Darrion Caldwell ready to hand 'ass whooping' to Joe Taimanglo at Bellator 167

Darrion Caldwell had things going his way against Joe Taimanglo when they met at Bellator 159. Then, just nine seconds into the third round, Taimanglo caught him in a guillotine choke to hand Caldwell his first career loss.

Caldwell (9-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) and Taimanglo (23-6-1 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) are now set for a bantamweight rematch at Bellator 167. After injuries hit the card, the bout was promoted to the featured bout at the event, which takes place Saturday at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. Tonight, Bellator 166 takes place at the same location. Both main cards air on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Speaking with MMAjunkie, Caldwell said he is ready for the chance to avenge the lone blemish on his record.

“I feel great about the opportunity to fight in the Bellator cage again,” Caldwell said. “Any time you lose you want to come back and get that one back, you know? For me, there wasn’t a better fight than running this one back. I’m excited.”

During the interview, Caldwell repeatedly dismissed Taimanglo by asking for the name of the man he is fighting.

Despite the seeming blowoff, Caldwell said there is no bad blood between the two. Still, he took a shot at his opponent for failing to make weight in their first bout.

“I don’t really know the guy,” Caldwell said. “There isn’t really bad blood. Anybody I step in the cage with, especially if they beat me, I’m looking to give them an ass whooping. I checked my scale this morning, and it said it doesn’t matter because he’s probably not going to make weight. … I’ll be ready to scrap whether he’s overweight or on weight this time. It’s not going to make a difference.”

For more on Bellator 167, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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