Former Champ Joe Warren Faces Sirwan Kakai in Bellator 161 Co-Main Event

A bantamweight showdown pitting Joe Warren (13-5) against Sirwan Kakai (12-4) has been added to the main card of “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson,” which takes place on September 16 inside the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, Texas.

The bantamweight contest joins a heavyweight main event featuring Cheick Kongo (24-10-2) taking on Tony Johnson (10-2), and the U.S. debut of Anastasia Yankova (3-0), who meets Veta Arteaga (2-0). Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.

A 15-fight veteran of Bellator MMA and champion in not one but two different weight classes, Warren enters the cage with an 11-4 mark under the Scott Coker-led promotion, including multiple streaks of five consecutive wins. Dating back to 2015, the 2006 Pan American and World Champion wrestler has made three consecutive appearances in Bellator’s main event, including an impressive unanimous decision victory over L.C. Davis at “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis.” Hailing from Denver, Colorado, the “Baddest Man on the Planet” will look to become the first-ever fighter to knock out Kakai when the two meet in main card action on SPIKE.

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Nicknamed “Zohan,” Kakai comes into the fight in search of his first career win under the Bellator MMA banner. At just 26 years of age, the Swedish submission specialist hopes to make a splash against the former two-division champion in Warren. Since making his professional debut in 2008, Kakai has recorded 12 wins as a pro, with half coming by way of submission. Prior to joining the Bellator MMA fray, Kakai made a splash fighting under the direction of the UFC, recording a unanimous decision victory over Danny Martinez in his promotional debut. Kakai now faces one of the most challenging opponents Bellator MMA’s stacked bantamweight division has to offer when he enters the cage on September 16 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.

Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson Fight Card

Heavyweight Main Event: Cheick Kongo (24-10-2) vs. Tony Johnson (10-2)
Bantamweight Co-Main Event: Joe Warren (13-5) vs. Sirwan Kakai (12-4)
Flyweight Feature Bout: Anastasia Yankova (3-0) vs. Veta Arteaga (2-0)

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