Bellator 161 Results: Kongo and Warren shine Anastasia Yankova secures controversial win
Cheick Kongo managed to upgrade his winning streak to three fights by picking up a win via decision at Bellator 161 against Tony Johnson. The main event did not have much action as the fans would’ve wanted and the decision of the judges was mostly dependent on the control and takedowns that happened.
Elsewhere, Joe Warren took home an inspirational win when he defeated Sirwan Kakai via submission. Warren, who had troubles finding sponsors ahead of his fight against Kakai, came in and finished the match in the third round. Though Kakai had the slight upper hand in the first round, Warren came back strong in the second and third to get a much-needed win.
The event was not void of controversy as Anastasia Yankova’s split decision win over Veta Arteaga proved to be talking point. A good portion of the fight was dominated by striking and both the fighters had their moments throughout. With Yankova winning the last and Arteaga winning the first round respectively, the deciding factor was who had won the second. Yankova won via split decision in the end, but the crowd did not seem pleasant. To her credit, Yankova also admitted her doubts in the decision and called for a rematch. Here are the results for Bellator 161.
Main card:
- Cheick Kongo def. Tony Johnson via majority decision (28-28, 29-28 x2)
- Joe Warren def. Sirwan Kakai via submission (neck crank) (R3, 1:04)
- Anastasia Yankova def. Veta Arteaga via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
- Derek Campos def. Djamil Chan via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)