Douglas Lima chopped down Rich Hawn at Bellator 117. | Photo:
Keith Mills/Sherdog.com
Four-time national judo champion and 2004 Olympian Rick Hawn
could not withstand repeated Douglas
Lima kicks to his lower leg.Lima captured the vacant Bellator MMA welterweight crown in
spectacular fashion, forcing a second-round corner stoppage against
Hawn in the Bellator 117 main event on Friday at the Mid-America
Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Referee Rob Hinds called a halt to
the bout at the request of Firas Zahabi 3:19 into round two, the
Tristar Gym trainer having witnessed his fighter absorb enough
damage.
Hawn (18-3, 10-3 Bellator) was on the defensive from the start, as
he failed to navigate the 26-year-old Brazilian’s height and reach
advantage. Operating out of an American Top Team affiliate in
Atlanta, Lima (26-5, 8-1 Bellator) was surgical and methodical in
his approach. One violent leg kick after another slammed into
Hawn’s lead leg, leading to visible discoloration and noticeable
swelling on his calf. Less than midway through the second, it was
over.
“I know how dangerous Rick is, so that’s why I wasn’t rushing in to
finish,” said Lima, who has rattled off 14 wins in 15 appearances.
“I respect him a lot -- he’s a respectful guy -- but it was my
night. It’s been a long, long road. I realized my dream.”
Held Triangle Submits Anderson in Semifinals
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Held attacked Anderson’s upper extremities.
Marcin
Held submitted Derek
Anderson with a second-round triangle choke in the Season 10
lightweight tournament semifinals. Anderson (11-1, 2-1 Bellator),
who had never before been beaten, conceded defeat 3:09 into round
two.Held (18-3, 7-2 Bellator) was relentless with his trusted ground
game. The 22-year-old Pole struck for a takedown inside the first
minute and ran through a series of attempted leg locks. Anderson
denied his advances but mounted little in the way of meaningful
offense outside of some brief ground-and-pound.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt sat down Anderson with a stout
left hand in the second round before ultimately pulling guard. From
there, he lured the Californian into the triangle choke, a tapout
following soon after. Held has won eight of his past nine
bouts.
‘Psycho’ Amoussou Edges Gomez
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Ammousou slipped by Gomez.
American Top Team representative Karl
Amoussou rebounded from back-to-back losses to Ben Askren
and Paul
Bradley, as he eked out a split decision over former King of
the Cage champion David Gomez
in a welterweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it
29-28, two of them siding with Amoussou (17-6-2, 5-3 Bellator).Gomez (16-8, 0-1 Bellator) had his moments, as he staggered the
Frenchman with clean power punches in the first and second rounds.
However, Amoussou was the busier striker and more diverse fighter
over the duration of their 15-minute encounter.
The judo black belt threatened Gomez with a heel hook in round two
and utilized his polished clinch game in round three, piling up
points with close-quarters punches and knees to the body and
legs.
‘Pitbull’ Stops Campos, Reaches Lightweight Final
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Pitbull showed his teeth at Bellator 117.
Team Nogueira’s Patricky
Freire dispatched Derek
Campos with unanswered second-round punches from the back mount
in the Season 10 lightweight tournament semifinals. Freire (13-5,
6-4 Bellator) finished it 52 seconds into round two, recording his
third consecutive victory.Campos (14-4, 3-2 Bellator) could not sustain the momentum he
established in round one, where he threw and landed more often,
kept his fists in the Brazilian’s face and chopped at his legs with
intermittent kicks.
“Pitbull” floored the Texan with a short left roughly 10 seconds
into the second round and leveled him again with a wicked overhand
right before transitioning to his back for the stoppage.
The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak for Campos.
Prelims: Brazilian Prospect Neves Moves to 29-0
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Neves stopped Arocho with a steady attack.
In preliminary action, undefeated Brazilian prospect Julio
Cesar Neves Jr. (29-0, 1-0 Bellator) stopped Josh Arocho
(13-13, 0-2 Bellator) on a series of unanswered elbow strikes and
punches 2:37 into the second round of their 150-pound catchweight
affair; UFC veteran Houston
Alexander (16-10, 1-1 Bellator) stopped Matt Uhde
(3-5, 0-3 Bellator) on a technical knockout in between the second
and third rounds of their light heavyweight matchup; Jackson-Wink
MMA export Ryan Jensen
(20-8, 1-0 Bellator) submitted Mark
Stoddard (8-7, 0-1 Bellator) with an arm-triangle choke 3:52
into round one of their 175-pound catchweight bout; LaRue
Burley (4-0, 2-0 Bellator) kept his perfect professional record
intact with a unanimous decision over Cliff
Wright (8-6, 2-4 Bellator) in their lightweight battle,
sweeping the scorecards with 29-27, 29-28 and 29-27 marks; Joe Vedepo
(15-8, 2-2 Bellator) defeated Ben Crowder
(10-12, 0-1 Bellator) by verbal submission after a takedown
resulted in a gruesome injury to the Iowan’s right knee 48 seconds
into the first round of their
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Burley dominated after the first round.
middleweight tilt; Anthony
Smith (18-11, 1-0 Bellator) submitted Victor
Moreno (32-20, 0-1 Bellator) with a triangle choke 52 seconds
into round two of their clash at 185 pounds; Martin
Brown (5-2, 1-1 Bellator) captured a unanimous verdict from
Jared
Downing (9-5, 2-3 Bellator) in their duel at 155 pounds,
earning 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 nods from the cageside judges; and
onetime Championship Fighting Alliance titleholder Jordan
Parsons (10-1, 1-0 Bellator) knocked out journeyman Tim Bazer
(14-16, 0-1 Bellator) with a two-punch combination four seconds
into the second round of their lightweight scrap.