-old will need to break that drought to erase the humiliation of losing in 21 seconds.
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal def. Dustin Jacoby (Round 2 TKO)
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal redeemed his last Bellator loss against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson with a dominating victory over Dustin Jacoby.
The action heated up in the second round, where the two foes traded fierce swings until Lawal took the striker off his feet. After lending a bevy of punches to his grounded prey, the official stopped the fight, awarding Lawal a victory via TKO.
Since joining Bellator in 2013, the 33-year-old is 5-3 with three TKO victories. According to The MMA Report's Jason Floyd, Lawal's latest triumph puts the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion one step closer to ruling the Bellator division.
King Mo Lawal is now tied with Liam McGeary for the most TKO/KO wins in @BellatorMMA light heavyweight division history
— Jason Floyd (@Jason_Floyd) September 6, 2014
Jacoby served as a late replacement for Marcus Sursa and Tom DeBlass, who both dropped out with injuries. The 26-year-old, whose record slips to 10-4, might regret his decision to step in two weeks after defeating Lucas Lopes at TFC 29.
Patricio Freire def. Pat Curran (Unanimous Decision) for Bellator Featherweight Championship
In the highly contested main event, Patricio "Pitbull" Freire won the rematch over Pat Curran to claim the Featherweight Championship.
The two foes once again went the distance, but this time Freire was declared the victor by decision.
On Jan. 17, 2013, Curran defeated Pitbull via split decision after five grueling rounds. Since losing the contested bout, Freire had won his last three Bellator battles, three by KO or TKO.
Easing into the showdown, the two initially fought a conservative opening round. The title remained up for grabs after two rounds, although Freire entered Round 3 bloodied. Even Curran's own crew didn't know how to score the rounds, via Bloody Elbow.
Curran's corner: "I dunno if you won that round or not but it was really close. You gotta win these last 3." #Bellator123
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 6, 2014
Yet Pitbull nearly took control with a frenzied attack that momentarily knocked the champion off his feet. Bleacher Report's MMA Twitter page described the sequence.
Pitbull drops Curran with a vicious punch then swarms him. Curran keeps his composure and regains his footing. #Bellator123
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) September 6, 2014
Although neither could land a finishing blow, Freire gradually gained control on the match. Per the Spike TV broadcast, Freire landed 44 punches to Curran' 32, which explains why the Brazilian celebrated after the fifth round ended. Awaiting the decision, he raised his hand in victory while Curran stood nervously.
Turns out the both knew the final outcome. Each judge ruled in favor of Freire, making him the new champion by unanimous decision.
Looking ahead, one must wonder whether the two will settle the score in a rubber match. They delivered big time in both battles, and are evenly matched enough to make their third showdown another intriguing clash.
