Bellator 161: Results and Event Recap

Bellator 161 took place on September 16, 2016, at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas. Heavyweight Cheick Kongo faced Tony Johnson in the main event, with former two-division champion Joe Warren returning in the co-main event.

Kongo Wins a Majority Decision

Kongo defeated Johnson by majority decision in a low-action heavyweight fight. The judges scored it 29–28 twice for Kongo, with the third card even at 28–28. Kongo used takedowns and control in the first and third rounds to edge the result.

Bellator 161 Main-Card Results

• Cheick Kongo def. Tony Johnson by majority decision (28–28, 29–28, 29–28).
• Joe Warren def. Sirwan Kakai by submission (neck crank), Round 3, 1:04.
• Anastasia Yankova def. Veta Arteaga by split decision (28–29, 29–28, 29–28).
• Derek Campos def. Djamil Chan by unanimous decision (29–28 x3).

A Close Co-Main and a Controversial Decision

Warren caught Kakai in a standing guillotine and finished with a neck crank at 1:04 of the third round. Yankova’s split-decision win over Arteaga drew boos from the Cedar Park crowd; the result hinged on a close second round after Arteaga took the first and Yankova the third.

See our recaps of Bellator 160 and Bellator 162.

Selected Bout Results

• Cheick Kongo defeated Tony Johnson by majority decision (28–28, 29–28, 29–28).
• Joe Warren submitted Sirwan Kakai with a neck crank in round three at 1:04.
• Anastasia Yankova defeated Veta Arteaga by split decision.
• Derek Campos defeated Djamil Chan by unanimous decision.
• Daniel Pineda submitted Mark Dickman with a rear-naked choke in round three at 2:07.
• Emily Ducote submitted Kenya Miranda with an armbar in round two at 4:37.

Kongo’s majority decision reflected disagreement on the judges’ cards: two favored him by one point, while the third scored the contest even. His clinch work and takedowns in the first and third rounds offset Johnson’s stronger second round. Warren supplied a contrasting finish, ending his bantamweight contest with a third-round submission.

Sources

MMA Fighting: Bellator 161 results; MMA Fighting.

Article Tags

Bellator 161, Bellator, Mixed Martial Arts, Event Results