Rory MacDonald Choke Submits Paul Daley in Bellator 179 Main Event in London

Rory MacDonald was worth the wait for Bellator MMA.

In his first appearance since leaving the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the Scott Coker-led organization, MacDonald submitted Paul Daley with a second-round rear-naked choke atop Bellator 179 on Friday at the SSE Arena in London. Daley (39-15-2) conceded defeat 1:45 into Round 2, as he was submitted for the first time in nearly nine years.

MacDonald (19-4) snapped a two-fight losing streak and put himself in prime position to challenge the winner of the forthcoming Douglas Lima-Lorenz Larkin showdown for the Bellator welterweight championship.

Related » Matches to Make After Bellator 179

In the light heavyweight co-main event, Linton Vassell made his pitch for a title shot by submitting former champion Liam McGeary with a third-round arm-triangle choke. McGeary (12-2) bowed out 2:28 into Round 3, losing for the second time in three outings.

Vassell (18-5) has rattled off three straight wins since his decision defeat to Muhammed Lawal at Bellator 142 in September 2015.

Meanwhile, Cheick Kongo improved to 9-2 under the Bellator banner but did so in underwhelming fashion, as he eked out a split decision over Augusto Sakai in a plodding and uneventful heavyweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with Kongo (27-10-2).

The loss was the first for Sakai (9-1-1) and came on the heels of his majority draw with Dan Charles at Bellator 155 a year ago. The Brazilian prospect has not won a fight since November 2015.

Elsewhere, former Ultimate Challenge MMA champion Alex Lohore wiped out journeyman Dan Edwards with punches in the second round of their welterweight feature. Lohore (12-1) drew it to a close 56 seconds into Round 2, as he recorded his eighth consecutive victory and continued to surge at 170 pounds.

The 29-year-old Edwards (14-15) has lost nine of his past 12 bouts.

In other action, Kevin Ferguson Jr., son of the late “Kimbo Slice,” cut down D.J. Griffin with punches 3:40 into the first round of their catchweight encounter at 165 pounds; Stav Economou submitted Dan Konecke with a guillotine choke 65 seconds into the first round of their heavyweight pairing; Amir Albazi took a lopsided unanimous decision from Jamie Powell in a three-round flyweight affair, sweeping the scorecards with 30-25, 30-26 and 30-26 marks; Nathan Jones submitted Umer Kayani with a rear-naked choke 4:35 into the first round of their welterweight confrontation; Fabian Edwards knocked out Rafal Cejrowski with a flying knee 3:44 into the first round of their middleweight tilt; Jeremy Petley captured a unanimous verdict over Chase Morton in their three-round catchweight clash at 150 pounds, prompting 29-28, 30-27 and 30-26 nods from the judges; Mike Shipman dispatched Marcin Prostko with a knees 2:39 into the first round of their middleweight matchup; and Salih Kulucan submitted Diego Barbosa with a heel hook 2:18 into the first round of their bantamweight contest.