If victorious in tournament, Bellator 113's Marcin Held plans U.S. move

Youngster Marcin Held is three wins away from an elusive Bellator MMA tournament title – and a new life in the U.S.

Held (16-3 MMA, 5-2 BMMA), a submission specialist who’s tapped out eight opponents in 16 career wins, meets promotional newcomer Rodrigo Cavalheiro (14-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) on Friday at Bellator 113. Their bout, which takes place at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan., airs on the Spike TV main card.

It’s one of four opening-round matchups for the Season 10 lightweight tournament, and the winner gets a shot at the title, which Eddie Alvarez currently holds.

Held has gotten close before. After his first tourney ended in a first-round loss to Michael Chandler in 2011, Held made it to the final of the Season 7 tourney. However, he lost to Dave Jansen via decision in the pivotal bout.

Now, the Polish fighter’s future plans depend on winning his latest tournament.

“I am 100 percent fixated on winning this tournament because that’s the first step toward having the Bellator world championship belt wrapped around my waist,” he said. “I will also move to the U.S. and conduct my training there after I win this tournament because the championship will then be right at my fingertips.”

His opponent, Cavalheiro, has slugged his way to a 10-fight winning streak, and the past nine victories have come via knockout. Held, an accomplished grappler, isn’t promising a trademark leg-lock submission, but he still believes his best path to victory is on the ground.

“I am on a mission to prove that I’m not just a leg-lock specialist in MMA,” he said. “It’s important to me to make the statement with my performances that I am a complete MMA fighter. Anyone who thinks that leg-locks are my only talent will learn that lesson the hard way.

“But Rodrigo Cavalheiro is a very dangerous opponent because of his striking and his ability to knock people out. He has around 14 wins and almost every one was achieved by knockout, so obviously that is a skill of his that I must be very aware of. But I have been hit hard before, and my advantage is my submission grappling, which allows me to either finish him by submission or to defeat him by decision if I must. Beating Rodrigo Cavalheiro by submission is the most likely outcome for me.”

Held has another reason he wants to win the tournament: an upcoming marriage. The 22-year-old recently proposed to his girlfriend, and winning the tournament could assure a healthy budget for their big day.

“We got engaged and we live together now,” said Held, who proposed on Feb. 23. “It won’t affect anything with my training or fighting because she’s a big supporter of mine.”

And as far as his fight camps and his career?

“Many fighters have to leave their family and loved ones to train or fight, so I am lucky,” he said.

For the latest on Bellator 113, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.