Weekend Rundown: Lombard’s Unbeaten Streak Reaches 18

Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight king Hector Lombard stopped Art Santore on first-round cuts in the Cage Fighting Championships 12 main event on Friday at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia.

Unbeaten in 18 bouts (17-0-1), Lombard unleashed some of his trademark ground-and-pound on Santore. Three cuts -- any one of which could have resulted in the stoppage -- on Santore’s head and face told the story. The American Top Team-based Lombard has won 13 consecutive fights since his July 2007 draw with EliteXC veteran and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 hopeful Kyle Noke. Decision losses to current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Akihiro Gono remain the only other blemishes on his resume.

Meanwhile, Bernardo Magalhaes captured the CFC lightweight championship with a unanimous decision nod against Adrian Pang. Scores were 48-47 across the board.

Magalhaes utilized single-leg takedowns and top control in setting the tone for the competitive five-round tilt, then turned to some ground-and-pound late to seal his victory. He has defeated Pang twice in his 10-fight career.

Another title fight also went the distance, as Gustavo Falciroli outpointed the previously unbeaten Richard Vaculik en route to a unanimous decision and won the CFC featherweight championship. The 27-year-old Falciroli out-grappled Vaculik throughout the five-round encounter, as he posted his seventh victory in eight fights.

Finally, Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Ryan Healy stopped Jai Bradney on second-round strikes. Based at Team Quest, the 26-year-old Healy has won back-to-back bouts, both of them finishes.

Aurelio, O’Brien Victorious in Finland

UFC veteran Marcus Aurelio submitted Niko Puhakka with a second-round rear-naked choke in the Fight Festival 27 headliner on Saturday at Toolo Sports Hall in Helsinki, Finland. The end came 2:40 into round two.

Aurelio has rattled off two straight wins since his split decision defeat to Evan Dunham at UFC 102 in August. The 36-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt -- who holds wins against former Pride Fighting Championships lightweight king Takanori Gomi and former two-division Deep champion Masakazu Imanari -- has now secured 13 of his 20 career victories by submission. In 28 professional appearances, Aurelio has never been finished.

In the co-feature, UFC exile Jake O’Brien cruised to a unanimous decision over M-1 Challenge veteran Toni Valtonen. The 25-year-old O’Brien, who wrestled collegiately at Purdue University, has delivered consecutive wins since his second-round submission loss to Jon Jones at UFC 100 in July.

Another UFC veteran was not as fortunate, as Sean Salmon lasted just 40 seconds against EliteXC veteran Alexander Shlemenko. The Russian put away Salmon with a knee to the body less than a minute into round one, as he won for the 12th time in 13 fights.

Polish Prospect Stays Unbeaten

Marcin Held, one of the top prospects in Poland, submitted Przemyslaw Zbiciak with a rear-naked choke 3:11 into the first round in the Ring 1 “First Battle” main event on Saturday at the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre in Zgierz, Poland.

Held, who turned 18 in January, remains perfect through eight professional bouts. Fighting professionally since the age of 16, he has finished six of his eight opponents, four of them by submission. Held had not competed since December, when he rattled off three wins in one night under the MMA Challengers banner.