Weekend Rundown: Lambert, Rivera, Held Victorious

Former World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champion Jason Lambert submitted Wayne Cole with a rear-naked choke in the C3 Fights “Knockout Rockout Weekend 3” headliner on Saturday at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla. The end came 1:51 into round two.

Lambert took back control twice, softened the 39-year-old Cole with punches and waited for the Strikeforce, Bellator Fighting Championships and International Fight League veteran to surrender the choke. It was his first submission victory in more than four years.

A 32-year-old Long Beach, Calif., native, Lambert has reeled off consecutive wins. He was cut by the UFC following his rear-naked choke submission defeat to Jason MacDonald at UFC 88 in September 2008.

Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 quarterfinalist Roli Delgado submitted Brandon Shelton with a triangle choke 1:44 into round one of the co-main event. The victory halted a two-fight losing streak for the 28-year-old Arkansas-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Delgado was pruned from the UFC roster in wake of consecutive defeats to Paul Kelly and Andre Winner.

Rivera Edges Cramer at ‘MMA Mayhem’

In a showdown between “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 quarterfinalists, Dante Rivera eked out a controversial split decision over American Top Team’s Dan Cramer in the Elite MMA “MMA Mayhem” main event on Saturday at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J. Two of the three judges sided with Rivera by matching 30-27 counts; a third scored it 29-28 for Cramer.

A Renzo Gracie protégé who has competed under the UFC and IFL banners, the 35-year-old Rivera has posted four wins in five appearances. The defeat snapped a string of three consecutive victories for Cramer. All six of the 24-year-old’s fights have gone the distance.

Meanwhile, UFC veteran Chris Liguori stopped Robert Conner on third-round elbows in the co-headliner. Liguori trapped Conner in a triangle choke and fired away with elbow strikes for the finish 3:16 into round three. He has delivered four wins in five fights, losing only to Marcus Aurelio in that span.

Held Stops Silva in Second

Polish prodigy Marcin Held rebounded from his first professional setback, as he stopped Pride Fighting Championships veteran and former Cage Rage lightweight champion Jean Silva on a second-round technical knockout in the Pro Fight 5 headliner on Friday at Orbita Hall in Wroclaw, Poland. Silva met his demise 2:30 into round two.

Held, 18, attacked the Brazilian with a series of leg locks that softened Silva and set the table for the finish. After absorbing a knee from the clinch, the wounded Silva could no longer continue, as Held bounced back nicely from his controversial decision loss to Lukasz Sajewski three weeks ago. The 33-year-old Silva has dropped three fights in a row for the first time in his career.

Meanwhile, UFC castaway Mario Neto outpointed Temistokles Teresiewicz by unanimous decision in the co-feature. A decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has competed sporadically in mixed martial arts, Neto has delivered two wins in three fights since his knockout loss to Eddie Sanchez at UFC 63 four years ago.

Quick Hits

Former welterweight King of Pancrase Katsuya Inoue defeated Katsuhiko Nagata by unanimous decision at Cage Force 17 on Saturday at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The 30-year-old Dream veteran had not won a fight in more than a year … UFC veteran Josh Hendricks earned a unanimous decision against the previously unbeaten Jesse McElligott at Combat Zone 33 “Massacre in the Meadow” on Saturday at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion in Gilford, N.H. Hendricks has won seven of his last nine fights … Yasuko Tamada notched a unanimous decision against Naoko Omuro to win the Valkyrie flyweight tournament at Valkyrie 6 on Saturday at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Tamada has not tasted defeat in nearly four years, a span of 12 fights. Omura battled her to a draw at Valkyrie 1 in November 2008.