UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Patricio Freire waited a long time to get a rematch against Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran.
But after a 10-month break from the cage, allowing Curran a chance to regain his title from Daniel Straus in March, the all-action "Pitbull" secured his just reward Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Freire (22-2) outworked Curran over five rounds in a bout that featured equaled stretches of exciting action and tactical strategy as Freire earned a unanimous decision victory at Bellator 123.
The native of Brazil, 27, closed the show impressively by flooring Curran momentarily with a devastating left hook late in Round 5 before buckling him with a right uppercut before the final bell.
"It's a great feeling, " Freire said. "I've been waiting for this for a long time.
"Every time we fight I know it's going to be a war and that's what I expect every single time. I knew that I won the fight because I came close to finishing him [in Round 5]."
The fight was a rematch of their tightly contested January 2013 bout that Curran (20-6) won by split decision. Although Freire landed the bigger shots overall Friday, Curran made him work for it and showed championship resolve throughout.
Freire scored a pair of takedowns, momentarily, in a slow-paced opening round, only to see Curran shoot back to his feet and out of trouble. Curran closed the round with a counter right hand that drew blood below the right eye of Freire and caused him to squint excessively.
The action picked up in Round 2 with Freire twice dropping Curran with hard strikes upstairs, only to see the champion again regain his feet and come back swinging. Curran turned the tables late in the round and closed the action with a series of hard right hands and a knee to the face.
Curran showcased his resiliency time and again in Round 3 after being dropped and taken down by Freire. But it was the challenger who gained momentum on the scorecards, putting himself in position to win the fight after a very tactical and slow Round 4 -- which drew boos from the crowd -- failed to see Curran make any kind of serious run.
The victory was the fifth straight for Freire, who improved to 10-2 with Bellator. Curran, 27, suffered his third loss under the promotion, with all three coming in title fights.
'King Mo' finishes off Jacoby
Muhammed Lawal made a triumphant return from his questionable decision loss to Quinton Jackson in May by channeling the "King Mo" of old.
Lawal (13-4), a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, was aggressive from the outset and dominated Dustin Jacoby (10-4) en route to a victory by second-round TKO.
"It was very important for me to look good tonight and make a statement," Lawal said. "It's a new regime [at Bellator] and I signed a new contract. I didn't want to come out here and disappoint."
"I would rate my performance as average. I felt sometimes I rushed. I just got excited out there. After the first round, my coach told me to get serious and stop playing around. I'm not fully there [as the "King Mo" of old], but in a fight or two, I will be there."
Jacoby, it should be noted, was just 13 days removed from his most recent fight, a TKO win over Lucas Lopes at Titan Fighting Championships 29. But the difference in class was evident from the start.
After scoring a trio of takedowns to control the action on the ground in the opening round, Lawal, 33, got the better of Jacoby in the standup with punches. Lawal closed Round 1 by eating a Jacoby right hand and dancing/feigning injury, which only turned an already anti-"King Mo" crowd against him further.
Both fighters came out swinging in Round 2, and Lawal got the better of a wild exchange with a pair of hard hooks that floored Jacoby against the cage. Lawal swooped in to hammer fists before referee John McCarthy called an end to the bout 1:13 into the round. Lawal, who recorded his 10th knockout in 13 pro wins, ended a three-fight streak of going the distance.
McCrory ends hiatus with first-round TKO
It had been five years since middleweight Tamdan McCrory, a veteran of six UFC fights, had stepped foot in a cage when he squared off with hard-hitting Brennan Ward.
Yet McCrory, 27, looked like he had never left.
Making his Bellator debut, McCrory recorded a sudden and violent TKO just 22 seconds into Round 1 to boldly announce his return. Ward (9-3), a native of Waterford, Connecticut, who was fighting in front of a vocal home crowd, looked to test McCrory's rust early by attacking off the start a flurry of punches.
But McCrory (12-3) caught him flush with a perfect counter right hand and followed up with a devastating three-punch combination that floored Ward and brought an end to the bout.
The loss was Ward's second in a row after a submission loss to Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko in March ended his four-fight win streak.
McCrory, who made his UFC debut in 2007, hadn't fought since a split decision loss to John Howard at UFC 101 in August 2009.
Lashley victorious in Bellator debut
Pro wrestler and current TNA world heavyweight champion Bobby Lashley made a successful return to mixed martial arts when he dominated journeyman Josh Burns over two rounds.
Lashley (11-2), who was making his Bellator debut, used his wrestling to dominate the ground game before ending matters at 3:54 into Round 2 via rear-naked choke.
The 38-year-old former Strikeforce heavyweight was making his first MMA appearance since a victory under the Xtreme Fight Night banner in November 2013. But, as expected, Lashley faced little to no opposition from Burns (8-8).
"My performance was decent tonight, " Lashley said. "As far as the takedowns, I was more comfortable. I wanted to show people that I don't just get tired out there."
Lashley opened Round 1 with a series of overhand rights before easily taking down Burns. Lashley went on to open a cut on Burns' head after six unanswered elbows from side position.
The muscular heavyweight was dominant, yet raw in his technique, including three unsuccessful submission attempts on Burns' right arm in the opening round.
Lashley, a southpaw, came out looking to strike on his feet in Round 2 before securing his second takedown. He quickly transitioned to full mount and mauled Burns with forearms as a stream of blood quickly formed on the canvas below his head.
Once Burns gave up his back moments later, the finish came soon after, with Lashley sinking in a choke to end matters.
The victory was Lashley's fourth straight in MMA since a May 2012 unanimous decision defeat against James Thompson at Super Fight League 3.
Kongo submits Johnson in Round 1
A heavyweight tilt between former UFC sluggers Cheick Kongo and Lavar Johnson wasn't expected to go the distance.
And it didn't. But the end result wasn't entirely what was expected.
Kongo took Johnson's back and submitted him via rear-naked choke at 3:27 into the opening round in a bout that was generally void of action, and had the crowd voicing its displeasure throughout.
Johnson (18-10), 37, came out firing a series of wild right hands to open the bout, providing a glimpse of the kind of toe-to-toe striking most had expected coming in. But Kongo slipped while ducking a punch along the cage, bringing the action to the ground.
Kongo (22-9-2) quickly took top position and proceeded to control the action for nearly three full minutes while mixing in occasional hammer fists. Once Johnson gave up his back, Kongo moved in quickly for the finish.
With the victory, Kongo, 39, improved to 4-1 under the Bellator banner, with his long loss coming by unanimous decision to heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov in April.
