Fight Card Update For ‘Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell’ – This Friday on Spike

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (February 29, 2016) – This Friday, Bellator MMA returns to Spike for the third consecutive Friday with “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell.” The event takes place from the WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, OK, and features a main event between highly touted undefeated (8-0) challenging former two- division world champion and the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” (13-4). Tickets for “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” are on sale now and start at just $45. You can purchase tickets at the WinStar World Casino and Resort Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. Doors for the event open at 5:00 p.m. CT local time, with the first contest taking place 45 minutes later.

“Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” airs live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Joe Warren (13-4) vs. Darrion Caldwell (8-0) Warren has just about done it all under the Bellator MMA banner, winning titles at and bantamweight during his nearly six-year promotional tenure. Now, Warren has his sights set on another run with the 135-pound title, a belt he lost during an intense encounter with Marcos Galvao early in 2015. A 2006 Pan American and World Champion in Greco-Roman competition, the 39-year-old will test himself against a young competitor who excels in the same skillset that Warren has used to his advantage for most of his career, .

With five impressive outings in a little over a year and a half under the Bellator MMA umbrella, it was only a matter of time before “The Wolf” found himself in a position to compete for a world title. The next stop on the road to championship gold goes through Warren, a man who has held Galvao’s belt already. A standout on the wrestling team at NC State University, the 27-year-old Caldwell most recently submitted via rear-naked choke in the first frame, adding to his tally of finishes (4). Initially a featherweight, Caldwell looks much more comfortable now at 135-pounds and as he proclaimed during a recent interview, “I foresee myself competing against Joe [Warren] with a No. 1 contender shot on the line, sooner rather than later.”

Fernando Gonzalez (24-13) vs. Gilbert Smith (12-4) Gonzalez took a brief hiatus from MMA to compete in the kickboxing portion of the groundbreaking “Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1” event in September, losing a tightly contest decision to world-renowned striker Paul “Semtex” Daley. Gonzalez now returns to his comfort zone of MMA, where he has strung together an impressive four-fight winning streak. A veteran of the Scott Coker-founded Strikeforce promotion, as well as World Extreme Cagefighting, Gonzalez has been competing professionally since 2003.

Smith will be making his Bellator MMA debut against a fighter who is currently in the midst of a four-fight winning streak. “Midnight Magic” is on a bit of a roll of his own, coming into the promotion riding a two-bout winning streak. A veteran of UFC and most recently RFA, Smith won the regional promotion’s welterweight belt in June, defending the title one time before signing with Bellator.

Goiti Yamauchi (19-2) vs. (10-2) Yamauchi comes into the fight riding a wave of momentum he’s caught after wins against Mike Richman, Martin Stapleton, and Isao Kobayashi. The 23-year-old Japanese fighter has only lost once in six appearances under the Bellator MMA banner and has notched 15 of his 19 wins as a professional by way of submission.

It’s hard to ignore Jenkins inside or outside the Bellator MMA cage, being that “The Highlight Kid” also doubles as a podcast host during his free time. The Arizona State alum notched two straight wins to cap off 2015, most recently, an impressive offensive display against a promising prospect in Jordan Parsons.

Sirwan Kakai (12-3) vs. Joe Taimanglo (21-6-1) Taimanglo will be making his seventh appearance under the Bellator MMA umbrella, and is riding a two-fight winning streak. A Guam-native, “The Juggernaut” has stopped his opponent in 21 of his victories and has only lost twice in his last 14 fights. Look for the 31-year-old to make an impression against the bantamweight division’s newest commodity.

Kakai is one of Bellator MMA’s latest signings, joining the fray after a two-fight stint in the UFC. “Zohan,” 26, hails from Sweden and owns 10 finishes in his 12 victories as a professional fighter. With a bantamweight title fight one-week prior and another marquee 135-pound pairing in the main event, it will be interesting to see what a win does for Kakai in the grand scheme of things.

Complete “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” Fight Card:

Bellator MMA Bantamweight Main Event: Joe Warren (13-4) vs. Darrion Caldwell (8-0) Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Gilbert Smith (12-4) vs. Fernando Gonzalez (24-13) Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Goiti Yamauchi (19-2) vs. Bubba Jenkins (10-2) Bellator MMA Bantamweight Feature Bout: Sirwan Kakai (12-3) vs. Joe Taimanglo (21-6-1) Preliminary Card:

Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Roger Carroll (16-13) vs. Neiman Gracie (3-0) Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Steve Garcia (6-0) vs. Ricky Turcios (5-0) Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Justin Patterson (6-1) vs. Chance Rencountre (8-1) Bellator MMA Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Chris Jones (10-3) vs. Ray Wood (5-1) Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Derek Palmer (Debut) vs. Jermayne Barnes (0-1) Bellator MMA Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Steven Peterson (13-4) vs. Stephen Banaszak (5-5) Bellator MMA Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Treston Thomison (8-4) vs. Aaron Roberson (5-3)

B151_18x24_tunein About Bellator MMA: Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

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