Bellator 117 results: Lima batters Hawn, claims vacant welterweight belt

In a battle of past welterweight tournament winners, Douglas Lima (26-5 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) battered opponent Rick Hawn (18-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) en route to claiming Bellator MMA’s vacant welterweight title.

The matchup served as the headlining bout of Friday’s Bellator 117 event, which took place at Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The evening’s main card aired on Spike TV following prelims that streamed on Spike.com.

The bigger Lima used his range early, striking from distance and setting the tone for the first frame. A low kick late in the round sent Hawn to his back, but Lima chose to back away and bring the action back to the feet. Lima repeated the feat late in the round and also drove a big knee to the body as Hawn tried to recover. Lima couldn’t get the finish before the bell, but he certainly established his dominance.

Lima continued to chop the lead leg in the second, and Hawn began to noticeably limp. He also had trouble staying upright any time Lima fired a low kick. Eventually, referee Rob Hinds decided he had seen enough of the damage and asked Hawn’s corner if they’d prefer to stop the fight. Hawn’s assistants agreed the damage was too severe, and Hinds waved off the fight with Hawn feebly defending from the canvas.

Lima now becomes Bellator’s third welterweight champion, taking over the title left vacant when former title holder Ben Askren bolted for ONE FC.

Held taps Anderson

In the night’s second Season 10 lightweight tournament semifinal, grappling ace Marcin Held (18-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) scored a second-round submission over a very tough and previously undefeated Derek Anderson (11-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA).

Anderson looked to throw hands on the feet to start, but Held worked quickly inside and tripped his foe to the floor. From there, Held worked to the right leg, where a few heel hook attempts looked perilously close to scoring. However, Anderson worked smartly through each attempt and answered with a few big punches from the top. Held eventually swept to the top and went again for the right leg, but Anderson again worked free.

The second was more of a standup affair on the early going, and both fighters had brief moments of success, but Held eventually worked back to the canvas and locked in a tight triangle choke. Anderson battled hard to last through the hole, but he was eventually forced to tap to the technique.

Amoussou narrowly avoids upset

In a welterweight matchup, Frenchman Karl Amoussou (17-6-2 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) earned a decision win over a gritty David Gomez (16-8 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), but just barely.

The two traded on the feet early, but Amoussou was a step ahead in terms of quickness, and he also mixed in kicks to the body along with his punching attacks. Gomez found his range later in the frame, landing a few stiff straights that caught his opponent’s attention. Amoussou slowed a bit as the round wore on, and Gomez found a home for his left hand.

The two picked up the pace in the second frame, and an early flurry led to some time on the floor, where Amoussou looked for a leg lock but ultimately backed away.

The third played out as a grinding affair, with much of the action taking place in the clinch. Amoussou held the center for much of the frame, and he generally held the dominant spot in the grappling exchanges. When they separated Gomez looked the crisper striker, but both were tiring, and neither was able to score the knockout blow.

At the conclusion of the bout, officials took a disturbingly long time to tally the scores, which ultimately awarded Amoussou a win by split decision.

Freire floors Campos

In the night’s first main-card matchup, Patricky Freire (13-5 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) punched his ticket to the Season 10 lightweight tourney finals with a second round finish of Derek Campos (14-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA).

Campos took the center of the cage in the early going, while Freire was content to wait on the outside and look to fire off counter right hands. The two were content to box for the entire round, with Campos largely serving as aggressor, but Freire often finding success with his return strikes.

Freire’s fortunes changed in the second, as a huge right hand scored flush to the ear and sent Campos toppling to the canvas. He tried valiantly to recover, but Freire pounced and finished with punches on the ground.

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

• Douglas Lima def. Rick Hawn via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 3:19 – to win vacant welterweight title
• Marcin Held def. Derek Anderson via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:09 – Season 10 lightweight tourney semifinal
• Karl Amoussou def. David Gomez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) – Round 3, 5:00
• Patricky Freire def. Derek Campos via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:52 – Season 10 lightweight tourney semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com)

• Ryan Jensen def. Mark Stoddard via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:52
• Houston Alexander def. Matt Uhde via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
• Trey Brown def. Jared Downing via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• LaRue Burley def. Cliff Wright via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-27) – Round 3, 5:00
• Joe Vedepo def. Ben Crowder via verbal submission (injury) – Round 1, 0:48
• Anthony Smith def. Victor Moreno via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 0:59
• Julio Cesar Neves def. Josh Arocho via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:37
• Jordan Parsons def. Tim Bazer via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:04

For more on Bellator 117, check out the MMA Events section of the site.