What to Watch For: Bellator 161

As the Bellator MMA heavyweight throne sits empty, Cheick Kongo and onetime King of the Cage champion Tony Johnson are but two of the men interested in filling the vacuum left by the deposed Vitaly Minakov. Kongo will meet Johnson in the Bellator 161 main event on Friday at the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas. In the bantamweight co-headliner, former two-division Bellator titleholder Joe Warren takes on American Top Team’s Sirwan Kakai. The rest of the four-fight main card features a women’s flyweight battle pitting Anastasia Yankova against Veta Arteaga and a lightweight match pairing Derek Campos with Djamil Chan.Something of an institution in the heavyweight division, Kongo will enter the cage on a two-fight winning streak. The 41-year-old Frenchman last competed at Bellator 150 in February, when he was awarded a split decision over Vinicius Kappke de Queiroz at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas. A model of consistency throughout his career, Kongo has suffered back-to-back losses only once in his 15-years as a professional. He has secured 16 of his 24 victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Johnson has rattled off three straight wins. The 30-year-old American Kickboxing Academy representative last appeared at Bellator 148 on Jan. 29, when he disposed of Raphael Butler with third-round punches at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Victories over former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder, two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship titlist Tim Sylvia and reigning M-1 Global champion Alexander Volkov anchor Johnson’s resume. With the Kongo-Johnson showdown on the marquee, here is what to watch for at Bellator 161:A Reputation to Uphold The self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” has some explaining to do. Warren will be back in the cage for the first time since being ragdolled …

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