Undefeated prospect Darrion Caldwell will look to keep his march toward a bantamweight title going when he meets Joe Taimanglo in the main event of Bellator 159.
In addition to the bout between Caldwell (9-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and Taimanglo (22-6-1 MMA, 5-3 BMMA), Bellator announced a lightweight co-main event featuring Melvin Guillard (32-16-2 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) and David Rickels (17-4 MMA, 12-4 BMMA).
The event takes place July 22 from Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan. The main card airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.
Caldwell has been on a tear in the bantamweight division, most recently making a big statement by choking out former multi-time champ Joe Warren at Bellator 151.
In Taimanglo, Caldwell faces an experienced veteran currently riding a three-fight winning streak. In his most recent bout, he took a unanimous decision victory over Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 151.
Guillard has struggled in his two trips to the Bellator cage, most recently suffering a brutal knockout loss to Derek Campos at Bellator 149. He is 1-3 since his UFC release and is on a three-fight losing skid.
Rickels stopped Bobby Cooper with strikes at Bellator 150. Prior to that victory, he was stopped by former champ Michael Chandler.
The current Bellator 159 card includes:
MAIN CARD (Spike, 9 p.m. ET)
- Darrion Caldwell vs. Joe Taimanglo
- Melvin Guillard vs. David Rickels
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie, 7 p.m. ET)
- Manny Meraz vs. Trey Ogden
- Matt Foster vs. Chris Harris
For more on Bellator 159, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
