Ageless Cheick Kongo Earns Majority Decision Over Tony Johnson in Bellator 161 Headliner

Cheick Kongo did just enough. The 41-year-old Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran utilized an effective clinch, timely takedowns and attritive ground-and-pound to capture a majority decision over former King of the Cage champion Tony Johnson in the Bellator 161 headliner on Friday at the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas. Judges Jon Schorle and Anthony Townsend ruled 29-28 in Kongo’s favor, while Sal D’Amato scored it a 28-28 draw.Bookend rounds were critical for Kongo (25-10-2), who continues to angle for a shot at the vacant Bellator MMA heavyweight championship. He grounded and mounted Johnson in the first round and then executed a pair of takedowns in the third. His efforts helped erase a one-sided middle frame that Johnson (10-3) dominated. There, the American Kickboxing Academy representative took down Kongo inside the first 20 seconds and maintained an advantageous position for the duration of the round, climbing to full mount in the closing minute. However, his inability to finish proved costly. Kongo has rattled off three straight wins. In the bantamweight co-main event, former two-division Bellator champion Joe Warren submitted Sirwan Kakai with a third-round neck crank. Kakai (12-5) conceded defeat 1:04 into round three, as he was finished for the first time in his 17-fight professional career. Warren (14-5) had to work for it. The 39-year-old Grand Rapids, Michigan, native yielded a takedown to Kakai in the first round and absorbed a series of takedown-deterrent elbows in the clinch when he tried to answer …

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