Veteran Cheick Kongo was thrust into the big lights of a main event fight on Friday, and the performance failed to cast a large shadow.
Kongo (24-10-2) survived a late scare to defeat Vinicius "Spartan" Queiroz by split decision (30-27, 28-29 and 29-28) in a fight largely void of excitement at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas.
Due to the late scratch of a featherweight title rematch between Marcos Galvaoand Eduardo Dantas, the pair of heavyweights took over top billing at Bellator 150. Fighting out of Paris, France, Kongo used his striking advantage to pile up enough points against Queiroz (8-4), who never found a rhythm on his feet until the final round.
Kongo, 40, won the striking battle early by picking apart the frame of the 6-foot-7 Queiroz with leg kicks. Midway through the three-round fight, the left leg of "Spartan" became discolored, which forced the fight to the mat. Despite holding half-guard position, the 32-year-old Queiroz was unable to mount any significant offense as Kongo's defense held strong.
But midway through the third round, Queiroz caught Kongo coming in with a big right hand that flattened the UFC vet. Queiroz quickly jumped into full mount, but once again, Kongo's defense kept him alive in the fight. Referee John McCarthy had to separate the fighters multiple times throughout the fight due to inactivity, which led to a parade of boos when the decision was read.
The win is Kongo's fourth in his past five outings, with the exception coming in a split-decision loss to Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal the past February at Bellator 134. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak for Queiroz.
The original main event was scratched when the champion, Galvao, came down with an illness, marking the second time the fight has been delayed (Dantas pulled out in October with a rib injury). No makeup date for the fight has been announced.

Rickels rebounds to score TKO

After a one-sided loss to Michael Chander in his previous fight, a little home cooking did David Rickels well.
Rickels (17-4), from Derby, Kansas, bounced back with an impressive TKO win over Bobby Cooper (12-6) at 3:49 of the first round. The finish was set up with a pair of devastating knees to the chin of Cooper, who had never been stopped in his previous 17 professional fights.
"I came in promising savagery, and I brought it tonight," Rickels said. "I'm always adding to my arsenal, but it's that caveman savagery. I'm coming at you, and sometimes you end up in a pool of blood on the canvas."
Before the bout, "The Caveman" electrified the home crowd with his trademark walkout, wearing a leopard print suit while walking with a club. Fresh off a second-round TKO loss to Chandler in a November rematch, Rickels credited his training with Team Elevation in Denver with helping him record his first knockout since October 2013.
The win was Rickels' 11th inside the Bellator cage, which is tied for the second most in company history. Rickels, 27, is now one victory behind former featherweight champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire of Brazil. It's a record Rickels wants to bring to the United States.
"I'm coming for the No. 1 spot. We need an American up there," Rickels said.
-- An emotional Kendall Grove made it two straight highlight-reel knockouts inside the Bellator cage. A month after his brother, Martin, passed away, "Da Spyder" knocked Francisco France out at 32 seconds of Round 2 in their middleweight fight. After absorbing several strong leg kicks in the first round, Grove (23-15) rushed France (13-4-1) against the cage and landed three overhand rights, with the final strike forcing the stoppage.
-- Featherweight Chuka Willis handed Gaston Reyno the first loss of his career by winning a unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 twice). Willis, 22, landed the signature strike of the fight in the second round, a heavy right hand that staggered Reyno (5-1). Willis, fighting out of nearby Emporia, Kansas, improves to 6-2. The bout was promoted to the main card following the cancellation of Galvao-Dantas II.
-- In the first fight of the main card, Rebecca Ruth defeated Lena Ovchynnikovavia unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 twice) in a women's flyweight bout. The 37-year-old Ruth (6-1) controlled the fight from the opening bell and used her 5.5-inch reach advantage to land the heavier punches, including a right hand that dropped Ukraine's Ovchynnikova (10-4) in the second round.