Bellator 179 results and highlights: Rory MacDonald blows away Paul Daley in under two rounds

Here are the results and highlights from Bellator 179 from London, England including Rory MacDonald’s second round stoppage of Paul “Semtex” Daley.

The SSE Arena in London, England played host to Bellator 179: Daley vs. MacDonald, as Rory MacDonald returned in dominant fashion, as he wiped out Paul “Semtex” Daley with a Rear-Naked Choke in the 2nd round. MacDonald will now face the winner of Bellator NYC’s Douglas Lima vs. Lorenz Larkin. The co-main event for Bellator 179 saw Linton Vassell out-grapple the former light heavyweight king Liam McGeary, to ultimately score a 3rd round arm-triangle, and advance himself in the 205 division.

Main Card:

Rory MacDonald def. Paul Daley by Submission (RNC) at 1:45 of round 2: Welterweight

Rory MacDonald started his Bellator career with a statement, as he dispatched the dangerous striker Paul Daley in under a round and a half. The opening round saw MacDonald land an overhand right, followed by a takedown that set the tone for the first 5 minutes. Daley was unable to produce any answers from his back, as MacDonald constantly looked to improve his position. The second frame saw MacDonald get a quick takedown, and Daley did what he could to try and gain guard, but Bellator’s newest top welterweight proved to be too much on the ground. MacDonald transitioned to a modified mount, where he landed a right hand, followed by the Rear-Naked Choke. Daley quickly tapped out, sending Rory MacDonald on a collision course with Bellator’s welterweight title.

We all miss this patented serial killer look from Rory MacDonald:

Linton Vassell def. Liam McGeary by Submission (Arm-Triangle) at 2:28 of round 3: Light Heavyweight

Both Brits started the bout pumping their respective jabs, but it was Vassell who found top position for the bulk of the first round. McGeary would land short shots from his back, but hardly anything significant. The second stanza saw McGeary starting hot, throwing head kicks behind his long punches, but it didn’t last for long. McGeary’s steam would last for about a minute before Vassell put him on his back, where the former light heavyweight champ remained for the rest of the round. Vassell looked for a few submissions, but focused more on controlling his opponent. The third round saw McGeary starting strong, pumping his jab looking to leap in with a power punch. Vassell was having none of it, as “The Swarm” dumped McGeary to the ground within 30 seconds into the third round. Vassell would move to full mount where he realized a Head & Arm Triangle at around the midpoint of the third round. It was tap or nap for McGeary, and with a win over a former 205 king, Vassell is looking like next in line to compete for the belt.

This photo accurately depicts the story of Linton Vassell vs. Liam McGeary:

Cheick Kongo def. Augusto Sakai by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Heavyweight

Kongo and Sakai got off to a slow start as both big men showed ample respect for the other man’s abilities. There was a lot of circling, to the dismay of the crowd, but Sakai was able to score some leg kicks in the first. The second round saw Kongo achieve a few takedowns, but wasn’t able to do much with them. The rest of the second stanza saw Sakai stuck with his back on the cage, with no answers. The final frame witnessed more of the wall and stall attack from Kongo, with a takedown sprinkled in here or there. Hardly any strikes were thrown in this heavyweight affair, which the fans didn’t seem to appreciate too much. When the dust settled, it was Cheick Kongo that picked up the split decision win, to move to 9-2 in Bellator’s heavyweight division.

Alex Lohore def. Dan Edwards by TKO at :56 of round 2: Welterweight

Lohore and Edwards entertained the London crowd with a back and forth first round, complete with leg lock attempts and ground and pound. Edwards rolled for many submission attempts, but each time Lohore was able to fend them off to find top position, and land damaging strikes. Lohore landed a laser-like right hand in the 2nd stanza that sent his foe falling to the mat, and followed up with 2 more brutal right hands that sealed the deal. To make the win that much sweeter, Lohore celebrated inside of the Bellator cage with his mom.

Here’s a clip of Alex Lohore letting go of his laser of a right hand:

Family matters:

Kevin Ferguson Jr. def. D.J. Griffin by TKO at 3:40 of round 1: Catchweight 165 pounds

Kevin Ferguson Jr. earned his first professional win by finishing D.J. Griffin in the first round of their catchweight tilt. “Baby Slice” landed a heavy left hook that grounded Griffin, and then followed up with a plethora of answered strikes to earn the TKO victory. The offspring of the late Kimbo Slice is on the Bellator board!

Watch Baby Slice drop bows on D.J. Griffin:

Check out Kevin Ferguson Jr. hammer-fisting his opponent into oblivion to earn his 1st professional win:

**Check out this spectacular first-round flying knee knockout from Fabian Edwards on Rafal Cejrowski:

Preliminary Card results (via MMA Fighting)

Stav Economou def. Dan Konecke via submission (guillotine) (R1, 1:05)

Amir Albazi def. Jamie Powell via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26 x2)

Nathan Jones def. User Kayani via submission (RNC) (R1, 4:35)

Fabian Edwards def. Rafal Cejrowski via first-round KO (3:44)

Jeremy Petley def. Chase Morton via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)

Mike Shipman def. Marcin Prostko via first-round TKO (2:39)

Salih Kulucan def. Diego Barbosa via submission (heel hook) (R1, 2:18)