Breakdown Bellator 161

Heavyweights, Cheick Kongo and Tony Johnson are scheduled to meet in the Main Event of Bellator 161, in HEB Center Cedar Park, Texas on September 16^th 2016.

The 6’4” Kongo is entering his ninth fight with Bellator, he has gone 6-2 to date. He is coming off a pair of decision victories over Alexander Volkov (6/26/15) and Vinicius Kapple de Queiroz (2/26/16). The hard hitting, Forty-one year old has finished sixteen of his twenty-four victories, twelve by KO/TKO.

At 10-2 Tony Johnson is still building his name. The Texan has finished half of his victories by TKO/KO. Johnson looks to add Cheick Kongo to an already impressive list of past wins. The list includes: Alexander Volkov by Split Decision (4/10/15), Former UFC HW Champ, Tim Silvia by 3^rd round TKO (5/31/13), and current UFC HW Phenom, Derrick Lewis at BFC 46 by Unanimous Decision. At Bellator 148 (1/29/16) Johnson stopped Raphael Butler by TKO with only :36 remaining in the third round of his most recent fight.  

Thirty-nine year old Bantamweight, Joe Warren enters the Bellator cage with a record of 13-5 with 9 wins by decision. Warren looks to rebound after being choked unconscious at Bellator 151 (3/4/16) by Darion Caldwell. Getting back to Texas might just be what Warren needs. Last September he earned a UD win over LC Davis at Bellator 143 in Hidalgo, TX. A tough guy to beat in a three round contest, Warren’s five losses have all come by stoppage (2KO/TKO, 3Subs). He faces Gothenburg, Sweden’s Sirwan Kakai.

Kakai is also coming off a loss at Bellator 151, dropping a close Majority Decision to Joe Taimanglo. “Zohan” has finished ten of his twelve victories (6 submissions), but all four of his losses have been by decision.

A pair of undefeated female Flyweights will battle it out when Moscow Russia’s Anastasia Yankova faces Boise, Idaho native Veta Arteaga. Yankova has finished all three opponents by submission. She caught the last two in first round arm bars. At Bellator 152 (4/16/16) she snared Anjela Pink’s arm in the opening 1:35.

The Twenty-eight year old, Arteaga has won both of her pro fights by decision thus far. In May she outpointed Jackie Vendenburgh at Bellator 155.

Derek Campos is no stranger to the Bellator cage, he has fought inside of it nine times previously (5-4). In his most recent affair he KO’d Melvin Guillard just :32 into the second round at Bellator 149 (2/19/16). “The Stallion” has five wins by TKO/KO five by Sub and another six by Decision. He takes on fellow Lightweight, DJamil Chan.

Chan is on a seven fight win streak, dating back to 2/16/13 a first round :18 TKO of Angelos Zampakikas. In fact eight of his ten finishes have come in the first round, including his Bellator debut earlier this year (4/22) at Bellator 153, when he stopped Richard Patishnock in the first round.

The rest of the fight card can be seen at: bellator.spike.com