Bellator 161 "Kongo vs. Johnson" happens Sept. 16, 2016 at H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas. A heavyweight main event headlines the card as Cheick Kongo searches for a third straight win against rising star Tony Johnson.
An exciting co-main event has just announced for the card that puts the self-proclaimed "Baddest Man on the Planet" Joe Warren (13-5) against UFC and Bellator bantamweight veteran Sirwan Kakai (12-4).
Both men have something to prove with this bout. Warren is looking to bounce back from a one-sided loss to Darrion Caldwell in the main event of Bellator 151, a fight Warren wanted to win to get back into title contention.
Earlier on the same card Kakai took a loss against Joe Taimanglo, a "Juggernaut" who would later go on to No. 1 contender status with a surprising win over Caldwell at Bellator 159, turning the bantamweight division on its ear.
Warren has only lost two fights in a row once in his career back in 2011-12, losing the featherweight title to Pat Curran in the process before making a full time move to bantamweight. For Kakai, a third straight loss could put him on the bubble to be cut from his contract.
Bellator hasn't been shy about cutting underperforming fighters this year.
The updated Bellator 161 card is below.
Bellator 161 "Kongo vs. Johnson" (Spike TV):
Heavyweight: Cheick Kongo (24-10-2) vs. Tony Johnson (10-2)
Bantamweight: Joe Warren (13-5) vs. Sirwan Kakai (12-4)
Flyweight: Anastasia Yankova (3-0) vs. Veta Arteaga (2-0)
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