Last update on. From the section Mixed Martial Arts
France's Cheick Kongo beat Russian Sergei Kharitonov in dramatic fashion to win the battle for the heavyweight veterans at Bellator 265.
Kharitonov (41), was defeated by Kongo, 46.
Logan Storley, the home favorite, won the co-main event against Dante Schiro, a welterweight.
Marcelo Golm, Jornel Lugio also won.
Kongo rallies late
Kharitonov forced a reluctant Kongo to retreat towards his fence immediately after the bout began. He followed the Frenchman around the cage all the way through the first round.
Kongo was briefly knocked out by 'The Paratrooper' with a straight shot. He then had trouble in the final seconds of the round. The 46-year old showed signs of distress in the early stages.
Kongo began to fire back in round two with his own shots, but Kharitonov maintained the pressure as he crushed Kongo's attempts to takedown him and hit him with heavy shots to both the head and the body.
After being on the receiving end of a round and half, Kongo suddenly burst into life midway through the second round, when he dramatically changed the outcome.
Kongo hit Kharitonov hard with heavy strikes and then took him to the ground.
Kharitonov was trapped and unable escape. The Frenchman applied pressure using ground strikes, before locking the Russian's back in a rear-naked choke, which forced him to tap with just one second remaining in the round.
Kongo won the victory - his 31st fight in MMA after he lost to Tim Johnson last October in Paris' main event.
Storley wins
Storley's career record has been improved to 12-1
South Dakota's Storley won the co-main event, rebounding from his first defeat in his career to win a split-decision victory back home.
Storley, the number-five-ranked welterweight competitor, lost a split decision last November to Yaroslav Amov before the Ukrainian won the Bellator welterweight title.
The 28-year old American won the fight and outwrestled Schiro in the second round to earn 29-28 scores on the two judges' scorecards. Schiro won the fight on the other scorecard, 29-28.
Storley, despite improving his career record from 12-1 to 12,1, admitted that he was "embarrassed" by his performance but expressed his desire to face Amosov, the world champion.
"I want Amosov but I don’t think I have much to say after a performance such as that. He said, "But I know that I can take him to deep waters."
"I believe I'm more superior than him, and I respect him. It wasn't something I did tonight. But it's what I want. "I want to be the world champion."
Golm wins buzzer-beater TKO
Brazilian heavyweight Golm won his first fight inside Bellator's cage. He defeated debutant Billy Swanson in just a few seconds.
Golm was a former UFC heavyweight and earned a Bellator contract following back-to-back wins.
The American Top Team-trained 28-year old fighter spent most of the round putting his man against the cage. As the 10-second clapper sounded in closing seconds of round, he unleashed a torrent of punches on Swanson, forcing the TKO stoppage at 4:57.
Golm improved his career record to 9-3 and extended his post-UFC win streak at three fights.
After his win, he also challenged Steve Mowry to a challenge.
Lugo targets bantamweight Grand Prix
The undefeated prospect Lugo defeated Keith Lee in the first bout. He scored a technical submission win in the first round of their 140lb contract weight match.
Lugo was close to securing a D'Arce choke in the first round when he tried to finish Lee, the younger brother UFC welterweight Kevin Lee.
The unbeaten 25 year-old wouldn't be denied. He kept up the pressure and locked in a tight rear-naked choke during the last seconds of the round. Lee refused to tap, and was unconscious when the bell rang.
Lugo's remarkable finish increased his record to 7-0. Four of those wins were in the Bellator cage.
Lugo expressed his satisfaction with his win and said that he hoped his performance would be good enough to get him a spot at a possible Bellator bantamweight Grand Prix.
He even shared his ideal opponent in the first round - current Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis.
"Sergio, come on. Let's go for the belt. He said that he could visualize himself as 7-0 and winning a belt. Then he explained that he wanted to replicate the success of AJ McKee, the newly crowned featherweight champion, who defeated Patricio Pitbull' Freire in the Bellator featherweight Grand Prix.
Lugo stated that he preferred a slightly different route to the tournament.
He explained, "I'm gonna be the opposite of AJ McKee."
"AJ McKee won [and] received the belt at the conclusion.
"I'll get it in the beginning, and I'll defend it throughout the tournament."
